Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) returned to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, providing a much-needed Democratic vote to advance three of President Joe Biden's judicial nominees on party-line votes. Her return was met with applause from her colleagues, as the panel was split between 11 Democrats and 10 Republicans prior to her return. The nominees will now move to the Senate floor for consideration, though it is unclear when the Senate will vote on them.
Posts tagged as “Beau Biden”
House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) has revealed that subpoenaed bank records show that Hunter Biden, James Biden, and Hallie Biden have received payments totaling more than $10 million from foreign sources, including individuals aligned with the Chinese Communist Party. The investigation is now entering a new phase, and the Biden administration is monitoring it closely while continuing to focus on its policy agenda. The outcome of the investigation remains to be seen.
The Biden administration has finalized a sweeping restriction on asylum that will disqualify migrants from U.S. protection if they fail to request refugee status in a third country before arriving in the United States. The regulation is intended to discourage illegal immigration and protect the safety of migrants, while also reducing the backlog of asylum cases in the U.S. immigration system. Hundreds of U.S. asylum officers have been trained to enforce the restriction and it is expected to be published on Wednesday, just before Title 42 is set to expire.
President Joe Biden met with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to discuss the looming deadline to increase the nation's borrowing authority to avoid defaulting on the national debt. Biden warned Republicans not to hold the economy hostage to their budget-cutting demands, while McCarthy insisted that a debt ceiling hike must be tied to budget cuts. The parties are still in discussions to reach an agreement before the deadline, or else the U.S. could default on its debt with serious economic consequences.
The National Association of Government Employees (NAGE) has filed a lawsuit against Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts, seeking an injunction to prevent the government from defaulting on its debts due to the current debt limit. The lawsuit claims that the union’s workers are “at immediate and imminent risk of layoff or furlough” if a deal is not reached to increase the government’s borrowing limit. NAGE President David J. Holway said the debt limit “puts our members’ jobs and livelihoods at risk” and the union is “fighting to protect the economic security of our members and their families.”
President Joe Biden has expressed his support for striking Hollywood writers, calling for a “fair deal” for them as soon as possible. The Writers Guild of America is leading the strike, which began last Tuesday, demanding higher pay for streaming services, better health care coverage, and an end to the practice of “firing and rehiring” writers. Biden’s remarks on Monday were his first public comments on the strike, and his support of the writers is a welcome sign for those on the picket lines.
President Joe Biden is meeting with the top four members of Congress to negotiate a resolution to the looming debt ceiling crisis. Republicans want spending cuts in exchange for raising the borrowing limit, while Democrats, including Mr. Biden, want to increase the debt limit without conditions. The White House has refused to negotiate over the debt ceiling itself, but both sides agree a resolution is essential to avoid the economic calamity of a default.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned that if the White House is forced to cite the 14th Amendment to raise the debt ceiling, it could lead to a "constitutional crisis". This week marks a defining challenge for House Speaker Kevin McCarthy as he attempts to strike a deal with President Biden to avert an unprecedented debt default. Yellen urged Congress to act quickly and responsibly to raise the debt ceiling and avoid a potential global economic crisis.