In the News

In a significant turn of events on Capitol Hill, the House of Representatives abruptly canceled a critical procedural vote on Tuesday. The vote was slated to determine the fate of a temporary government funding bill, the outcome of which could have far-reaching consequences for the nation.

Hard-line Republican threats to force a vote on ousting Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) from his post could soon thrust Democrats into a difficult decision: Do they save the Speaker who opened an impeachment inquiry into their president or join Republicans in booting him?

Top Democrats say they have not formulated a strategy for handling such a vote, dismissing questions as hypothetical and insisting that they are focused on funding the government and averting a shutdown ahead of the Sept. 30 deadline.

Representative Katherine Clark (D-MA) is set to be honored with the Armenian National Committee of America Eastern Region’s prestigious Freedom Award at the 17th annual ANCA Eastern Region Endowment Fund’s Gala on Saturday, October 7, 2023, at the Royal Sonesta Boston Hotel in Cambridge, Massachusetts. 

Sens. Patty Murray and Bernie Sanders on Wednesday led a group of lawmakers in introducing legislation that would avert a fast-approaching disaster by approving $16 billion in emergency childcare funding each year for the next half-decade.

The bill comes just 17 days before billions of dollars of childcare funding that was approved to keep the crucial industry afloat during the coronavirus pandemic is set to expire, potentially forcing tens of thousands of childcare programs across the country to shut down.

Democrats in Congress are pushing for a new round of money to keep the nation’s child care industry afloat, saying thousands of programs are at risk of closing when federal pandemic relief runs out this month.

Legislation introduced in both chambers on Wednesday would provide $16 billion a year over the next five years, awarded as grants to help child care programs cover everyday costs. It’s meant to replace $24 billion in relief that was passed in 2021 in the American Rescue Plan and is set to expire Sept. 30.

Joy Lee departed college with a journalism degree and an eye on broadcast reporting. Instead, she found her way to Capitol Hill — and Democratic leaders have been grateful ever since. 

A group of Democratic lawmakers, including Senate Appropriations Chair Patty Murray, D-Wash., are planning on introducing legislation this week that would provide $16 billion in funding for child care, sources familiar with the effort say.

Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Chairman Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and House Minority Whip Katherine M. Clark, D-Mass., are also leading the longshot stand-alone effort to secure the funding, which House appropriations ranking member Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., is also pushing.

With Maui desperately in need of federal aid as residents struggle to recover from the Aug. 8 wildfires, the government shutting down and the Federal Emergency Management Agency running out of money “is absolutely not an option,” Hawaii’s U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda said.

“Disasters are continuing to strike across our country.” Tokuda said Wednesday. “It is so critical that the billions and billions of dollars that we need to fund FEMA is put there when we go back in September.”