A Senate panel voted to advance three Department of Homeland Security nominees, overcoming some Republican concerns over President Joe Biden’s pick for deputy secretary.
DeFazio says bill reflects âcore pieceâ of Biden plan
Committee will consider the measure next week June 4, 2021 11:56 AM By Lillianna Byington (Updates throughout with comments from GOP lawmakers and context on negotiations.)
House Democrats are pushing climate-focused legislation that would authorize $547 billion over five years for surface transportation, including major funding increases for passenger rail, public transit, and carbon reduction.
The bill, proposed Friday, both aligns with many of President Joe Bidenâs infrastructure goals and follows in his footsteps by calling for substantial infrastructure spending increases.
The legislation âputs a core piece of President Bidenâs American Jobs Plan into legislative text,â House Transportation and Infrastructure Chair Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), who introduced the measure, said.
Duckworth bill proposes $1 billion annually for upgrades
Stations inaccessible 31 years after landmark disability law May 24, 2021 5:01 AM By Lillianna Byington
Sen. Tammy Duckworth, who lost her legs flying helicopter combat missions in the Iraq war, is waging a new fight: pressing authorities to deliver on a three-decades-old promise to make transit stations accessible to all.
The Illinois Democrat toured renovations at Chicago Transit Authority stations after her election to the Senate. The authorityâs director was excited the accessibility project would be completed within two decades, Duckworth recalled in an interview.
âThatâs how long this is going to take?â the senator asked at the end of the tour. âAnd heâs at the innovative forefront of transit authorities that are trying to do this,â she said of the director. For Duckworth, who uses a wheelchair, the visit underscored how little transit authorities make access for people
Lee objects to Democratâs âpoison pill provisionsâ
1886 law prompts Alaska cruises to stop in Canada April 30, 2021 12:48 PM By Lillianna Byington
Efforts to revive cruises to Alaska as the pandemic eases have exposed divisions among U.S. lawmakers, with some favoring a new loophole to an existing requirement and others pushing to overhaul a 135-year-old law they say drives tourism to other countries.
Current U.S. law bars foreign cruise ships from sailing directly from one U.S. port to another, leading operators to stop in Canada. Covid-19 precautions prompted Canada to prohibit cruise ships from navigating and anchoring in their waters.
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