White House news

• FTC investigating whether baby formula makers engaged in collusion in state contracts

  24-05-2023 23:48 via thehill.com
  
  The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is investigating whether baby formula makers colluded on bidding for state contracts, agency documents show.The commission opened the probe last year into bidding on state contracts for the Department of Agriculture’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), which provides free formula to low-income families. The investigation was first reported by the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday.In late January, the FTC req
  
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• GOP says House lawmakers can leave for Memorial Day despite debt ceiling talks

  24-05-2023 23:44 via thehill.com
  
  House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) informed lawmakers on Wednesday that they can leave Washington as scheduled on Thursday for the Memorial Day weekend — but that they should be prepared to return to the Capitol to vote on legislation to raise the debt limit with 24 hours notice. The House is scheduled to adjourn on Thursday and is not slated to return to session until June 5 — four days after the June 1 deadline set by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen for a possibl
  
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• Watchdog finds violations in Park Police officers' force against media in 2020 Lafayette Square incident

  24-05-2023 23:32 via thehill.com
  
  Park Police officers violated policy when they hit a reporter with a baton and pushed another member of the media’s camera during the infamous 2020 clearing of protesters in Lafayette Square in Washington, D.C., an internal government watchdog has found. In a new report on Wednesday, the Interior Department’s Inspector General’s Office said that pushing the camera went beyond the “minimum level of reasonable force.”The reporter said that hitting the journalist
  
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• McCarthy on debt ceiling talks: We're at ‘this breaking point’ but have ‘some progress’

  24-05-2023 23:23 via thehill.com
  
  Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Wednesday said debt ceiling talks are at a “breaking point,” with the House GOP and the White House at an impasse over whether to lower federal spending, even as he also said negotiations were going “a little better.”
  “I’ve been very clear, I will not put a bill on the floor that spends more money this year than next year than this year,” McCarthy said on Fox Business on Wednesday, calling for measures like rescinding
  
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• House passes measure overturning Biden's student debt forgiveness program

  24-05-2023 23:18 via thehill.com
  
  House Republicans passed a resolution on Wednesday that overturns President Biden’s student debt relief plan that would give up to $20,000 in loan forgiveness to borrowers. In a 218-203 vote, Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.) succeeded in his measure to terminate the pandemic-era student loan payment pause and cancel the potential relief for 40 million borrowers. The Biden proposal, which is also currently at the mercy of the conservative-leaning Supreme Court, is estimated to cost around $400 bi
  
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• Here are some possible debt ceiling escape hatches for McCarthy, Biden

  24-05-2023 22:47 via thehill.com
  
  Washington is scrambling to stave off an unprecedented debt default as roughly a week stands between the country and a looming deadline.Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned earlier this week that the country is still on track to default on its debt as soon as next Thursday if Congress fails to raise or suspend the debt ceiling, which caps much the government can owe.Leaders on both sides have been adamant they will strike a deal in time to avert a default. But even the broad outlines of one ha
  
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• Democrats unanimously back debt ceiling discharge petition

  24-05-2023 22:47 via thehill.com
  
  Every House Democrat has endorsed the discharge petition to force a vote on legislation to hike the debt ceiling and prevent a default, party leaders announced Wednesday.The signatures of the last final holdouts — Reps. Jared Golden (D-Maine) and Ed Case (D-Hawaii) — puts the total number at 213, meaning Democratic leaders still need to find five Republicans if the petition is to be successful.DEVELOPING.
  
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• Biden marks anniversary of Uvalde shooting: 'It's time to act'

  24-05-2023 22:19 via thehill.com
  
  President Biden on Wednesday marked the anniversary of a mass shooting at a Uvalde, Texas, elementary school that left 19 children dead, offering sympathy to the families of the victims and pleading yet again for Congress to take action to stop the epidemic of gun violence in the United States.“Too many schools, too many everyday places have become killing fields in communities all across every part of America,” Biden said in remarks at the White House. “And in each place, you
  
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• Greene says 'no one is concerned' about debt default in Republican conference

  24-05-2023 21:08 via thehill.com
  
  Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) dismissed the threat of the government defaulting on its debt saying “no one is freaking out” in the House Republican conference about the deadline.Her remarks come even amid Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s repeated warnings of the severe economic consequences if Congress does not raise the debt ceiling by June 1.“Here’s what’s happening in our conference," Greene told conservative podcast host Steve Bannon on Wednesday. "
  
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• White House seizes on Gaetz ‘hostage’ remark on debt ceiling

  24-05-2023 20:54 via thehill.com
  
  White House officials on Wednesday put a spotlight to remarks by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) in which he said some Republicans feel they should not negotiate with their “hostage” in debt ceiling talks.Biden administration officials pointed to Gaetz’s comments to argue that the GOP has created a “manufactured crisis” around efforts to raise the debt ceiling.“This is a manufactured crisis, plain and simple,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters a
  
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• Just 16 percent say US headed in right direction: survey

  24-05-2023 20:54 via thehill.com
  
  Sixteen percent of respondents in a new survey said the U.S. is headed in the right direction as the country is bracing for significant economic problems amid ongoing debt ceiling talks. The Monmouth University poll, published Wednesday, found that while only 16 percent of respondents believe that the U.S. is headed in the right direction, 74 percent of those surveyed said the country is headed in the wrong direction. This marks a 6 percent decrease from a similar poll published in Mar
  
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• Rep. Gonzales on Uvalde shooting anniversary: Will be 'a long time before we are whole again' 

  24-05-2023 20:35 via thehill.com
  
  On the one-year anniversary of the Uvalde school shooting, Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) said that while more work on to protect school children from gun violence needs to be done, the Uvalde community is “hopeful” for the future.  “And while we are healing and it's going to be a long time before we are whole again, we're also very hopeful,” Gonzales said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” The Uvalde school shooting left 19 children dead along with two t
  
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• GOP lawmaker demands Maxwell Frost remarks on 'bigoted logic' be taken down

  24-05-2023 20:22 via thehill.com
  
  Republicans objected on the House floor Wednesday after Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) accused them of using "bigoted logic" during discussions on student loan forgiveness, demanding that the comment be stricken from the record.The remark, which Frost agreed to withdraw, came during debate about a measure that would end President Biden’s student debt relief and stop the student loan payment pause that lawmakers. GOP House were set to approve the measure, which stands no chance in the Democrat
  
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• Yellen says it's 'almost certain' debt ceiling deadline would be in early June

  24-05-2023 20:16 via thehill.com
  
  Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the deadline to raise the debt ceiling is almost certainly in early June as lawmakers attempt to reach a deal to increase the limit before the country goes into default. Yellen said on Wednesday at the Wall Street Journal’s CEO Council Summit that the country must not be allowed to default, and continuing to be able to pay U.S. debts is critical to continued U.S. leadership in the global economy and the role of the U.S. dollar in the world. &l
  
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• McCarthy: Debt ceiling negotiators will 'try to finish' deal at White House

  24-05-2023 18:44 via thehill.com
  
  Debt ceiling negotiations are getting a venue change on Thursday as House Republican negotiators head to the White House to work more on a deal.“I’m sending our negotiation team down to the White House to try to finish up the negotiations with the White House,” Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) told reporters.The Speaker noted that “there’s a number of places we are still far apart,” but said “I think we can make progress today — I’m hoping t
  
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• Gaetz says most in GOP 'don't feel like we should negotiate with our hostage'

  24-05-2023 18:04 via thehill.com
  
  Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) said Tuesday that he and his conservative colleagues “don’t feel like we should negotiate with our hostage” on a debt-limit compromise.In his comments, the Florida Republican underscored the precarious negotiating position House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is in as he seeks to strike a deal with the White House that could ultimately pass the House.“My conservative colleagues for the most part support, 'Limit, Save, Grow,' and they don’
  
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• Bipartisan Sneaker Caucus 'unequivocally supports' McCarthy, Jeffries's Oval Office shoe choices

  24-05-2023 18:00 via thehill.com
  
  A bipartisan group of sneaker-loving lawmakers is dipping their toes in an intense sartorial debate: giving their seal — or sole — of approval to sport dress sneakers in the White House.“The Congressional Sneaker Caucus unequivocally supports Speaker McCarthy’s and Leader Jeffries’ freedom to wear dress sneakers in the Oval Office,” the group said in a statement issued on Wednesday.The backing comes after Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and House Minority Le
  
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• Key Republican urges McCarthy, GOP to 'hold the line' in debt ceiling talks

  24-05-2023 17:47 via thehill.com
  
  Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) sent a memo to House Republican colleagues Wednesday urging them to “hold the line” with continued support for the conference’s sweeping debt limit bill in the face of Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and President Biden aiming to negotiate a compromise that would likely strip out many conservative priorities.In the memo, Roy listed major policies from the bill passed in April, dubbed the Limit, Save, Grow Act, which paired a $1.5 trillion debt limit in
  
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• 48 House Democrats sign open letter supporting large-scale Israeli protests

  24-05-2023 16:53 via thehill.com
  
  House Democrats issued an open letter Wednesday voicing support for Israeli protesters demonstrating against a push by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to overhaul the country’s judiciary.The letter, signed by 48 Democrats, backs protesters' efforts to stop Netanyahu from pursuing judicial reforms that were put on hold in response to months-long, large-scale protests across the country and in the face of unprecedented opposition by President Biden.“Through peaceful protests
  
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• Box truck driver said he wanted to 'seize power,' 'kill the president': court records

  24-05-2023 15:06 via thehill.com
  
  A Missouri man who crashed a rented U-Haul truck into security barriers near the White House told federal agents his goal was to “seize power” and “kill the president,” according to court records. Sai Varshith Kandula, 19, crashed the rented truck into security barriers around Lafayette Square in front of the White House late Monday, according to a statement of facts from a Secret Service agent, shared by the Department of Justice. Kandula exited the vehicle and took
  
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• McCarthy, Dems temper expectations on debt-ceiling deal

  24-05-2023 12:00 via thehill.com
  
  Democratic and Republican leaders on Capitol Hill are starting to temper expectations among their members about what a final debt ceiling deal could look like, becoming more explicit in acknowledging that neither side will get everything it wants.When asked Monday whether any ultimate deal to cut spending as a condition of raising the debt ceiling will lose votes on both the left and right ideological edges of the parties, Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) indicated that it would.“Did you
  
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• House leaders look to temper debt ceiling deal expectations of right flank, progressives

  24-05-2023 12:00 via thehill.com
  
  Democratic and Republican leaders on Capitol Hill are starting to temper expectations among their members about what a final debt ceiling deal could look like, becoming more explicit in acknowledging that neither side will get everything it wants.When asked Monday whether any ultimate deal to cut spending as a condition of raising the debt ceiling will lose votes on both the left and right ideological edges of the parties, Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) indicated that it would.“Did you
  
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• Biden to mark anniversary of Uvalde school shooting

  24-05-2023 02:04 via thehill.com
  
  President Biden on Wednesday will mark the anniversary of a school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, where 19 children and two teachers were killed, by calling for congressional action to address gun violence.The president will deliver remarks by the grand staircase of the White House to remember the victims of the shooting, a White House official said. First lady Jill Biden will also attend."The President will remember those lost in Uvalde and reiterate his call for Republicans in Congress to act and
  
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• GOP debt ceiling negotiators say day ended with 'significant gap' between sides

  24-05-2023 01:48 via thehill.com
  
  Republican negotiators are warning that a “significant gap” remains between the White House and GOP lawmakers on a deal to raise the debt ceiling with nine days to go until June 1 — the day the Treasury Department has said the U.S. could default.The fundamental issue is topline discretionary spending levels, GOP negotiators Reps. Garret Graves (R-La.) and Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) said in extensive comments to reporters late Tuesday afternoon.“There is a significant gap be
  
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• House Ethics concludes Swalwell probe into link to Chinese spy, taking no action

  24-05-2023 01:41 via thehill.com
  
  The House Ethics Committee concluded a two-year investigation into Rep. Eric Swalwell’s (D- Calif.) interactions with a suspected Chinese spy and determined that it will take no further action.House Ethics informed Swalwell of the decision in a private letter dated Monday and said they did not plan on releasing the letter publicly. “As you are aware, on April 9, 2021, the Committee on Ethics (Committee) informed you that it had determined to investigate allegations raised in the
  
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• GOP chair 'speechless' after senior FBI official says she hasn't read Durham report

  24-05-2023 00:51 via thehill.com
  
  Republican lawmakers denounced a senior FBI official during a hearing on Tuesday after she said she hadn’t read special counsel John Durham’s report on the agency’s investigation into former President Trump’s alleged Russia ties.“I’m honestly speechless at this point in time,” Rep. August Pfluger (R-Texas), chair of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement, and Intelligence, told Jill Murphy, assistant director of counterin
  
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• Democrats fume that White House isn’t demanding tax hikes in debt fight

  24-05-2023 00:20 via thehill.com
  
  House Democrats are up in arms that the White House isn’t pushing harder for tax hikes for the wealthy as part of the debt ceiling talks, fuming that the deficit-reduction debate has centered around Republicans’ insistence on sharp spending cuts.While President Biden has repeatedly called for tax hikes on wealthy Americans to accompany the talks, he’s stopped short of demanding such provisions as part of a final deal. And there’s been no sign the White House officials on
  
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• Democrats fume that White House isn’t demanding tax hikes from McCarthy in debt ceiling fight

  24-05-2023 00:20 via thehill.com
  
  House Democrats are up in arms that the White House isn’t pushing harder for tax hikes for the wealthy as part of the debt ceiling talks, fuming that the deficit-reduction debate has centered on Republicans’ insistence on sharp spending cuts.While President Biden has repeatedly called for tax hikes on wealthy Americans to accompany the talks, he’s stopped short of demanding such provisions as part of a final deal. And there’s been no sign the White House officials on the
  
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