Tag: U.S. House

Bold Democracy Reform Is a Cornerstone Principle for Democrats

Center for American Progress logoH.R. 1 and the Path to Anti-Corruption and Pro-Voter Solutions

One year ago, the U.S. House of Representatives—under Democratic leadership—passed historic democracy reform legislation: H.R. 1, also known as the For the People Act. In the year since the bill’s passage, momentum for bold democracy reform has surged at the local, state, federal, and presidential levels. At a time when trust in government is near an all-time low, Americans are demanding strong solutions to curb the culture of corruption and to protect their right to vote. These pro-democracy solutions would increase the likelihood of Congress passing key policies supported by hardworking American families, such as lowering prescription drug prices, protecting clean air and water, and reducing the epidemic of gun violence, to name just a few.

Americans’ expectations for democracy reform helped trigger another significant milestone: Every major Democratic presidential candidate is now running on a promise to fight for major structural democracy reform, according to the Center for American Progress Action Fund’s analysis of candidates’ policy platforms and public statements. And, as discussed below, every Democratic elected official at the federal level supports the For the People Act, which means these reforms could become a reality in the future.

The far-reaching policy solutions in the For the People Act

H.R. 1 contains three groundbreaking pillars of reform. Each pillar includes multiple policy solutions to build a stronger democracy that will more fairly represent all people, including disadvantaged communities who often have been kept from realizing the American dream: Continue reading.

House passes $8.3 billion measure to fight coronavirus

The Hill logoThe House overwhelmingly passed nearly $8 billion in emergency funding to combat the coronavirus on Wednesday amid growing concerns about a widespread outbreak within the United States.

The 415-2 House vote sends the legislation to the Senate, where it will be considered Thursday. That could get the measure to the White House by the end of the week.

Congress is facing intense pressure to act quickly, with California becoming the second state on Wednesday to announce a death from the coronavirus. Eighty cases, including 11 deaths, have been reported in 13 states.  Continue reading.

House approves bill banning flavored tobacco products

The Hill logoA ban on flavored e-cigarettes and tobacco products passed the House on Friday but divided Democrats, with some saying it unfairly targets African Americans.

The bill, which passed 213-195, was sponsored by Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.) and Rep. Donna Shalala (D-Fla.), a Health and Human Services secretary under former President Clinton. It is intended to curb the rise of youth vaping rates by banning non-tobacco flavors such as mint and mango that public health experts say lure children into smoking.

It would also ban menthol cigarettes, which are disproportionately used by African Americans after years of targeted marketing by tobacco companies. Continue reading.

House Democrats ask Secret Service for details about its payments to Trump’s company

Washington Post logoThe House Oversight Committee on Wednesday asked the Secret Service to provide a full accounting of its payments to President Trump’s private company after The Washington Post revealed that the Secret Service had been charged as much as $650 per night for rooms at Trump clubs.

In a letter to the Secret Service, signed by Chair Carolyn B. Maloney (D-N.Y.) and member Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.), the committee asked for records of payments to Trump properties, and copies of contracts between the Secret Service and Trump clubs.

Last week, The Post reported that the Secret Service had been charged nearly $400 and as much as $650 per night for rooms at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club in Florida, and charged $17,000 a month for a cottage that agents used at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in New Jersey. President Trump still owns his companies. These payments show he has an unprecedented — and largely hidden — business relationship with his own government. Continue reading.

House Judiciary Goes After AG Barr Over Back Channel For Giuliani To Give Info On Ukraine

Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) wrote a letter to the attorney general demanding answers about the DOJ’s new “intake process” to vet tips from Rudy Giuliani.

The House Judiciary Committee sent a letter to Attorney General William Barr on Monday demanding answers regarding the Justice Department’s new so-called “intake process” to receive information from Rudy Giuliani about Ukraine and the Bidens.

Rep. Jerry Nadler’s (D-N.Y.) letter comes hours after Barr admitted that the department would evaluate material that Giuliani, President Donald Trump’s personal attorney, had collected from Ukrainian sources claiming to have damaging information about 2020 candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden.

Giuliani’s gathering of such information was a huge part of Trump’s attempt to get Ukraine to announce an investigation into the Bidens ahead of the 2020 U.S. presidential election, which led to the president’s impeachment (and eventual acquittal). Much of what the former New York City mayor has said to media outlets so far has consisted of conspiracy theories and misinformation. Continue reading.

House panels to take up surprise billing proposals

Committees set to vote on plans the week of Feb. 9

Two House committees on Friday released proposals to curb surprise medical bills, setting up action soon on a potent political issue that frustrates consumers.

The Ways and Means Committee and the Education and Labor Committee plan to vote on their bills next week, following the Energy and Commerce Committee, which approved its own plan last year.

Protecting patients from surprise out-of-network medical bills is a goal for Democrats, Republicans and President Donald Trump, but reaching agreement has proven more difficult than many initially expected. Continue reading.

Appeals court rules Democrats can’t sue Trump over emoluments claims

The Hill logoA federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., threw out a lawsuit accusing President Trump of illegally profiting off his private businesses while in office, ruling that the Democratic lawmakers who brought the suit lack legal standing.

A three-judge panel on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday did not rule on whether the president was violating the Constitution by profiting off foreign governments’ spending at his hotels. The judges unanimously said in a brief 12-page decision that the dispute centering around the Constitution’s emoluments clauses has no place in the court system.

“The Members can, and likely will, continue to use their weighty voices to make their case to the American people, their colleagues in the Congress and the President himself, all of whom are free to engage that argument as they see fit,” the judges wrote. “But we will not—indeed we cannot—participate in this debate.” Continue reading.

We Asked 81 Americans About Impeachment. Here’s What They Had to Say.

New York Times logo“A fit of partisan rage” is how Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader of the Senate, characterized the bid to remove President Trump from office. The president’s behavior, in the view of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, left House Democrats with “no choice” but to impeach.

But what do the American people think?

With the Senate trial of Mr. Trump now underway, we deployed a team of journalists to find out. We contacted hundreds of voters who had responded to an online survey saying they would be willing to be interviewed. We reached 81 people, from nearly 30 states. Continue reading.

Congress saw more bills introduced in 2019 than it has in 40 years, but few passed

Partisan divide and Senate’s focus on confirmations among factors cited

It would stand to reason that representatives and senators, dissuaded by the gridlock in Congress, would hesitate to introduce legislation. After all, only 105 laws were enacted during 2019, a poor showing by historical standards.

But that’s not what happened last year. In fact, lawmakers are on a pace to introduce more bills and joint resolutions than they have since the 1970s, when Congresses routinely saw 20,000 or more introduced.

In 2019, they introduced 8,820 bills and joint resolutions, 23 percent more than they did in 2017, the first year of the prior Congress. Continue reading.

‘Shove it,’ Rep. Ted Lieu tells GOP colleague Devin Nunes in response to lawsuit threat

Washington Post logoThe politicians’ dueling played out, as it almost always does these days, largely on Twitter and cable TV.

Rep. Ted Lieu (D) alleged in December that fellow California Rep. Devin Nunes (R) conspired with Lev Parnas, a former associate of President Trump’s personal lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani, to undermine the United States. Parnas has pleaded not guilty to violating campaign finance laws.

Then a lawyer for Nunes, who is the ranking Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, sent a multi-page missive threatening to sue for damage to Nunes’s reputation, Lieu tweeted. The Democratic congressman replied with a letter of his own and posted a photo of the document online. Continue reading.