pandemic

We asked every member of Congress about child care policy. Only 5 Republicans answered.

BY: - November 22, 2023

Originally published by The 19th In September, when billions of dollars in child care funding were about to expire, a Senate subcommittee convened to discuss solutions. It was there that Sen. John Kennedy laid out the partisan tension at the heart of what’s billed as a bipartisan issue. He agreed that child care was an […]

Ukrainian immigrant Dmytro Haiman, pictured in Dickinson, N.D., is one of the international workers the state has recruited to work in its booming oil industry. North Dakota’s shale oil boom contributed to a nation-leading 11% boost in personal income over the past four years. (Jack Dura/The Associated Press)

Residents of Midwest, Mountain West see biggest pay bumps

BY: - November 1, 2023

Residents of some Midwestern and Mountain states gained the most income per capita during the past four years, a Stateline analysis shows, as competition for workers drove up wages in relatively affordable places to live. With the COVID-19 pandemic now in the nation’s rearview mirror, Stateline’s analysis offers a more complete understanding of how some […]

COMMENTARY
Heath and Sarah at the El Cortez Theater in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, where they watched their first movie in public since 2020. (Photo by Heath Haussamen)

Long Covid isolates sick people and their loved ones

BY: - September 20, 2023

My girlfriend’s idea felt brilliant to me: Put out a call on Facebook for Covid-cautious people in our area to rent a theater together. We could watch the Barbie movie while wearing high-quality masks to keep each other safe. The plan turned out to be quixotic. No one responded to Sarah’s request. She scrolled through […]

Workers demonstrate in Miami Springs, Florida

Fast federal response to pandemic key to US economic recovery, economists say

BY: - May 15, 2023

The public health emergency declaration ended on Thursday, and with it some of the policies that helped the U.S. recover from the many of the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Although COVID-19 is still a public health threat, the national economic crisis it created has subsided with the U.S. economy back to its pre-pandemic […]

Video conference via a laptop.

Long COVID is hurting business; workplace accommodations could help

BY: - April 17, 2023

Three years after the start of the pandemic, millions of working age people still suffer from long COVID-19 and some lawmakers and advocates, including people with long COVID, say not enough is being done to protect their well-being and ensure they can continue to be employed. Proposed federal legislation, better workplace accommodations, and more federal […]

A gloved hand holds a bottle of Covid-19 vaccine.

Moderna plan to hike COVID vaccine price to $130 a dose rebuked at U.S. Senate hearing

BY: - March 22, 2023

WASHINGTON — The CEO of Moderna on Wednesday defended the company’s decision to drastically increase the price of its COVID-19 vaccine later this year, arguing that an expected drop in demand, changes to its distribution process and the overall benefit of the vaccine warrant the higher cost.  That decision was met with bipartisan condemnation from […]

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris seated at a table.

White House targets economic development in Central America to reduce migration

BY: - February 6, 2023

WASHINGTON — The White House Monday announced nearly $1 billion in investments to address economic causes of migration in several Central American countries, an effort being spurred by Vice President Kamala Harris.   Spread over several years, 10 private companies from Target to Nestlé are pledging $950 million to create economic development in Honduras, El Salvador […]

States criticized for spending federal relief funds on tax cuts, prisons

BY: - February 1, 2023

As states plan how they’ll spend the $25 billion remaining in federal COVID relief funds, some also are facing criticism and renewed scrutiny over how they allocated money already received from the American Rescue Plan Act. Of the $198 billion authorized by Congress in 2021, $173 billion already has been appropriated by states, the District […]

President Joe Biden discusses bipartisan achievements with mayors from across the country during an event in the East Room of the White House on Jan. 20, 2023. Biden hosted mayors who are attending the U.S. Conference of Mayors Winter Meeting. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

U.S. mayors at the White House hear praise from Biden on rebuilding post-pandemic

BY: - January 20, 2023

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden hosted more than 200 of the nation’s mayors at the White House on Friday afternoon, highlighting economic growth and the effectiveness of their bipartisan leadership as the country moves on from the COVID-19 pandemic.  “I want to thank the mayors across the country for doing everything they can do to […]

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, nearing the end of his term, reflects on eight years in office

BY: - December 27, 2022

As Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson looks back on his eight years in office, what he’s most proud of might surprise you.  Sure, he takes pride in shepherding through the largest income tax cuts in state history, but that’s not the first thing he mentioned in a wide-ranging interview about his administration. “Whenever you look at […]

House Minority Leader speaks Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) speaks with House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA) during a press conference on the 2023 Fiscal Year at the U.S Capitol on Dec. 14, 2022. During the news conference, House Republicans called on Congress to vote on a short-term spending bill for the government, which would allow them to pass further funding in the 118th Congress when Republicans hold the majority. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

1.7 trillion spending package passes in U.S. Senate, backed by both parties

BY: - December 22, 2022

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate passed a massive $1.7 trillion funding package Thursday that carries emergency aid for natural disaster recovery and the Ukrainian war effort, pushing past disputes over immigration policy and barely meeting a Friday deadline when current funding runs out. The bill, supported by both Democrats and Republicans, now goes to the […]

A model of COVID-19, known as coronavirus.(Photo by Saul Loeb-Pool/Getty Images)

Arkansas’ Hutchinson, other GOP governors ask Biden to end public health emergency

BY: - December 20, 2022

Gov. Asa Hutchinson and 24 other Republican governors sent a letter to President Joe Biden on Monday asking him to end the national public health emergency declared at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. “While the virus will be with us for some time, the emergency phase of the pandemic is behind us,” the governors […]