Category: Joe Biden

Biden directs fresh review of Title IX rule on campus sexual assault

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President Biden on Monday directed the Education Department to review a controversial regulation governing how colleges and universities handle allegations of sexual assault, with an eye toward unraveling a new system put into place by former education secretary Betsy DeVos.

The DeVos regulation released in May spells out due process rights for those accused of harassment or assault, and the former secretary saw it as one of her most significant achievements. But it came under sharp attack from Democrats, women’s groups and others, and as a candidate, Biden signaled he would replace it.

It’s not clear, though, how he will go about it. Unraveling a regulation that is already in place may require a second complex rulemaking process.

Biden signed an executive order directing the Education Department to evaluate whether the DeVos regulation is “consistent with the policies” of the Biden administration. That’s a first step toward a fresh policy. Continue reading.

Biden directs fresh review of Title IX rule on campus sexual assault

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President Biden is directing the Education Department to review a controversial regulation governing how colleges and universities handle allegations of sexual assault, with an eye toward unraveling a new system put into place by former education secretary Betsy DeVos.

The DeVos regulation released last May spells out due process rights for those accused of harassment or assault, and the former secretary saw it as one of her most significant achievements. But it came under sharp attack from Democrats, women’s groups and others, and as a candidate Biden signaled he would replace it.

It’s not clear, though, how he will go about it. Unraveling a regulation that is already in place may require a second complex rulemaking process. Continue reading.

Political land mines await Garland at DOJ

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Attorney general nominee Merrick Garland is likely to face numerous tests early on at the Department of Justice (DOJ) as the Biden administration looks to quickly turn the page on the Trump era.

The circuit court judge, who’s expected to be confirmed by the Senate this week, will inherit a Justice Department that had been mobilized to protect former President Trump‘s personal and political interests using sweeping theories of executive power.

That means Garland will be under the microscope from day one to see how he addresses the previous administration’s erosion of the DOJ’s independence. At his confirmation hearing last month, Garland pledged to lead the nation’s top law enforcement agency without political interference. Continue reading.

What you need to do to get the third stimulus payment of up to $1,400

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Checks could go out in a matter of days after the American Rescue Plan is signed into law

If all goes as planned, millions of Americans will soon be getting another stimulus payment. This time, it’s up to $1,400 for individuals, $2,800 for couples, and an additional $1,400 for dependents.

The payments under the American Rescue Plan, which was adopted by the Senate on Saturday, are the third and so far the largest of the payments sent to Americans under coronavirus relief packages over the last year.

The payments will be distributed by the IRS. By now, the agency has experience in delivering the money quickly to eligible individuals and families. Continue reading.

Early in Biden’s presidency, GOP shows the places they’ll go

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If you listened to the Republican Party over the past week, it might have been easy to think that the core planks of its platform were defending a deceased children’s author, a decades-old children’s toy — and a subspecies of human that went extinct 40,000 years ago.

That’s because GOP leaders have been vociferously protesting a decision to stop publishing Dr. Seuss books that include racially stereotyped images; the removal of “Mr.” from the Mr. Potato Head brand; and President Biden’s characterization of ending mask mandates as “Neanderthal thinking.”

Amid debate over one of the most expensive stimulus packages in American history and turmoil over the global pandemic, many Republicans have been focused on what they view as “cancel culture” run amok. Continue reading.

White House fires Trump EEOC official after she refuses to step down

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The White House fired the general counsel of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on Friday, continuing a push to oust controversial Trump appointees viewed as hostile to the mission of the agencies they worked for.

Sharon Gustafson, who as the commission’s general counsel was in charge of its high-stakes litigation over workplace discrimination on issues like race, religion and sex, was dismissed by the White House by letter on Friday afternoon after refusing to resign, according to Gustafson’s farewell letter, obtained by The Washington Post, as well as a source familiar with the White House letter who was not authorized to speak about it.

The move was quickly denounced by Republican EEOC Commissioner Andrea R. Lucas, who was appointed by former president Donald Trump last year. Continue reading.

Early in Biden’s presidency, GOP shows the places they’ll go

Washington Post logo

If you listened to the Republican Party over the past week, it might have been easy to think that the core planks of its platform were defending a deceased children’s author, a decades-old children’s toy — and a subspecies of human that went extinct 40,000 years ago.

That’s because GOP leaders have been vociferously protesting a decision to stop publishing Dr. Seuss books that include racially stereotyped images; the removal of “Mr.” from the Mr. Potato Head brand; and President Biden’s characterization of ending mask mandates as “Neanderthal thinking.”

Amid debate over one of the most expensive stimulus packages in American history and turmoil over the global pandemic, many Republicans have been focused on what they view as “cancel culture” run amok. Continue reading.

The 8 most absurd reasons Republicans don’t want to pass COVID relief this time

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President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion plan is overwhelmingly popular, even among GOP voters.

Senate Republicans are preparing to oppose the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan when the Democratic majority brings it up for considerationon Wednesday. Rather than back the wildly popular pandemic relief legislation, they are inventing an array of excuses to oppose it.

The bill, proposed by President Joe Biden to fund measures to curb the pandemic and help Americans struggling economically from its devastation, passed the House early on Saturday without a single Republican vote after GOP leaders pushed their members to oppose it. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) told reporters last week that she does not expect a single GOP senator to back it either.

Here are eight of the worst arguments Senate Republicans are using to try to block the emergency bill: Continue reading.

Biden turns focus to next priority with infrastructure talks

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President Biden is starting to look beyond coronavirus relief to his next legislative fight, preparing to lay out a recovery package that makes significant investments in rebuilding U.S. infrastructure. 

Biden met with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and a bipartisan group of lawmakers on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for over an hour on Thursday afternoon, his second bipartisan meeting with the group over the past month. 

The president is expected to lay out his “Build Back Better” recovery plan sometime after the Senate passes its $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill, which the chamber took up on Thursday and could pass by the weekend. While the White House has been mum on details of the recovery plan, it’s likely to at least partly mirror the $2 trillion infrastructure and climate proposal he laid out on the campaign trail and include a hefty investment in infrastructure to spur job creation. Continue reading.

Klobuchar leads call for Biden to prioritize Violence Against Women Act programs in budget

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Biden was sponsor of measure in 1994 when it became law

Senate Democrats are urging President Joe Biden to provide strong backing for the Violence Against Women Act in his fiscal 2022 budget request, in light of increased reports of domestic violence during the pandemic and lack of supplemental funding for the law’s programs. 

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., along with 26 other Senate Democrats sent a letter to Biden on Friday, asking the president to prioritize support for Justice Department programs that provide services for survivors of gender-based violence in his fiscal 2022 budget request to Congress.

“We are very concerned that, as a result of the pandemic, cases of domestic violence and sexual assault have increased in communities across the country. Local law enforcement report more domestic violence-related calls and rape crisis centers are seeing increased need for services,” the senators wrote. “The pandemic has also made it more difficult for service providers to respond to the increased need for crisis intervention, legal services, and transitional housing.” Continue reading.