Government

The Associated Press reports: Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has vowed to make improvements after facing withering criticism and calls for his removal for his actions that slowed delivery of mail before the election. Some critics hoped President Joe Biden would fire DeJoy, but a president can’t do that. Instead, Biden could and likely will use appointments to reshape the Board …

The New York Times reports: The nation’s last undecided House race came to an apparent resolution on Friday when a judge ruled that Claudia Tenney, a former Republican congresswoman in Central New York, be certified the winner, three months after Election Day. Ms. Tenney held a mere 109-vote lead over her opponent, Anthony Brindisi, a moderate Democrat who was seeking …

The Associated Press reports: U.S. Sen. Richard C. Shelby of Alabama, the Senate’s fourth most senior member, has indicated to confidantes that he does not intend to run for reelection next year — prompting some Republicans to urge the powerful, establishment politician to reconsider, even as potential replacements prepare to run for his seat. The senator in recent weeks told …

The Hill reports: Forty-two Republican House members sent a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) Friday, urging her to allow security fencing around the Capitol to be taken down. The letter, spearheaded by Rep. Ted Budd (R-N.C.), sounded the alarm over proposals to implement the fencing permanently after it was erected after the Jan. 6 riot on Capitol Hill, noting …

Harrisburg’s NBC News affiliate reports: Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman filed paperwork today to run for the U.S. Senate in 2022. Fetterman, a Democrat, submitted a statement of candidacy to the Federal Election Commission, nearly a month after he said he was exploring a run. The lieutenant governor hopes to fill the seat that will be vacated by Republican Sen. …

The Hill reports: Vice President Harris cast her first tie-breaking votes early Friday morning helping Senate Democrats pass a budget resolution that greenlights them passing coronavirus relief without GOP support. “On this vote, the yeas are 50, the nays are 50. The Senate being equally divided, the vice president votes in the affirmative and the amendment is agreed to,” Harris …

ABC News reports: Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) office called out House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Wednesday for failing to take action against GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), referring to him as “McCarthy (Q-CA)” and mocking him for a lack of courage in a statement circulated by her office. The toughly worded statement used critical remarks from Republicans …

CNBC reports: Senate leaders reached a deal to transfer control of committees to Democrats, two weeks after the party took control of the chamber, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Wednesday. The New York Democrat came to a deal with Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., on how to share power in a Senate split 50-50. The two wrangled for weeks over …

Axios reports: Rep. Adam Schiff is quietly lobbying Gov. Gavin Newsom and his allies to appoint him California’s next attorney general, according to people familiar with the matter. Why it matters: If Newsom selects Schiff, chair of the House Intelligence Committee and a confidant of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Democrats would lose a powerful party voice in the U.S. House …

Newsweek reports: On Tuesday, the House instated new rules to issue a $5,000 fine to any lawmakers who refuse to go through the metal detector that was installed outside of the Congressional chamber four days after the January 6 insurrection. A second refusal will result in a $10,000 fine. The new rules require the House Ethics Committee to publicly announce …

CNBC reports: The Senate confirmed Alejandro Mayorkas on Tuesday to lead the nation’s Department of Homeland Security, making him the first Latino to hold the role. The Senate voted 56 to 43. His ascension to the agency’s top role comes less than four weeks after supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol and as the nation struggles …

Via press release from the TSA: Whether beginning the security screening process at the airport Travel Document Checker (TDC) or submitting checked baggage for screening, all passengers who appear to be over the age of 2 must properly wear a face mask throughout the security screening process. The officer at the TDC will request that travelers temporarily lower the mask …

NBC News reports: The Federal Emergency Management Agency is deploying or supporting vaccination efforts in at least 11 states after President Joe Biden ordered the government to get on a war footing in his mission to vaccinate 300 million Americans by summer’s end. The states are Arizona, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, …

The Wall Street Journal reports: U.S. travelers and commuters will be required to wear a mask on nearly all forms of public transportation and inside of transportation hubs, according to a late Friday emergency order from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The mandate, which goes into effect on Tuesday and applies to most everyone over the age of …

The Associated Press reports: The Capitol Police are stepping up security at Washington-area transportation hubs and taking other steps to safeguard traveling lawmakers as Congress continues to react to this month’s deadly assault on the Capitol. Capitol Police will be stationed at area airports and Washington’s Union Station railway hub on busy travel days, the House’s chief law enforcement officer …

The Washington Post reports: Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) has revived a years-long effort to ban members of Congress from carrying guns on the Capitol grounds, a move likely to rankle Republicans who, in some cases, have refused to cooperate with newly mandated security screenings put in place in the wake of the violent attack of Jan. 6. Huffman filed the …

Politico reports: Rep. Jimmy Gomez wants Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene booted from Congress. The California Democrat announced on Wednesday that he planned to introduce a resolution to oust the conspiracy-theory-peddling Republican from Georgia after recent news reports revealed that Greene had previously called for violence against Democrats on social media. A two-thirds majority is required to expel a member from …

The Hill reports: A group of Senate Democrats led by Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) reintroduced legislation to give Washington, D.C., statehood on Wednesday, marking the first major efforts to push toward statehood since the Capitol riots earlier this month. The bill, which was first introduced in 2013, would give citizens of the District full authority over local issues, as well …

NBC News reports: “The Capitol Physician suggested that Senator Leahy go to George Washington University Hospital this evening for observation, out of an abundance of caution,” said David Carle, a spokesman for Leahy. “After getting test results back, and after a thorough examination, Senator Leahy now is home. Earlier Tuesday evening, Leahy was in his Capitol office and “was not …

CNBC reports: Sen. Patrick Leahy, the Vermont Democrat who is set to preside over the upcoming impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump, was taken to a Washington hospital for evaluation Tuesday afternoon after “not feeling well,” his spokesman said. Leahy, 80, is the president pro tempore of the Senate, who is responsible for presiding over that chamber in the …