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Congressional Democrats didn’t get the green strings attached for the airline industry bailout this week, but we can always hope for the next round of stimulus funding. At least the bill’s not bailing out the oil industry? Cartoon by Alex Bowman (check out more of her art here)
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Yesterday, President Trump released his FY2021 budget, and the proposed cuts to federal agencies and research programs were severe. As Science Mag summarized, Trump’s budget proposes the following cuts: National Institutes of Health: a cut of 7%, or $2.942 billion, to $36.965 billion National Science Foundation (NSF): a cut of 6%, or $424 million, to […]
Continue Reading 710 wordsby Miro Korenha, co-founder and publisher, Our Daily Planet These days the tone in Washington is ominous. For those of us who are unnerved by what we perceive to be the unraveling of our democratic institutions, some of our only comfort has come from the voices that remind us of what we’re fighting for. […]
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Yesterday, the U.S. Congress, as well as the City of Baltimore, lost one of its most beloved colleagues and public servants, Rep. Elijah Cummings. Cummings, the 20+ year representative of Maryland’s 7th District as well as the chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, was admired and respected by his own party […]
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The Trump EPA replaced President Obama’s legacy Clean Power Plan with the much weaker Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) rule. Yesterday Democrats tried to use a seldom-used legal maneuver that requires the signature of just 30 senators to review and overturn ACE.
It failed, but Democrats shouldn’t let this vote pass without expanding the narrative that any rules that weaken air pollution protections pose an immediate threat to the health of Americans.
Continue Reading 330 wordsThe Senate has its last week of session before a long August recess, while the House of Representatives hit the road on Friday. The swamp will be drained for a few weeks anyway! President Trump has not yet announced his vacation plans. CNN and New York Times reporter Michael Shear say the President will head […]
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On Wednesday, the House of Representatives passed The Ocean Acidification Innovation Act, landmark legislation to enable institutions to compete for $50 million annually in federally funded prize money for research dedicated to ocean acidification. The House also passed the Coastal Communities Ocean Acidification Act, which directs the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to work with state and local experts to assess the likely impacts of acidification on coastal communities, prepare a public report on which communities are most exposed to the problem, and support state efforts to assess their own vulnerabilities. Both bills had overwhelming bi-partisan support – but whether the Senate will take them up remains to be seen.
Continue Reading 469 words“On all the big issues of the day:❌ Climate Change❌ Health Care❌ Voting Rights❌ Election Security The Senate has turned into a legislative graveyard.” —@SenBrianSchatz explains the Senate under @SenateMajLdr McConnell pic.twitter.com/aMSi7aTT6X — Senate Democrats (@SenateDems) June 4, 2019 The Senate Majority Leader has made it clear that he won’t even allow debate of climate […]
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Happy Monday, Friends of the Planet! We hope you had a great weekend. It is the week before the Memorial Day long weekend (aka the unofficial beginning of summer) and looks like a busy one in D.C. because Congress will be in a district work period next week and they are trying to get through […]
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This is the second part of our two-part interview with House Natural Resources Committee chairman, Rep. Raúl Grijalva. Click here to read part one. ODP: Can you tell us a bit more about the hearings you’re planning on holding at the Natural Resources Committee this year? What are your goals with the hearings? RG: […]
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For an issue that has only recently broken through on the national stage, climate change is getting a great deal of attention in both the Chambers of Congress.
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By Daniel C. Esty Two weeks ago, at the memorial service to President George H.W. Bush, his eulogists celebrated the extraordinary things accomplished during his Presidency on a bipartisan basis – including the passage of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act, a crime bill, the 1991 Civil Rights Act, […]
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