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Social media, trauma, hate speech add to youth mental health crisis, U.S. Senate panel told
By: Jennifer Shutt - June 8, 2023
WASHINGTON — U.S. senators agreed during a hearing Thursday the country’s children are going through a youth mental health crisis, though some of the committee’s members disagreed about what role Congress has to play. Senators detailed a complicated patchwork of issues that contribute to youth mental health challenges, including violence and trauma within schools and […]
Effects of climate change on farming, federal spending explored by U.S. Senate panel
By: Jennifer Shutt - June 7, 2023
WASHINGTON — U.S. senators on the Budget Committee dug into the impacts of climate change on farming during a Wednesday hearing, raising concerns about what the next few decades hold for food production and the way of life. But Republicans and representatives of farm groups pushed back against increased government regulation. Brent Johnson, president of […]
U.S. Senate sends Biden debt limit legislation ahead of Monday default deadline
By: Jennifer Shutt - June 1, 2023
WASHINGTON — The bipartisan debt limit bill is on its way to President Joe Biden after the U.S. Senate voted Thursday to clear the measure for his signature. The 63-36 vote followed several amendment votes, all of which were rejected. Biden is expected to quickly sign the package, preventing a default on the debt that […]
U.S. House approves debt limit package, sending it to Senate days before default deadline
By: Jennifer Shutt - May 31, 2023
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House took a broadly bipartisan vote Wednesday night on the debt limit package, sending it to the U.S. Senate where lawmakers are expected to vote quickly to clear the measure. The bill would suspend the nation’s borrowing limit through Jan. 1, 2025, and set caps on discretionary spending for two years. […]
Debt limit deal hits turbulence in Congress as leaders prep for vote
By: Jennifer Shutt and Ariana Figueroa - May 30, 2023
WASHINGTON — Congress began moving the bipartisan debt limit package forward Tuesday, though frustrations with provisions in the bill could make for narrow passage in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate. Conservative Republicans and progressive Democrats both aired their disappointment with the agreement forged over the weekend, but only GOP lawmakers are looking to possibly […]
Biden, McCarthy say they have brokered a debt limit deal to avert U.S. default
By: Jennifer Shutt and Ariana Figueroa - May 27, 2023
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced a deal in principle Saturday night that would stave off a first-ever default on the nation’s debt as long as it can clear both chambers of Congress before June 5. The agreement would address the nation’s debt limit and include a “historic” reduction in spending, McCarthy said, though […]
Treasury secretary pinpoints June 5 as earliest date for U.S. debt default
By: Jennifer Shutt - May 26, 2023
WASHINGTON — Republicans in Congress and the Biden administration have until at least June 5 to broker and enact a debt limit bill under new estimates from the Treasury Department, giving negotiators a few more days before the country would default. “Based on the most recent available data, we now estimate that Treasury will have […]
With debt default as soon as a week away, U.S. House jets off for holiday break
By: Jennifer Shutt - May 25, 2023
WASHINGTON — U.S. House members walked down the steps of the Capitol building Thursday morning to head back to their districts for a Memorial Day recess that began exactly one week before the country could default on the debt. House Democrats took to the floor after the final vote of the week to give a […]
After years of bipartisan spending boosts, U.S. House GOP won’t lift debt ceiling without cuts
By: Jennifer Shutt - May 24, 2023
WASHINGTON — Republicans and Democrats in Congress together brokered dozens of debt limit agreements, including several during the past decade, marked by a desire in both political parties to increase federal spending. But U.S. House Republicans now are pushing for the federal government to spend less next year than it will this year in order […]
Biden and McCarthy strike positive tone after debt limit talks, but no deal yet
By: Jennifer Shutt and Ashley Murray - May 22, 2023
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy left their closely watched meeting Monday without an agreement on government spending or the debt limit, prolonging a stalemate that could soon disrupt Americans’ everyday lives as well as the global economy. Both struck a positive tone Monday, though neither divulged details about what remains unresolved […]
Biden says he’s offered $1 trillion in spending cuts but GOP won’t budge on debt limit
By: Jennifer Shutt - May 21, 2023
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden said Sunday his administration has offered $1 trillion in spending cuts as part of the ongoing talks with Republicans around a budget agreement, but he said no deal has yet been reached. Biden, speaking from Japan during a press conference following the G7 summit, said his administration wants House Speaker […]
A default on the U.S. debt would be far worse than a government shutdown. Here’s how.
By: Jennifer Shutt, Ashley Murray, Jacob Fischler and Ariana Figueroa - May 20, 2023
WASHINGTON — A U.S. default on its debt would have a significantly broader impact on federal operations, financial markets and the global economy than recent government shutdowns that have left ordinary Americans largely untouched. While the two have been confused frequently during debate over the debt limit, the federal government has had considerable practice with […]