Government + Politics
U.S. House votes to remove Kevin McCarthy as speaker
WASHINGTON — Dissident Republicans in the U.S. House voted with Democrats on Tuesday to oust Kevin McCarthy as speaker, a historic move that came just nine months after he secured the gavel following days of negotiating with the GOP’s right flank and 15 rounds of voting. It wasn’t immediately clear after the vote how the […]
Voting bills eliminating use of student ID at Idaho polls are constitutional, judge says
This story was first published by Idaho Reports on Oct. 3, 2023. An Ada County judge on Monday determined that two bills passed by the Idaho Legislature to eliminate the use of student ID cards for voter registration are constitutional. The lawsuit filed in March by BABE VOTE and the League of Women Voters of Idaho challenged House […]
Bipartisan U.S. Senate group to travel to East Asia amid rising China tensions
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Idaho Republican U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo will lead a bipartisan delegation to China, Japan and South Korea next week, Schumer’s office said Tuesday. The trip, scheduled for a week when the Senate will not be in session, comes amid escalating tensions with China, including the country’s internet regulator […]
A year in the making, the $75 million Idaho Launch program opens application window
This story was originally posted on IdahoEdNews.org on Oct. 3, 2023. Idaho Launch officially got off the ground on Tuesday morning. The state began taking applications for the new postsecondary grant program — which could provide financial aid for 9,000 to 10,000 high school graduates pursuing a job in an in-demand career. Some students got […]
Washington minimum wage to top $16 an hour next year
Minimum wage workers in Washington will get a pay hike in January. The state’s minimum wage will rise to $16.28 an hour starting Jan. 1, the Washington Department of Labor and Industries has announced. That’s a 54-cent increase from the current hourly rate of $15.74, which is the highest of any state in the nation […]
After errors hamper reports, Idaho State Controller’s Office says new Luma system works
Officials with the Idaho State Controller’s Office are able to verify state revenue collections unofficially as the state transitions to a new, wide scale business system called Luma. Chief Deputy State Controller Joshua Whitworth told the Idaho Capital Sun the Luma system is working, and raw, unofficial data in Luma shows that as of Wednesday, […]
Don’t count on the U.S. Congress to resolve fiscal mess – they got us here in the first place
Round and round we go, and we all know where this stops. It’s Nov. 17, when Congress will face another chapter of tired talks about a government shutdown. There’s no telling who will be speaker of the House by then since House Speaker Kevin McCarthy dared to rely on Democrats to push through a 45-day […]
Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz files motion to oust McCarthy as U.S. House speaker
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House likely faces a decision this week on whether Kevin McCarthy should keep the role of speaker, after Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz on Monday night offered a motion to remove the California Republican. The so-called motion to vacate gives House GOP leaders up to two days to hold a vote […]
Next battle in Congress over Ukraine aid, as Biden presses House speaker for vote
WASHINGTON — Republican and Democratic lawmakers are searching for a way to clear more aid for Ukraine, after Congress approved a short-term spending bill that didn’t include any additional money for the country. President Joe Biden on Sunday said that U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy agreed to find the votes needed to pass a supplemental […]
Congress clears bill to avert shutdown, with vote promised later on Ukraine aid
WASHINGTON — Congress approved a bill Saturday night that would stave off a government shutdown until at least mid-November, though the measure doesn’t include Ukraine aid backed by Republicans and Democrats. The bipartisan 88-9 vote in the U.S. Senate, just hours before a midnight deadline, took place after the U.S. House earlier in the day […]
‘Super’ J.J. Saldaña remembered as Idaho’s fiercest — and fabulous — Latino advocate
J.J. Saldaña, above all else, was a doer for his Boise community. He spent nearly 24 years dedicating his professional life to the Idaho Commission on Hispanic Affairs, where he was instrumental in organizing the commission’s Hispanic Youth Leadership Summit. The event has awarded millions of dollars of scholarships to ensure hundreds of Latino and […]
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 […]