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Trump, Democrats declare victory on trade deal
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Democrats have worked out key differences with the Trump administration over a massive trade deal, allowing both sides to declare a legislative victory on the same day the House unveiled articles of impeachment against the president. If ratified, the deal would replace the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which took […]
Congresswoman wants to clear up Medicare for all ‘horror stories’
WASHINGTON — Toward the end of his life, the late U.S. Rep. John Dingell Jr. of Michigan reportedly asked his wife to carry the torch on his family’s signature cause: progressive health care reform. Rep. Debbie Dingell has made good on that promise during her three terms in Congress — and will continue to do […]
The government isn’t ensuring safe housing for military families, watchdog report says
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon is failing to ensure that all military families have access to safe, quality housing, according to a new government watchdog report. The U.S. Department of Defense oversees private-sector developers who build, renovate, manage and maintain military housing. But it doesn’t collect data about military housing conditions reliably or consistently and includes […]
Trade deal presents political conundrum for Democrats
WASHINGTON — With only a few legislative days left before Congress adjourns for the year, House Democrats are eager to show that they can legislate while also pursuing an impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump. A massive trade deal represents their best shot at showing they can do so — but passing it would hand […]
Deep impeachment divisions dominate Rep. Beyer’s town hall in Northern Virginia
ALEXANDRIA — Democratic Rep. Don Beyer took heat from supporters of President Donald Trump during a town hall meeting in the suburbs of Washington, D.C, Thursday night. Hundreds of people packed into a high school auditorium in Beyer’s deep blue northern Virginia district, where numerous backers of the president spoke out against the impeachment proceedings. […]
Is DACA doomed? Supreme Court may side with Trump
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court appears unlikely to salvage an Obama-era program that has allowed hundreds of thousands of young, unauthorized immigrants known as “Dreamers” to remain in the country without immediate fear of deportation. Lawyers defending the program — known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA — argued Tuesday that the […]
DACA case heads to U.S. Supreme Court this week
WASHINGTON — Can President Donald Trump put an end to legal protections for a group of undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States years ago as children? The U.S. Supreme Court will consider that question Tuesday — and its answer will determine the fates of hundreds of thousands of young adults across the […]
U.S. House advances Virginia congressman’s sweeping bill to lower higher education costs
WASHINGTON — A U.S. House committee passed legislation from a senior Virginia Democrat last week that supporters hailed as a “down payment” on a long-sought liberal goal: free college education for all. The sweeping measure from Rep. Bobby Scott, who represents the 3rd District in southeastern Virginia., aims to help more Americans of all backgrounds […]
Cuccinelli tangles with Democratic Florida congresswoman: ‘I am not a white supremacist’
WASHINGTON — A senior Florida Democrat called former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, now a top Trump administration immigration official, a white supremacist Wednesday and charged the administration with pursuing racist immigration policies. “You and Mr. Trump don’t want anyone who looks or talks differently than Caucasian Americans to be allowed into this country,” Rep. […]
Elijah Cummings’ memorial brings political foes together
WASHINGTON — The nation’s political elite gathered in the U.S. Capitol Thursday to celebrate the life of Baltimore’s native son, Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings. In a week otherwise marked by partisan acrimony, Democratic and Republican leaders of the House and Senate came together to praise Cummings for his ability to bring people together in a […]
Wexton grills Zuckerberg on doctored Pelosi video; Riggleman won’t play ‘stump the dummy’
WASHINGTON — Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Wednesday that he was personally involved in his company’s handling of a doctored video of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) that portrayed her as drunk. Zuckerberg’s comments came in response to questioning from U.S. Rep. Jennifer Wexton, a freshman Democrat from Northern Virginia’s 10th District. Asked whether he […]
Va. lawmakers say Trump administration turned student loan program into a ‘disaster’
WASHINGTON — Virginia Democrats are leading efforts in Congress to stop the mass denial of student debt relief to millions of teachers, nurses, first responders and other public servants. They’re pressing the Trump administration to fix the problem, while the Education Department is blaming Congress for a loan forgiveness program that rejects the vast majority […]