Politics
Government shutdown nears: U.S. House GOP fails to pass one-month spending plan
WASHINGTON — A sweeping government shutdown appeared inevitable on Friday, with the U.S. Senate stuck in a procedural holding pattern on its bipartisan stopgap bill and divided U.S. House Republicans unable to pass their short-term spending bill. Both chambers of Congress must approve and President Joe Biden must sign government funding legislation before midnight on […]
Shutdown threat hangs over Washington’s national parks
People traveling to Washington’s national parks may be met with locked gates and closed visitor centers come Sunday. The National Park Service says most of the parks it manages across the country would close during the partial federal shutdown that is likely to start over the weekend. How exactly the situation will play out in […]
U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California dies at 90
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein died Thursday night in her home in Washington, D.C. The California Democrat was 90 and had announced in February she would not run for reelection in 2024. “She left a legacy that is undeniable and extraordinary,” her chief of staff, James Sauls, said in a statement. “Senator Feinstein was a force […]
Government shutdown won’t affect health care or most benefits for veterans, VA says
WASHINGTON — Veterans who rely on government health care and other assistance can continue to see their doctors and receive education and pension benefits despite a possible, and likely imminent, partial shutdown that will temporarily cease many federal operations. The Department of Veterans Affairs on Tuesday released guidance on what functions will continue and not […]
Conservative Latino leaders wary of how disputed legislative district lines will be redrawn
Latino civic leaders on Thursday warned the redrawing of a Yakima Valley legislative district could do more harm than good for communities they represent in south-central Washington. They said they worry that when a federal judge finishes redoing the disputed map for the 15th Legislative District, it will cost Sen. Nikki Torres of Pasco, Washington’s […]
Inslee’s COVID-19 eviction ban was legal, state Supreme Court rules
A divided Washington Supreme Court on Thursday rejected claims that Gov. Jay Inslee exceeded powers granted to him under state law when he imposed an emergency ban on evictions during the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic. Landlords sued over the restrictions, arguing Inslee overstepped his authority and violated the state constitution. Lower courts sided against […]
GOP presidential hopefuls tear into each other and absent Trump at second debate
The candidates polling from second to eighth in the race for the Republican nomination for president largely agreed on policy, fought over their records and took aim at former President Donald Trump at their second debate of the year Wednesday night. Trump, who leads polls of the race by substantial margins, skipped the event at […]
New state budget forecast offers $1B worth of good news for Washington leaders
Lawmakers will have nearly $1 billion more to spend in the current budget, according to the latest analysis from the state’s chief economist. A new forecast released Tuesday projects state revenues will reach $66.7 billion for the two-year budget cycle that began July 1, an increase of $663 million from what chief economist Steve Lerch […]
Washington senators join Democrats calling for Sen. Bob Menendez to resign
Washington U.S. Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell on Wednesday joined more than two dozen Senate Democrats who are calling on their embattled colleague, Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey to resign. Menendez and his wife have been indicted on corruption charges. Federal prosecutors, last week, accused him of accepting bribes, including bars of gold […]
Active-duty military would work without pay in shutdown, White House warns
WASHINGTON — The White House is warning that a partial government shutdown would mean 1.3 million active-duty armed services members must keep working without receiving paychecks and hundreds of thousands of Pentagon employees would face furloughs. The Biden administration on Tuesday blasted what it’s now calling an “Extreme Republican Shutdown,” saying it would undermine national […]
Biden makes historic visit to metro Detroit picket line to rally with striking auto workers
In the midst of ongoing negotiations between striking auto workers and Detroit’s Big Three manufacturers, President Joe Biden on Tuesday made an appearance on the picket line in Belleville. Speaking to picketers from UAW Local 174 at Willow Run Redistribution Center in metro Detroit, Biden said that unions “saved the automobile industry” in times of […]
Federal shutdown should not immediately threaten food aid for WA mothers and kids
Food aid for mothers and young children in Washington will not be immediately disrupted in the event of a federal shutdown, the state’s Department of Health said on Tuesday. The Biden administration on Monday warned that funding for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, or WIC, could run short in many […]