California’s new congressional map boosts Democrats-politico: California has a new congressional map, and the lines bolster Democrats' uphill quest to maintain their minuscule House majority.
This is the last blog post of 2021! I hope you have a great holiday!
Democrats outraged after Manchin opposes Biden spending bill-thehill: Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D-WV) announcement that he will vote against the Build Back Better Act rocked the political world on Sunday, with Democrats slamming their fellow colleague and Republicans celebrating the centrist senator’s decision, which effectively kills the party’s chances of passing the behemoth legislation.
17 pandemic innovations that are here to stay-politico: Before the Covid-19 pandemic began its deadly spread more than 18 months ago, the country seemed to be on the cusp of a future that might be defined by new uses of digital technology, by the ability of the internet to bridge physical distances and artificial intelligence to expand resources. That future was arriving, inexorably but not as speedily as many wanted.
Modernization panel OKs latest recommendations, sprinkles Congress with its ‘secret sauce’-rollcall: A drab room in the Capitol complex once again felt like an oasis Wednesday morning, as the “fix Congress” panel approved its latest set of recommendations.
House passes workaround to move forward on raising the debt ceiling-politico: The House passed a bill Tuesday night to expedite a debt ceiling fix in the Senate, allowing Democrats to essentially raise the nation’s credit limit on their own and thwart a Christmastime default.
‘Byrd bath,’ long nights await senators in December sprint-rollcall: Senate committees have been updating the House-passed $2.2 trillion climate and social spending package text to ensure it complies with budget reconciliation rules, but most have yet to begin the formal review process with the Senate parliamentarian known as “the Byrd bath.”
Big companies look to Senate to ease budget bill’s minimum tax-rollcall: Some of the largest U.S. corporations are looking for new exemptions from the budget reconciliation bill’s minimum tax on income reported to shareholders, arguing it could depress economic activity, including financing pensions for millions of workers and investing in clean energy projects.
Congress thwarts shutdown after vaccine mandate clash-politico: Congress averted a government shutdown after Senate leaders mollified a group of Republicans who demanded a vote targeting President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate.
State redistricting commissions get mixed reviews-rollcall: As states sprint through their redistricting processes this fall, many activists are learning that mapmaking commissions don’t quite address gerrymandering or minority voting protections as intended.
CDC working to tighten testing requirement for international travelers-thehill: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is working to tighten testing requirements for international travelers arriving in the United States in the face of the omicron variant, the agency said Tuesday night.