House approves referendum to 'decolonize' Puerto Rico
“It is crucial to me that any proposal in Congress to decolonize Puerto Rico be informed and led by Puerto Ricans,” said Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, which oversees affairs in U.S. territories. The proposal would commit Congress to accept Puerto Rico into the United States as the 51st state if voters on the island approved it. “For far too long, the people of Puerto Rico have been excluded from the full promise of American democracy and self-determination that our nation has always championed,” the Maryland Democrat said. Puerto Rico Gov. ___Coto reported from San Juan, Puerto Rico.
wftv.comHouse approves referendum to 'decolonize' Puerto Rico
“It is crucial to me that any proposal in Congress to decolonize Puerto Rico be informed and led by Puerto Ricans,” said Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, which oversees affairs in U.S. territories. The proposal would commit Congress to accept Puerto Rico into the United States as the 51st state if voters on the island approved it. Puerto Rico Gov. “Many of us are not in agreement about how that future should be, but we all accept that the decision should belong to the people of Puerto Rico,” she said. ___Coto reported from San Juan, Puerto Rico.
wftv.comHouse approves referendum to 'decolonize' Puerto Rico
The U.S. House passed a bill Thursday that would allow Puerto Rico to hold the first-ever binding referendum on whether to become a state or gain some sort of independence, in a last-ditch effort that stands little chance of passing the Senate. “It is crucial to me that any proposal in Congress to decolonize Puerto Rico be informed and led by Puerto Ricans,” said Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, which oversees affairs in U.S. territories. The proposal would commit Congress to accept Puerto Rico into the United States as the 51st state if voters on the island approved it.
news.yahoo.comCongress acts to remove bust of Dred Scott decision author
WASHINGTON — (AP) — The House passed legislation Wednesday that calls for removing from the Capitol a bust of the U.S. Supreme Court justice who wrote the infamous 1857 Dred Scott decision that held African-Americans were not citizens. The bust of Roger B. Taney, the nation's fifth chief justice, sits inside the entrance to the Old Supreme Court Chamber in the U.S. Capitol. The legislation also commissions a bust of Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall to be placed somewhere in the Capitol. The notorious Dred Scott decision held that Blacks were not citizens and therefore had no right to sue in federal court. Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., led the effort in the House to remove the Taney bust.
wftv.comCongress acts to remove bust of Dred Scott decision author
The House passed legislation Wednesday that calls for removing from the Capitol a bust of the U.S. Supreme Court justice who wrote the infamous 1857 Dred Scott decision that held African-Americans were not citizens. The bust of Roger B. Taney, the nation's fifth chief justice, sits inside the entrance to the Old Supreme Court Chamber in the U.S. Capitol. Taney led the court in that period, from 1836 to 1864.
news.yahoo.comRep. Hakeem Jeffries elected to succeed Pelosi, will become 1st Black party leader in Congress
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., was unanimously elected on Wednesday as the next leader of the House Democratic Caucus. The 52-year-old Brooklyn native, who succeeds 82-year-old House Speaker Nancy Pelosi , will be the first Black and first nonwhite party leader in Congress. In 2018 he defeated Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., to become chair of the House Democratic Caucus, making him the fifth-ranking member of the Democratic leadership in the chamber. In 2002, Pelosi became the first woman elected as a party leader in Congress. Shortly after Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., was elected in 2018, a group closely allied with the congresswoman discussed recruiting a primary challenger to run against Jeffries.
wftv.comOutgoing Democratic House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer says the 'biggest change' he's seen in his congressional career is 'how confrontational Republicans have become'
I think the biggest change in the institution is how confrontational Republicans have become," Hoyer recently told The Washington Post.
news.yahoo.comJeffries makes historic bid to lead House Dems after Pelosi
A day after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced she would step aside, congressman Hakeem Jeffries of New York has announced his history-making bid to become the first Black person to helm a major political party in Congress as leader of the House Democrats.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries poised to succeed Pelosi, would be first Black leader in Congress
“I will not seek reelection to Democratic leadership in the next Congress,” Pelosi, 82, said in a speech on the House floor. “For me, the hour's come for a new generation to lead.”In 2002, Pelosi became the first woman elected as a party leader in Congress. Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., the second-ranking Democrat in the House behind Pelosi, said Thursday he will also step down from his leadership role. According to news reports, both Pelosi — the first woman elected as a party leader in Congress and first woman elected speaker of the House — and Hoyer will back Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., to succeed her as the next leader of the Democratic caucus. If elected, Jeffries who would be the first Black and first non-white party leader in Congress.
wftv.comHakeem Jeffries believed to be in the driver's seat to succeed Pelosi as Democratic leader
House Democratic Caucus Chair Hakeem Jeffries is believed to be the leading candidate to replace House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as Democratic leader after her decision to step down, which she announced from the well of the House Thursday.
foxnews.comManchin rails against 'revenge politics' on permit plan
Sen. Joe Manchin on Tuesday railed against what he called “revenge politics″ being used against him, as liberals in the House and Senate team up with Republicans to oppose his plan to speed permits for natural gas pipelines and other energy projects.
House approves bill to help West fight wildfires, drought
The House has approved wide-ranging legislation aimed at helping communities in the West cope with increasingly severe wildfires and drought — fueled by climate change — that have caused billions of dollars of damage to homes and businesses in recent years.
Jan. 6 committee delays hearing schedule until July
The House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol is pressing pause on its hearings for next week and picking them up again in July. Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), the chairman of the committee, told reporters Wednesday that the committee would hold off on the two final hearings it had planned for…
news.yahoo.comHouse official: Lawmakers should not carry guns at Capitol
Congress Lawmakers Guns FILE - Members of the U.S. Capitol Police Board, from left, Senate Sergeant at Arms Karen Gibson, House Sergeant at Arms William Walker, and Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger, arrive to meet with reporters ahead of the one-year mark of the Jan. 6 attack, at the Capitol in Washington, on Jan. 4, 2022. Walker says members of Congress should be barred from carrying firearms anywhere in the Capitol or its surrounding office buildings and grounds. House Sergeant at Arms William J. Walker voiced his opinion a day after a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers in a Uvalde, Texas, elementary school. “The Capitol Complex should be a place where no one carries a firearm unless they are actively engaged in law enforcement" or protecting officials or dignitaries, Walker wrote in a letter. While members are allowed to have guns in their offices, Walker wrote that additional restrictions apply.
wftv.comUS lawmakers urge binding vote on Puerto Rico statehood
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — (AP) — A group of Democratic congress members, including the House majority leader, on Thursday proposed a binding plebiscite to decide whether Puerto Rico should become a state or gain some sort of independence. The draft proposal unveiled at an online news conference would commit Congress to accepting Puerto Rico into the United States if voters on the island approve it. “Nobody can deny that the current status of Puerto Rico is undemocratic,” said Gov. The backers said the next step is to hold public hearings in Puerto Rico on the proposed bill prior to its introduction. The proposal comes at a time when Puerto Rico is trying to emerge from a lengthy bankruptcy and recover from the devastation left by Hurricane Maria in 2017.
wftv.comBrazilian groups want direct access to U.S. forest funding
US Brazil Forest Fund FILE - Indigenous people take part in a march during the 18th annual Free Land Indigenous Camp, in Brasilia, Brazil, Wednesday, April 13, 2022. The Coordination of Indigenous Organizations of the Brazilian Amazon also signed on. During his presidency, Amazon deforestation hit a 15-year high, which followed a 22% jump from the prior year, according to official data published in November. The Brazilian Amazon lost an area of rainforest roughly the size of the U.S. state of Connecticut in just the 12 months preceding July 2021. Since then, the Amazon Fund has supported only projects approved before Bolsonaro was elected.
wftv.comBrazilian groups want direct access to U.S. forest funding
US Brazil Forest Fund FILE - Indigenous people take part in a march during the 18th annual Free Land Indigenous Camp, in Brasilia, Brazil, Wednesday, April 13, 2022. The Coordination of Indigenous Organizations of the Brazilian Amazon also signed on. During his presidency, Amazon deforestation hit a 15-year high, which followed a 22% jump from the prior year, according to official data published in November. The Brazilian Amazon lost an area of rainforest roughly the size of the U.S. state of Connecticut in just the 12 months preceding July 2021. Since then, the Amazon Fund has supported only projects approved before Bolsonaro was elected.
wftv.comPelosi positive for COVID-19, was at White House with Biden
Biden Postal Service President Joe Biden signs the Postal Service Reform Act of 2022 in the State Dining Room at the White House in Washington, Wednesday, April 6, 2022. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., Annette Taylor, Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., and Rep. Brenda Lawrence, D-Mich. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) (Susan Walsh)WASHINGTON — (AP) — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has tested positive for COVID-19, a day after appearing unmasked at a White House event with President Joe Biden. Pelosi received a positive test result for COVID-19 and is currently asymptomatic, her spokesman Drew Hammill said Thursday in a tweet. “The Speaker is fully vaccinated and boosted, and is thankful for the robust protection the vaccine has provided,” Hammill said. Pelosi will “quarantine consistent with CDC guidance, and encourages everyone to get vaccinated, boosted and test regularly,” he said.
wftv.comSix-days-a-week mail delivery saved; Biden signs Postal bill
Biden Postal Service President Joe Biden signs the Postal Service Reform Act of 2022 in the State Dining Room at the White House in Washington, Wednesday, April 6, 2022. Postal Service meant to shore up the popular but beleaguered agency's financial future and cement six-days-a-week mail delivery was signed into law Wednesday by President Joe Biden. Officials had repeatedly warned that without congressional action, the Postal Service would run out of cash by 2024. “The Postal Service is central to our economy and essential to rural America,” Biden said. Biden said that rule had “stretched the Postal Service's finances almost to the breaking point."
wftv.comHouse votes to decriminalize marijuana, but Senate fate dim
Congress Marijuana FILE - House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., speaks to members of the media during a news conference in Washington, on Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021. A bill decriminalizing marijuana has passed the U.S. House. Democratic lawmakers said the nation's federal prohibition on marijuana has had particularly devastating consequences for minority communities. That would mirror what happened when a similar House-passed measure removing marijuana from the list of federally-controlled substances went nowhere in the Senate two years ago. The measure would require federal courts to expunge prior marijuana convictions and conduct resentencing hearings for those completing their sentences.
wftv.comCoronavirus: US House Majority Leader Hoyer tests positive for COVID-19
Steny Hoyer U.S. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer confirmed via social media on Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2022, that he has contracted COVID-19. Hoyer, D-Maryland, is pictured in this Thursday, Dec. 27, 2012, file photo when he served as House Minority Whip. (Evan Vucci/AP)WASHINGTON — U.S. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer confirmed via social media on Tuesday that he has contracted COVID-19. Read my full statement: pic.twitter.com/ef9mMRZ8hc — Steny Hoyer (@LeaderHoyer) February 1, 2022Hoyer’s diagnosis comes the same day that cumulative U.S. COVID-19 cases topped 75 million. >> Related: Coronavirus: Total US COVID-19 cases top 75 millionMore coronavirus pandemic coverage:>> Coronavirus: How long between exposure to the virus and the start of symptoms?
wftv.comReviving Biden's big bill, Democrats look to regain momentum
Congress Budget Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., speaks to reporters following a Democratic strategy meeting, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2021. Republicans are refusing to support Biden's larger bill, leaving Democrats to pass it on their own with just a few votes to spare in the House and none in the evenly-split 50-50 Senate. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Biden's bill “will only exacerbate, only make worse, inflation.”But for Democrats, doing nothing appears to be a worse political option. Prospects for passing Biden's bill in the House have been close before, only to be dashed amid party infighting as progressives pushed for action but more conservative Democrats hit the brakes. The debate had tied the bill to the slimmer infrastructure measure, but now that Biden has signed that bill into law, the focus is back on his bigger bill.
wftv.comReviving Biden's big bill, Democrats look to regain momentum
Republicans are refusing to support Biden's larger bill, leaving Democrats to pass it on their own with just a few votes to spare in the House and none in the evenly-split 50-50 Senate. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Biden's bill “will only exacerbate, only make worse, inflation.”But for Democrats, doing nothing appears to be a worse political option. Prospects for passing Biden's bill in the House have been close before, only to be dashed amid party infighting as progressives pushed for action but more conservative Democrats hit the brakes. The debate had tied the bill to the slimmer infrastructure measure, but now that Biden has signed that bill into law, the focus is back on his bigger bill. Hoyer said the House could vote as soon as Thursday, though it could shift to Friday or Saturday.
wftv.comDems end deadlock, House sends Biden infrastructure bill
Simply freeing up the infrastructure measure for final congressional approval was a like a burst of adrenaline for Democrats. But in an evening breakthrough brokered by Biden and House leaders, the moderates later agreed to back that bill if CBO's estimates are consistent with preliminary numbers that White House and congressional tax analysts have provided. Instead, Biden spoke to House leaders, moderates and progressives, said a White House official who described the conversations on condition of anonymity. Among those Biden reached was Jayapal, whose caucus has been at the forefront of delaying the infrastructure measure for leverage. When the infrastructure measure cleared the Senate, its GOP supporters even included Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.
wftv.comHouse Dems near truce, approach infrastructure win for Biden
Congress Budget Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., accompanied by House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C., left and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer D-Md. Under the agreement, brokered by Biden and top Democrats, progressives would end their roadblock against the package of road, water and other projects. But under the circumstances, simply freeing up the infrastructure measure for final congressional approval was a like a burst of adrenaline for Democrats. Those setbacks have made party leaders impatient to produce impactful legislation and demonstrate that they know how to govern. That’s been hard, in part because of Democrats’ slender majorities, with bitter internal divisions forcing House leaders to miss several self-imposed deadlines for votes.
wftv.comHouse OKs debt and funding plan, inviting clash with GOP
Rushing to prevent that dire outcome, the Democratic-led House passed the measure Tuesday night by a party-line vote of 220-211. Backed by the White House, the Democratic leaders pushed the package to approval at a time of great uncertainty in Congress. There has been a flurry of outreach from the White House to Democrats on Capitol Hill, and Biden himself was given a call sheet of lawmakers to cajole. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., according to a White House official familiar with the calls and granted anonymity to discuss them. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has promised a Sept. 27 vote on the companion $1 trillion bill of public works projects that has already passed the Senate.
wftv.comHouse Dems plan budget vote next week, defying moderates
Pelosi House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaks at a press event regarding the Emergency Rental Assistance program in San Francisco, Tuesday, Aug. 10,2021. Nine centrists have threatened to vote against their own party's budget blueprint, enough to defeat it in the closely divided House. The budget's congressional approval would prevent Republicans from killing the subsequent $3.5 trillion bill, probably this fall, from bill-killing Senate filibusters. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., also made clear that a final vote on the public works bill would wait until the larger $3.5 trillion measure progresses. The Senate approved the infrastructure measure last week in a bipartisan vote.
wftv.comHouse Dems plan budget vote next week, defying moderates
Pelosi House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaks at a press event regarding the Emergency Rental Assistance program in San Francisco, Tuesday, Aug. 10,2021. The budget's congressional approval would prevent Republicans from killing the subsequent $3.5 trillion bill, probably this fall, from bill-killing Senate filibusters. The Senate approved the infrastructure measure last week in a bipartisan vote. In a letter late Monday, DeFazio said Democrats could fix that by rallying behind the budget resolution. He said the budget's approval would let them put their own infrastructure projects into the separate $3.5 trillion measure, he wrote.
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