Government

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 …

The Wall Street Journal reports: President Biden on Tuesday will sign a series of executive orders that are intended to advance racial equity, including action to phase out the federal use of private prisons. Mr. Biden is expected to sign four orders in the afternoon, administration officials said. He will also deliver remarks on the need to address inequities in …

NBC News reports: The House will deliver its article of impeachment against former President Donald Trump to the Senate on Monday, kicking off preparations for the upcoming trial. House impeachment managers will hold a procession ceremony through National Statuary Hall and the Capitol Rotunda to the Senate on Monday evening to present the article of impeachment to the secretary of …

The Washington Post reports: Janet Yellen was confirmed as the first female treasury secretary in American history by the U.S. Senate Monday evening. Yellen’s confirmation process garnered little controversy as the former Federal Reserve chair has long-standing ties to Senate policymakers and extensive economic and government credentials. The final vote was 84-15, with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) among …

CBS News reports: U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, along with other Republican Senators, has reintroduced an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would impose term limits on members of Congress. The amendment would limit U.S. Senators to two six-year terms, and members of the House of Representatives to three two-year terms. Sen. Cruz was joined by Sen. Mike Braum (R-Ind.), Pat …

The Wall Street Journal reports: Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte is set to resign on Tuesday, his office said, as Europe’s underlying problems of economic stagnation and political fragmentation start to reassert themselves amid the gruelling pandemic. The fall of Italy’s government, in office for just 17 months, is a symptom of the continuing fissures in Italian and European politics. …