DEBBIE STABENOW

Sen. Elizabeth Warren smiled and waved alongside Vice President Kamala Harris during a dinner a little more than a month after she stopped short of endorsing a Biden-Harris ticket.

Five Senate Democrats could retire ahead of the 2024 elections in America, relinquishing their seats to other individuals as the GOP seeks to gain control of the legislative chamber.

Michigan Rep. Elissa Slotkin hopes to fill the seat of fellow Democrat Sen. Debbie Stabenow, who announced her 2024 retirement earlier this year. Slotkin joins two Republicans to announce a bid.

Democrat Elissa Slotkin is running to replace Sen. Debbie Stabenow as a U.S. Senator from Michigan, she announced Monday. Stabenow says she is not running for reelection.

Democratic Senators whose terms end in 2025 are weighing whether re-election bids, as several already decided on stepping away from their positions next fall.

Michigan's longtime Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow, 72, announced earlier this year​ that she would not seek reelection.

The 46-year-old U.S. House member and former CIA analyst is seen by many top Democrats as a formidable contender in a key battleground.

Democratic congresswoman Elissa Slotkin of Michigan says she'll seek the state's open Senate seat in 2024.

John James is opting out a campaign for senate and has filed paperwork to run for reelection to his Detroit-area House seat. James is a rising star in the Republican party.

DETROIT — (AP) — Republican Rep. John James filed paperwork Friday to run for reelection to his Detroit-area House seat, opting against a campaign for the Senate seat being vacated by Democrat Debbie Stabenow in 2024. James, a 41-year-old first-term representative and rising star in the party, had been considered one of Republicans' most promising potential Senate candidates. Those two statewide bids raised James' name recognition before he won his House seat in last year's midterms, becoming Michigan's first Black Republican member of Congress. James' decision to seek reelection thins an already small Republican bench of potential Senate candidates in Michigan after the party suffered sweeping losses in statewide and congressional races in November's midterms. Republicans have taken just one of Michigan’s last 15 Senate races, winning an open seat in 1994.

Republican Rep. John James of Michigan is opting against a campaign for the Senate seat being vacated by Democrat Debbie Stabenow in 2024.

A handful of Senate Democrats could soon issue retirement announcements and forgo what could be a difficult 2024 re-election campaign.

Climate, food stamps, broadband and research dollars are all on the line as negotiations kick off for the 2023 farm bill.

In the interview, Slotkin nodded to the plans, saying she was putting her “ducks in a row" before an announcement. Slotkin would almost certainly face competition from fellow Democrats in one of the most politically competitive states in the U.S. And the margin of her victory last year could offer reassurance that she's prepared for another tough campaign. I think she would be at the very top," Michigan Democratic strategist Amy Chapman, who was Barack Obama's state director in 2008, said in assessing Slotkin's primary prospects. But for now, Slotkin appears to be the most aggressive in acting in light of Stabenow's Jan. 5 retirement announcement, which surprised much of the Michigan Democratic establishment.

Democratic congresswoman Elissa Slotkin of Michigan is taking steps toward seeking the U.S. Senate seat held by retiring Democrat Debbie Stabenow.

Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Tim Kaine, D-Va., are calling for a full investigation into the classified documents found at President Biden's home and former office.

The electoral success Democratic women have had in Michigan stands out among battleground states. In the wake of a senator's retirement, several are eyeing next steps.

After President Biden called former President Donald Trump irresponsible for having classified documents, Sen. Debbie Stabenow called Biden's current situation "embarrassing."

Senate Democrats again picked Michigan's Gary Peters to lead the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee for the 2024 cycle after his successes last year.

Stabenow's impending retirement turns Michigan’s next Senate race into one of the most competitive in the country as Democrats try to preserve their slim majority. “Inspired by a new generation of leaders, I have decided to pass the torch in the U.S. Senate. Only one Michigan Republican, has held a seat in the Senate in the past 40 years. Candice Miller, a former congresswoman and Michigan secretary of state, is “seriously considering” a bid, according to former chief of staff Jamie Roe. In 2000, she made history by becoming the first woman to be elected senator in Michigan, defeating one-term Republican Sen. Spence Abraham.

Stabenow, 72, said she will step down from the Senate after more than two decades in the upper chamber.

LANSING, Mich. — (AP) — Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow, a member of the Democratic leadership, announced Thursday that she will not run for a fifth term in 2024, opening up a seat in the key battleground state. The announcement is expected to make Michigan’s 2024 Senate race one of the most competitive in the country. Only one Michigan Republican has held a seat in the Senate in the past 40 years. If the full DNC approves the plan, as expected, Michigan would be the fifth state to vote in the primary process on Feb. 27. The Republican National Committee has already set their primary schedule and Michigan is not in the first five states.

Stabenow said Thursday she won’t seek reelection in 2024, creating an open Senate seat in the swing state of Michigan.

The surprise announcement that Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow won't run for a fifth term in 2024 sets up a scramble by both parties for an open seat in the key battleground state.

The spectacular demise of Sam Bankman-Fried and his trading platform should change the debate about the regulation of digital assets.

Congress is down to the wire in funding the government through the end of the year, GOP are deciding whether to pass a short-term spending bill or work with Democrats to pass full budget.

The Digital Commodities Consumer Protection Act would have protected customers from a failure like that of crypto giant FTX, lawmakers say.

Sen. Chuck Schumer has been elected for another term as Democratic leader in the Senate.

President Joe Biden is trying to allay concerns raised by French President Emmanuel Macron about a clean energy law that benefits electric vehicles and other products made in North America.

Sam Bankman-Fried, the former CEO of failed cryptocurrency exchange FTX, met with CFTC officials more than 10 times over the past 14 months.

The Senate Agriculture Committee will hold a hearing on crypto regulation Thursday in the wake of FTX’s implosion.

The federal government wants to expand all-hours mental health and substance abuse care in communities around the country.

In recent days, President Joe Biden has sharpened his attacks against Donald Trump and the so-called MAGA Republicans for posing a threat to democracy.

Rep. Brad Sherman doesn't just want to regulate cryptocurrency. He wants to ban it.

A House oversight subcommittee wants regulators and industry leaders to explain what they are doing to stop cryptocurrency fraud and other scams perpetrated on consumers.

Congress Budget Electric Vehicles FILE - A sales associate talks with a prospective buyer of a Cooper SE electric vehicle on the showroom floor of a Mini dealership July 7, 2022, in Highlands Ranch, Colo. But the auto industry is warning that the vast majority of EV purchases won’t qualify for a tax credit that large. For an EV buyer to qualify for the full credit, 40% of the metals used in a vehicle's battery must come from North America. If the metals requirement isn't met, the automaker and its buyers would be eligible for half the tax credit, $3,750. The tax credit would be available only to couples with incomes of $300,000 or less or single people with income of $150,000 or less.

A tax credit of up to $7,500 could be used to defray the cost of an electric vehicle under the Inflation Reduction Act now moving toward final approval in Congress.

A tax credit of up to $7,500 could be used to defray the cost of an electric vehicle under the Inflation Reduction Act now moving toward final approval in Congress. As of now, the alliance estimates that about 50 of the 72 electric, hydrogen or plug-in hybrid models that are sold in the United States wouldn't meet the requirements. “The $7,500 credit might exist on paper," Bozzella said in a statement, “but no vehicles will qualify for this purchase over the next few years.”

Bill that would require crypto traders, brokers and other industry players to register with the government.

Crypto Insider Trading Charges FILE - The Bitcoin logo appears on the display screen of a cryptocurrency ATM in Salem, N.H., Feb. 9, 2021. The bill attempts to alleviate these issues by imposing on the crypto industry user fees, which in turn would fund more robust supervision of the industry by the CFTC. "Our bill will empower the CFTC with exclusive jurisdiction over the digital commodities spot market, which will lead to more safeguards for consumers, market integrity and innovation in the digital commodities space,” Boozman said in a statement. Along with the Toomey legislation and the Lummis-Gillibrand legislation, a proposal is being worked out in the House Financial Services Committee, though those negotiations have stalled. ___Follow AP's coverage of the cryptocurrency industry at https://apnews.com/hub/cryptocurrency.

After 13 years, at least three crashes, dozens of scams and Ponzi schemes and hundreds of billions of dollars made and evaporated, cryptocurrencies finally have the full attention of Congress.

Oversight of the remaining cryptocurrencies would be divided between the Commodities Futures Trading Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Senate Democrats Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., joined at right by Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., meets with reporters following a closed-door caucus lunch, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, July 19, 2022. Heinrich has criticized Manchin for repeatedly forcing Democrats to dramatically shrink the economic legislation. Earlier, Manchin reiterated his concerns that a larger economic measure could further worsen inflation and was unapologetic. Some money would pay for health insurance subsidies for consumers, with the rest used to slightly reduce federal deficits. Republicans are opposing Democrats' measure.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says Democrats will push ahead on restraining pharmaceutical prices and extending health insurance subsidies for millions of Americans.

Congress passed a bill Friday that aims to keep up the expanded, pandemic-era distribution of free meals for all students this summer. “Our action today staves off a dangerous hunger cliff: ensuring universal free meals for all children throughout this summer, while helping schools keep up supply chain snags and rising costs for the upcoming school year,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, in a statement. Rules that have allowed all students to receive meals for free at school, regardless of family income level, are still set to expire before the next academic year. Advocates said the action in Congress will provide relief for families, but they are disappointed that the reduced-price lunch kids won't get meals for free while families are struggling with soaring food and gas prices. They also say there will be fewer meal sites this summer because of the late timing of the legislation.

The vote to codify the Roe v. Wade abortion rights decision, which is doomed to fail, appears designed more to spur enthusiasm among Democratic voters.

President Joe Biden is under pressure to preserve access to abortion, but he has few good options to do it.

For decades, Democrats have tried to motivate their voters by warning of the conservative fight to outlaw abortion.

Democrats have indicated they will shuffle the nominating calendar in 2024, after complaints about Iowa's caucus process, its non-diverse population and its status as a "red" state.

While the Ukraine crisis presents the U.S. with a foreign policy threat, it's also pushing gasoline prices higher at home.

On "The Takeout" podcast this week, Major Garrett shares extended interview with the National Hockey League's first Black player.

The Biden administration's new infrastructure package will pump more funding into two high-profile Great Lakes projects.

Despite his late push, Biden has been unable to persuade two holdout Democrats, Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virginia, to change Senate rules so the party can overpower a Republican filibuster that is blocking the voting bill. In piercing speeches, the debate is carrying echoes of an earlier era when the Senate filibuster was deployed by opponents of civil rights legislation. Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois asked Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell if he would pause for a question, but the Republican leader left the chamber refusing to respond. Once reluctant himself to change Senate rules, Biden has stepped up his pressure on senators to do just that. The political group Emily’s List said it won’t endorse Sinema if she cannot support a path forward for the voting bill.

O'Ree joined the Boston Bruins in the late 1950s, becoming the first Black player in the NHL.

A federal watchdog says the Trump administration overpaid corn farmers by about $3 billion in federal aid in 2019 and that farmers in the South were paid more for the same crops than elsewhere in the country.

Republicans plan to forcefully oppose race and diversity curricula in public schools as a core piece of their strategy in the 2022 midterm elections.

Community behavioral health clinics offer 24/7 services to catch people falling into crisis and pull them back. The program's official name is “Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics,” or CCBHCs in government-speak. “We are finally putting in place quality, comprehensive services for mental health and addiction that will be funded the same as physical health services,” said Stabenow. The lives of people with serious mental health problems and addiction lurch from crisis to crisis and don't align with doctors' office hours. “And it’s those social factors that often impact people with mental health problems.”BestSelf client Ron Sibley suffers from chronic serious mental illness.

An innovative program to help people with mental health and substance abuse problems is being primed for a major expansion as the COVID-19 pandemic deepens struggles with drug use, depression and anxiety for many Americans.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer plans to advance the bipartisan infrastructure bill in the Senate this week, and wants Democrats to agree on a budget bill.

Senate Democrats say they’ve reached a budget agreement envisioning spending an enormous $3.5 trillion over the coming decade.

They skipped the festival, however, in favor of a cherry farm in nearby Antrim County, where Biden pitched his immigration plans when chatting with two couples from Guatemala who were picking fruit. But the president was out for direct contact with voters and refrained from delivering remarks about his policy proposals. Whitmer told reporters she spoke to Biden about infrastructure, although not about any projects for Michigan specifically. That’s also why I got the president rocky road fudge from Mackinac Island for his trip here," she said. Biden then picked a cherry out of one of their baskets and ate it.

President Biden visited a fruit farm with Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Senators Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters.

Biden President Joe Biden is greeted by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in Traverse City, which is hosting the National Cherry Festiva l, an event that attracted Presidents Herbert Hoover and Gerald Ford in the past. Biden’s trip to Michigan is part of a broader campaign by the administration to drum up public support for the infrastructure package and other polices geared toward families and education. The president has said the key to getting his $973 billion deal passed involves taking the case straight to voters. While Republicans and Democrats might squabble in Washington, Biden’s theory is that lawmakers of both parties want to deliver for their constituents.

President Joe Biden stayed mum on policy during a Saturday trip to Michigan, focusing instead on cherries and on voters who were mask-free amid eased coronavirus restrictions.

Scott Applewhite)WASHINGTON – Tough as it was for Democrats, passing President Joe Biden’s sweeping $1.9 trillion COVID-19 rescue package into law was the easy part. Biden’s signing of the American Rescue Plan on Thursday marks a milestone for his administration and for Democrats who have command of the House, Senate and White House for the first time in a decade. If Senate Republicans start blocking the legislation, Democrats are prepared to force them into long days and nights of dramatic floor filibusters, like the movie version in “Mr. The filibuster gives the minority enormous ability to halt action, and Senate Democrats used it plenty of times when they were out of power. Still, Biden's infrastructure package may be one bill that could win over Republican support.

Scott Applewhite)WASHINGTON – Tough as it was for Democrats, passing President Joe Biden’s sweeping $1.9 trillion COVID-19 rescue package into law was the easy part. If Senate Republicans start blocking the legislation, Democrats are prepared to force them into long days and nights of dramatic floor filibusters, like the movie version in “Mr. The filibuster gives the minority enormous ability to halt action, and Senate Democrats used it plenty of times when they were out of power. Still, Biden's infrastructure package may be one bill that could win over Republican support. Doubting bipartisanship will emerge, there is growing support among Democratic senators to do away with the filibuster if Republicans use it to block Biden's bills.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., leaves the chamber just after the Senate narrowly approved a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill, at the Capitol in Washington, Saturday, March 6, 2021. Senate passage sets up final congressional approval by the House next week so lawmakers can send it to President Joe Biden for his signature. Ad“Lessons learned: If we have unity, we can do big things,” Schumer told The Associated Press in an interview after the vote. The outcome “gives us optimism about doing more big things in the future — because it worked,” he said. He and Schumer spoke often as the Senate leader steered the pandemic aid to approval.

Washington — The Senate approved President Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package Saturday, over 24 hours after opening debate on the bill. The final vote was 50-49, with all Democrats voting in favor of the bill and all Republicans voting against it. Senate Democrats reached a deal to limit the eligibility for who receives direct checks earlier this week. On Friday evening, Senate Democrats reached a deal accepted by Manchin, after he had an extended meeting with Schumer. The Senate version of the bill differs from the House bill in several ways, including the amendments that passed on Friday and Saturday.

Scott Applewhite, File)CHARLESTON, W.Va. – West Virginia has long proclaimed itself “Almost Heaven,” a nod to a song and soaring mountaintop vistas. But Manchin, who grew up in the mountain town of Farmington, has emerged as a key swing vote in a divided Senate. Not since Robert Byrd’s death in 2010 has a senator from West Virginia wielded this much influence. With his centrist instincts in such a red state, Manchin has occasionally been the subject of rumors he'll switch parties. “We're hoping Senator Manchin remembers that he represents some of the poorest people in this country,” Kerner said.

From left, Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, Vice President Kamala Harris, Biden, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska. Biden and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen joined the Democratic senators for a private virtual meeting, both declaring the Republicans' $618 billion offer was too small. “President Biden spoke about the need for Congress to respond boldly and quickly,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said after the lunch meeting. The president made it clear that he won’t delay aid in hopes of winning GOP support. Biden proposes $170 billion for schools, compared to $20 billion in the Republican plan.

In this Jan. 27, 2021, photo, President Joe Biden speaks in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington. Democrats in the House and Senate are operating as though they know they are borrowed time. Schumer said he drew from Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen's advice to “act big” to weather the COVID-19 economic crisis. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, a former White House budget director under George W. Bush, wants a deeper accounting of what funds remain from the $900 billion coronavirus aid package from December. “The risks of going too small dramatically outweigh the risks of going too big,” said Gene Sperling, a former director of the White House National Economic Council, who signed the letter.

MINNEAPOLIS – The reelection defeat of U.S. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson in Minnesota and some key retirements mean a shakeup is coming for the industry on Capitol Hill, with power likely to shift from the Midwest to the South and the coasts. Both the House and Senate agriculture committees will get new chairs, and there will be a new top Republican on the House panel. Fischbach plans to seek a seat on the Agriculture Committee, but she'll have to draw heavily on her legislative skills to have much of an influence as a freshman in the minority party. Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan is the only one of the top four agriculture committee leaders returning in 2021. Neither Roberts nor Rep. Michael Conaway of Texas, the ranking Republican in the House committee, sought reelection.

Peters was the only non-incumbent Democrat to win a Senate election in 2014, when he prevailed easily despite the GOP’s successes nationally and in Michigan. All largely back both Biden and Peters, but a bigger percentage remain undecided in the Senate race, according to some polls. He said he ranks as one of the most bipartisan Senate Democrats and, despite being a freshman in the minority, has written and passed more of his bills than any other senator. Before winning promotion to the Senate, Peters was a congressman, lottery commissioner and state senator and served in the Navy Reserve. Stu Sandler, a consultant for James' campaign, said support for Peters is “soft all around.

The final agreement gives the administration continued immediate authority to dole out Agriculture Department subsidies in the run-up to Election Day. This is cash flow to mom and pop businesses all over rural America," said Texas Rep. Michael Conaway, top Republican on the House Agriculture Committee. Trump announced a new $13 billion allotment of bailout funding at a political rally in Wisconsin last week. But the financial fix had been passed before, and other Democrats, including endangered House incumbents in states like Iowa and Minnesota, pressed for it. In the past, both Democrats and Republicans have sought to use government funding deadlines and must-past temporary funding bills as leverage to try to win concessions elsewhere on Washington's agenda.

Audience members watch from their cars as Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden, seen on a monitor, speaks during a CNN town hall in Moosic, Pa., Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Audience members watch from their cars as Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden, seen on a monitor, speaks during a CNN town hall in Moosic, Pa., Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020. Biden faced a half-dozen questions about the coronavirus and a potential vaccine in the town hall from moderator Anderson Cooper and audience members. The town hall was the first time that Biden had faced live, unscripted questions from voters since winning the nomination. Trump signaled he'd been watching the town hall before he took the stage for a rally in Misonee, Wisconsin, on Thursday night. “They’ve got cars ... it’s the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen.”Trump's ABC town hall was held inside a half-empty auditorium, with attendees socially distanced and wearing masks.

Audience members watch from their cars as Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden, seen on a monitor, speaks during a CNN town hall in Moosic, Pa., Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will not continue to provide food program waivers that have ensured students are fed while schools are closed during the coronavirus pandemic unless Congress acts, U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan warned Tuesday. Some children get their only meals at school. Should Congress choose to go in this direction, USDA stands ready to provide technical assistance.The USDA did not return a request for further comment Tuesday. She said she hoped it was not coming from the Trump administrations push to put students back in schools for in-person instruction. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

But perhaps one half of Senate Republicans, mostly conservatives and those not facing difficult races this fall, are likely to oppose any deal. Prior talks had yielded little progress and Saturday's cautious optimism was a break from gloomy private assessments among GOP negotiators. Whatever unemployment aid negotiators agree on will be made retroactive but antiquated state systems are likely to take weeks to restore the benefits. The food stamp increases, many economists say, provide an immediate injection of demand into the economy in addition to combating growing poverty. Food aid was the first item Pelosi mentioned in a letter to fellow Democrats apprising them of the progress.

The Republican measure includes billions for F-35 fighters, Apache helicopters and infantry carriers sought by Washingtons powerful defense lobby. The $8 billion weapons procurement package is part of a $29.4 billion defense portion of the GOP's $1 trillion coronavirus response measure, a White House-backed package released Monday. Providing that money now would help build headroom into the annual defense funding bill that Congress plans to write later this year. The weapons bazaar galled Democrats whose votes will be required to pass the bill amid widespread divisions inside the Senate GOP conference on the measure. It instead delivered informal requests to the powerful lawmakers like Shelby who sit atop the defense funding panel, aides say.

Lawmakers are wrestling over whether to go big as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wants for the next relief bill or hit pause as McConnell insists. As questions mount over Washington's proper role, it's testing President Donald Trump and Congress. Republican priorities are to wean Americans off unemployment benefits to nudge people back to work and provide liability protections for businesses that reopen. We need to work smart here.The political and economic debate stretches beyond the halls of Congress as wary Americans await Washington's next move. The poll found that about 9 in 10 Americans favored the federal government providing funding to small businesses and hospitals.

(AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)Michigan Senate candidate John James has been called a rising star of the Republican Party so many times its become a cliche. He has caught the attention of big donors and received the enthusiastic, all-caps praise of President Donald Trump on Twitter. He checks all the boxes, so to speak, from a candidate perspective, said former Michigan Republican Party chairman Saul Anuzis. Although Trump narrowly won Michigan four years ago, the mood seems to be turning away from the president and the GOP. In a Fox News poll last month, 44% of Michigan voters had a favorable opinion of Trump, with 52% unfavorable.

Were not out of the woods yet, but this is an important step forward, the governor, a first-term Democrat, said in a statement. The White House itself again became a focal point of the pandemic as a member of the U.S. military who worked there as a, personal valet to President Trump, was found to be infected. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence both have since tested negative, a White House spokesman said. The 17-page document prepared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was rejected because it gave overly prescriptive guidance, a member of White House coronavirus task force said on Thursday, confirming a report by the Associated Press. The White House official, who declined to be identified, said the task force had asked for revisions to the document, but could not say whether it will ever be issued.

DETROIT (Reuters) - Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said on Wednesday she will allow the states construction industry to return to work on May 7 as the Midwestern state works to reopen its economy amid the coronavirus outbreak. Ohio on Monday outlined its reopening plan, which included reopening the construction and manufacturing sectors on May 4. She has emphasized a phased approach to reopening the state, addressing regions and businesses that are less affected or better protected. Michigan, which Trump narrowly won in 2016, is considered a crucial swing state in the November presidential election and the states COVID-19 infections rank among the highest in the country. As of Wednesday, Michigan had more than 40,000 COVID-19 cases and 3,670 deaths, and Whitmer said the rate of infection has slowed.

REUTERS/Jeff KowalskyDETROIT (Reuters) - Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer will allow the states construction industry to return to work on May 7 as the Midwestern state battles the coronavirus outbreak, a spokesman said on Wednesday. No one should be surprised that the governor would open a lower-risk field like she has said at previous press conferences, Whitmer spokesman Zack Pohl said in a statement. She has emphasized a phased approach to reopening the state, addressing regions and businesses that are less affected or better protected. Michigan is part of a coalition of Midwestern states that agreed to coordinate the reopening of their economies. Ohio on Monday outlined its reopening plan, which included reopening the construction and manufacturing sectors on May 4.

CHICAGO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration on Tuesday proposed a rule to tighten food stamp eligibility that would cut about 3.1 million people from the program, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) officials said. If enacted, the rule would save the federal government about $2.5 billion a year by removing 3.1 million people from SNAP, according to the USDA. SNAP provides free food to some 40 million Americans, or about 12% of the total U.S. population. Current rules allow people to access SNAP benefits worth thousands of dollars for two years without going through robust eligibility reviews, he told reporters on the call. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) in December estimated the rule could save the federal government $8.1 billion from 2019 to 2028, lower than the USDAs estimate.