democratic
Arkansas Senate narrowly passes bill to end state affirmative action programs
State Sen. Dan Sullivan’s bill to “end state-sponsored discrimination” squeaked through the Senate on Thursday by a single vote. Senate Bill 71 now goes to the House for consideration. The bill, which passed the Senate 18-12, prohibits state and local government agencies, including schools and universities, from taking into consideration race, sex, color, ethnicity or […]
Democratic governors in 20 states form reproductive rights alliance
Democratic governors from 20 states across the U.S., led by California Gov. Gavin Newsom, have formed a Reproductive Freedom Alliance to safeguard and improve abortion and reproductive health care access “in the face of an unprecedented assault by states hostile to abortion rights,” according to a joint statement. The announcement represents another divide in the […]
Attorneys general from Democratic-led states urge judge to keep abortion pill legal
WASHINGTON — Attorneys general from 21 Democratic-leaning states are calling on a Texas judge to keep the abortion pill on the market, rejecting claims anti-abortion medical groups made in a lawsuit that’s centered on the medication’s approval more than two decades ago. The latest brief in the case, Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. U.S. Food […]
Democratic governors pitch federal funds for housing, clean energy
WASHINGTON — Using the recent influx of federal funds to expand state and local clean energy infrastructure, affordable housing and workforce development will pay long-term dividends, a group of Democratic governors and mayors said Wednesday at an event hosted by a prominent liberal think tank. Ahead of the National Governors Association’s winter meeting here this […]
U.S. Senate Democrats unveil legislation to ban high-capacity gun magazines
WASHINGTON — New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez, along with 27 of his U.S. Senate colleagues, introduced legislation Tuesday to ban high-capacity magazines, which can be used on the type of semi-automatic firearm that is typically used in most mass shootings. “High-capacity magazines were designed for one purpose and one purpose only — high-capacity killing […]
U.S. House GOP plan calls for federal spending cuts, conditions on debt limit increase
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republican leaders during a closed-door meeting Tuesday shared more details of the secret agreements Speaker Kevin McCarthy made with conservative lawmakers last week to secure the votes he needed to hold the gavel. The so-called handshake deal, displayed on slides during the GOP weekly conference meeting, if adhered to could have […]
What does the speaker of the House do?
Second in the line of presidential succession after the vice president, the speaker of the House occupies a central role in our national government. But what is it that a speaker actually does? Most people think the speakership is a party office. It’s not. The speaker is selected by the full House membership, though the […]
‘Worth the wait’: U.S. Senate Democrats celebrate a 51-seat majority with Georgia win
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer jubilantly announced Wednesday that the Georgia runoff election victory will next year end an evenly divided U.S. Senate, giving Democrats more subpoena power in committees and a quicker turnaround in approving federal and judicial appointments. Schumer, a New York Democrat, congratulated Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock for […]
Democracy “absolutely” will survive, Hillary Clinton says in exchange at Crystal Bridges
Finding a place for trusted, accurate information is one of the biggest problems facing our democracy, former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told a sold-out crowd at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville Wednesday evening. It’s “a dagger at the heart of democracy” and there’s no easy answer for how to solve […]
U.S. House Democrats make history electing first Black party leader in Congress
WASHINGTON — The three U.S. House Democrats who have led their party through four presidencies and thousands of floor votes formally passed the torch to the next generation Wednesday, when the party gathered behind closed doors to elect its top leaders for the 118th Congress. House Democrats named Hakeem Jeffries, of New York, as their […]
GOP groups seek emergency ruling from Georgia Supreme Court on Saturday voting
Several Republican organizations have asked the Georgia Supreme Court to block Georgians from early voting in the U.S. Senate runoff this Saturday after two courts rejected state attempts to do so. On Monday evening Georgia’s Court of Appeals rejected Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s attempt to nullify a Fulton County judge’s order giving Georgia […]
Congressional Hispanic Caucus welcomes new House members, reflects on Latino vote
The campaign arm of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus welcomed the highest number of Democratic Latino lawmakers elected to Congress, during a Friday event at the Democratic National Committee headquarters. CHC BOLD PAC chair, Democratic U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego of Arizona, said continuing to reach out to Latino communities and young voters will be key to […]