House Democrats pivot to economy in search of next legislative win

House Democrats pivot to economy in search of next legislative win-politico:  House Democrats return to Washington this week with tunnel vision on the economy, intent on countering fears of rising inflation and snarled supply chains that have flared up at home in recent weeks, particularly in battleground districts.

White House mulling scaled-down, Covid-related paid leave plan

White House mulling scaled-down, Covid-related paid leave plan-politico:  The White House is exploring a push for a coronavirus-related paid leave program akin to that enacted in an earlier round of pandemic relief.

Supreme Court confirmation battle could shift focus in midterms

Supreme Court confirmation battle could shift focus in midterms-rollcall: An opening on the Supreme Court nine months before the midterm elections promised to inject a new urgency into the battle for the Senate majority, with both parties rushing Wednesday to remind voters of the stakes of the upcoming confirmation battle.

House chiefs try bipartisan experiment: Talking to each other

House chiefs try bipartisan experiment: Talking to each other-rollcall:  At first blush, Reps. Joe Wilson and Dan Kildee don’t seem to have much in common. Wilson, a Republican, represents a mostly rural patch of inland South Carolina, while Democrat Kildee’s district of factory towns runs along the Lake Huron waterfront down to the city of Flint, Michigan. 

Supreme Court won’t review House COVID-19 proxy voting

Supreme Court won’t review House COVID-19 proxy voting-rollcall:  House Republicans’ constitutional challenge to COVID-19-related proxy-voting rules finally ran out of steam Monday, when the Supreme Court declined to hear Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s appeal of lower court rulings that dismissed the case.

House path toward bolstering stock rules is hazy

House path toward bolstering stock rules is hazy-rollcall: Debate on tighter restrictions for member stock trading has become a popular topic on Capitol Hill, but a lack of consensus in the House on how to proceed makes it unclear what, if anything, will be done.

Biden's strategy for midterm elections comes into focus

Biden's strategy for midterm elections comes into focus-thehill:  President Biden’s midterm strategy is coming into clearer view as he and Democratic leaders begin framing November’s elections as a choice between the White House’s agenda and giving power to Republicans who they argue offer no substantive plans.

Acknowledging hurdles, Biden ready to split up budget package

Acknowledging hurdles, Biden ready to split up budget package-rollcall:  President Joe Biden acknowledged publicly for the first time Wednesday that his stalled social safety net and climate change mitigation package may have to be substantially slimmed down. 

How Biden’s first year became a tale of two presidencies

How Biden’s first year became a tale of two presidencies-politico:  One year ago, President Joe Biden stood in front of a U.S. Capitol that still bore the wounds of an insurrectionist siege, taking the oath of office at a time when the nation faced its greatest array of crises in nearly a century.

States are redrawing every congressional district in the US

States are redrawing every congressional district in the US-politico:  Every 10 years, each state redraws its political lines. These processes take months to unfold in state capitals all around the country — and their results mold the balance of power in Congress for a decade.

What Democrats put in their voting rights megabill — and what got left out

What Democrats put in their voting rights megabill — and what got left out-politico:  Senate Democrats are careening toward a final showdown on voting rights, with Majority Leader Chuck Schumer putting forth a bill that would make major changes to American elections — and putting pressure on members to change the Senate’s filibuster rules in order to pass them.

Senate panel advances Biden's FDA pick in 13-8 vote

Senate panel advances Biden's FDA pick in 13-8 vote-politico:  The Senate HELP Committee voted 13-8 to advance Robert Califf's nomination to head the Food and Drug Administration, putting the Biden administration one step closer to installing a permanent leader at an agency critical to the pandemic response.

Senate Democrats craft plan to start debate on voting legislation

Senate Democrats craft plan to start debate on voting legislation-rollcall:  Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer plans to use a House-passed bill to get around an expected filibuster and begin debate on bills to revamp federal voting laws. But final passage is still uncertain.

What's in a name? Trio of Johns vies to succeed McConnell

What's in a name? Trio of Johns vies to succeed McConnell-politico:  When Mitch McConnell steps down as Senate GOP leader, which won’t happen anytime soon, John is sure to replace him.

Shifting virus landscape raises new questions for COVID-19 testing

Shifting virus landscape raises new questions for COVID-19 testing-rollcall:  New questions are emerging about how best to use COVID-19 tests as the country grapples with a surge of breakthrough cases in vaccinated individuals caused by the omicron variant.

Biden issues guidance for health plans to cover COVID-19 tests

Biden issues guidance for health plans to cover COVID-19 tests-rollcall: Private health insurance plans will cover up to eight over-the-counter COVID-19 tests per consumer each month under a new Biden administration directive meant to make tests more affordable.

Biden budget release likely delayed until March

Biden budget release likely delayed until March-rollcall:  The White House appears to be aiming for release of President Joe Biden’s fiscal 2023 budget in March, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter, a month after the statutory deadline, which is the first Monday in February.

Last year, a rampage. This year, a ‘surreal’ quiet grips the Capitol on Jan. 6

Last year, a rampage. This year, a ‘surreal’ quiet grips the Capitol on Jan. 6-rollcall:  Sen. Patrick J. Leahy’s slim new Leica camera was in the shop Thursday, but that didn’t keep him from taking photos. He pulled out his trusty, and slightly bulkier, Nikon to make sure he got his shot.

New districts, new ratings point to California battles ahead

New districts, new ratings point to California battles ahead-rollcall:  For Republicans, the road to the House majority includes a slog through California. The GOP needs a net gain of just five seats to win control, and the party has midterm history and the current political environment on its side. In short, Republicans are on the offensive in most places around the country, except for the Golden State.

Lawmakers push for surprise billing changes as law takes effect

Lawmakers push for surprise billing changes as law takes effect-rollcall: All Americans are protected as of Jan. 1 from unexpected out-of-network medical bills, thanks to the implementation of legislation to ban surprise medical billing, but many lawmakers want the Biden administration to make more changes to line up with what they argue was Congress’ intent in crafting the law.

Schumer tries to jump-start Dems with rules change threat

Schumer tries to jump-start Dems with rules change threat-politico: Chuck Schumer is attempting a filibuster Hail Mary as Democrats’ agenda on both elections reform and President Joe Biden's economic plans remains stalled at the beginning of a critical midterm election year.