Congress

After A Disrupted Census, Congress Tries Again To Extend Deadlines For Results

4:14pm April 20, 2021

by Hansi Lo Wang

The 2020 census results are months overdue after COVID-19 upended the national count. Efforts to extend reporting deadlines stalled last year after Trump officials decided to cut short counting.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (right) speaks outside the U.S. Capitol in March with other members of the U.S. House of Representatives, the size of which has stayed at 435 voting members for decades.

Stuck At 435 Representatives? Why The U.S. House Hasn't Grown With Census Counts

5:00am April 20, 2021

by Hansi Lo Wang

A 1929 law set up a process for redistributing representation after each census that has pitted states against one another in a once-a-decade fight for power in Congress and the Electoral College.

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Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell testifies during a House Financial Services Committee hearing on Dec. 2, 2020. In an interview with NPR on Thursday, Powell compared the central bank's response to the pandemic to the rescue of British and allied forces

Jerome Powell: Economy Is Better Thanks To 'Dunkirk'-Like Rescue By Fed, Congress

9:32am March 25, 2021

by Scott Horsley

The Federal Reserve chairman tells NPR that the U.S. economy is on a clear path to recovery thanks to the Fed's rescue plan and the stimulus passed by Congress.

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President Biden challenged those who call his stimulus plan too big: "Let me ask them a rhetorical question: What would you have me cut?"

Biden's $1.9 Trillion Rescue Plan: Vital Medicine Or Costly Overkill?

11:22am February 26, 2021

by Scott Horsley

Backers of the president's ambitious stimulus plan say it will help struggling families and businesses, but critics say it goes too far.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell testifies during a House Financial Services Committee hearing on Dec. 2, 2020. Powell appeared before the Senate Banking Committee on Tuesday and argued the U.S. economy still has a long way to go to recover millions of

Fed Chair Jerome Powell Warns Of Long Road Ahead To Recover Millions Of Lost Jobs

4:16pm February 23, 2021

by Scott Horsley

Powell warned it will take time to put millions of jobless Americans back to work, while also downplaying inflation threats.

An engraved portrait of William Belknap, a secretary of war who was impeached in 1876 after he tearfully resigned.

Politics & Government

There Is Precedent For Trying A Former Government Official, Established 145 Years Ago

7:16am January 29, 2021

by Domenico Montanaro

Some Republicans are arguing that former President Donald Trump should not face a Senate impeachment trial because he's a private citizen. That was argued before — and rejected narrowly — in 1876.

President Biden swears in presidential appointees during a virtual ceremony in the State Dining Room of the White House on Wednesday. Data on Thursday showed new claims for state unemployment benefits reached 900,000, showcasing the weakening U.S. jobs pi

Unemployment Claims Stay Stubbornly High As Biden Takes Office

11:22am January 21, 2021

by Scott Horsley

New claims for state unemployment benefits dipped last week but remained high, showcasing the economic challenges facing President Biden.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., is calling for members of Congress who refuse to wear face masks to be fined and removed from the floor of their chamber.

3rd Member Of Congress Tests Positive For Coronavirus, Blames Capitol Attack Lockdown

12:36pm January 12, 2021

by Bill Chappell

Rep. Pramila Jayapal says people who refused to wear masks during last week's security lockdown created "a superspreader event ON TOP of a domestic terrorist attack."

Politics & Government

Local Congress Members Call For Peace After Violence At Capitol

9:01pm January 06, 2021

by Paul Garber

Local politicians from both sides of the aisle are calling for peace after a throng of pro-Trump extremists stormed the U.S. Capitol building following an inflammatory speech by the president.

House Republican Rep. Kevin Brady announced Tuesday night that he had tested positive for the coronavirus. More than 50 members of Congress have contracted the virus so far.

Texas Representative To Quarantine After Testing Positive For Coronavirus

12:12pm January 06, 2021

by Jaclyn Diaz

GOP Rep. Kevin Brady announced on Twitter on Tuesday that he tested positive for the coronavirus. It follows a positive diagnosis for fellow Texan Republican Rep. Kay Granger.