President Biden has embarked on a risky strategy by vilifying ‘MAGA Republicans’ ahead of the midterms, according to political strategists who say the escalation in rhetoric may invigorate the Democratic base but is a turnoff for the average voter. The Washington Times stories: White House
Read More...<p><em>To listen to the Federal Newscast on your phone or mobile device, subscribe in <a href=”https://www.podcastone.com/federal-newstalk?showAllEpisodes=true”>PodcastOne</a> or <a href=”https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/federal-newscast/id1053077930?mt=2″>Apple Podcasts</a>. The best listening experience on desktop can be found using Chrome, Firefox or Safari.</em></p> <ul> <li>Some Republican lawmakers want to press pause on making remote work permanent. <a href=”https://herrell.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-herrell-introduces-show-act-ensure-federal-workforce-provides-timely” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>Rep. Yvette Herrell (R-N.M.)</a> calls on agencies to give Congress a plan to address the adverse effects of remote work. The SHOW UP Act would require federal agencies to fully return to pre-pandemic telework policies, bringing employees back to the office. The bill…
Read More...House Republicans pressed Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for answers Thursday as every sign appeared to point to a rising surge of illegal immigrants trying to cross the southern border. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, agents last month logged over 221,000 “encounters” with illegal aliens along the border, a 33% jump from February. In testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, Mayorkas argued that the situation at the border is under “operational control,” as the law requires. Republicans on the committee repeatedly rejected this claim, pointing to the huge…
Read More...The Postal Service is telling its regulator it has no plans yet to pull the plug on a postal banking pilot, despite a lack of customers and opposition from House Republicans. USPS told the Postal Regulatory Commission in a recent filing that it will continue the postal banking pilot “in its current form” past March 2022. “No final determinations have been reached with regard to ending the pilot, or with regard to any other potential steps that might be taken to modify the pilot,” USPS attorneys wrote. USPS spokeswoman Tatiana…
Read More...On the afternoon of March 3, 2020, Governor Mike DeWine stepped to a lectern inside the Ohio statehouse to announce his most difficult pandemic decision. Ohio, the governor announced, would bar most spectators from the upcoming Arnold Classic, a bodybuilding and fitness festival hosted annually by Arnold Schwarzenegger that draws a quarter of a million people from 80 countries to Ohio’s capital city. “Everything in life is a risk,” DeWine said. “We all make calculated decisions. We don’t eliminate all risk in life. But with regard to the Arnold Classic,…
Read More...If a new coronavirus variant surges in the United States this year—perhaps the one currently tearing through Europe—there’s a reasonable chance that the country will be unprepared to fight it. You can thank Congress for that. Last week, lawmakers passed a massive spending bill without any additional funding for COVID-19 relief, despite White House pleas for more. Democrats would like to fulfill the administration’s request. But Republicans have taken the position that Congress has already done enough. “We don’t need COVID funding,” GOP Representative Randy Feenstra of Iowa told me.…
Read More...