U.S. Congress

OnPolitics: Congressional Democrats are up against the clock

USA TODAY

Surrounded by Democratic House and Senate committee chairs, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., sign the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill during a bill enrollment ceremony on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. The bill now goes to President Joe Biden, who will sign the bill into law Friday.

It's a new week OnPolitics readers, but Congress is still dealing with old problems. We'll get to that below.

Rep. Liz Cheney is back in the news and this time it's not just about her ongoing feud with former President Donald Trump.

Cheney told CBS' 60 Minutes she was "wrong" to oppose same-sex marriage when her objection to it caused a public split with her family, including her sister, Mary, who is a lesbian, and her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney.

"I was wrong. I was wrong. I love my sister very much. I love her family very much," she told reporter Lesley Stahl. "It's a very personal issue and very personal for my family. I believe that my dad was right. And my sister and I have had that conversation."

On the pandemic front: President Joe Biden received his COVID-19 vaccine booster shot on live TV Monday afternoon, days after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention endorsed booster shots for millions of Americans who received their second shot of the Pfizer vaccine at least six months ago.

Prep for the polls: See who is running for president and compare where they stand on key issues in our Voter Guide

It's Mabinty, with the tops news out of Washington.

A tough week for Democrats all around (and the journalists covering them)

Biden and congressional Democrats enter a pivotal week as lawmakers scramble to finalize two of Biden’s legislative priorities and stave off a government shutdown that could be days away.

The House will begin debate Monday on Biden’s $1 trillion collection of roadway and other infrastructure projects. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has scheduled a final vote on the bill for Thursday. Biden and Democrats continue negotiations to resolve internal divisions over a separate $3.5 trillion package of proposals to strengthen the social safety net and climate programs.

But the path to success for each measure is uncertain, leaving a week of unpredictable political maneuvering ahead against the looming threat of a government shutdown Friday and catastrophic default on government debt in October.

That's not all: The Senate is scheduled to vote at 5:30 p.m. EST on whether to begin debate on extending federal government funding to Dec. 3 and to suspend the debt limit until December 2022.

Republicans could block the debate because while they support extending federal funding they contend Democrats should have to raise the debt limit on their own. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has said Republicans won’t help contribute to reckless taxing and spending by Democrats.

Is the U.S. going to go broke? If Republicans block the bill Monday, Democrats would have to find another way to avoid a government shutdown that would begin Friday.

Real quick: Stories you'll want to read

Terrible news out of Texas: A female military service member was assaulted by Afghan evacuees. The FBI is investigating.
Shot against a former boss: Betsy DeVos offers veiled criticism of the GOP's ongoing passion for Trump.
Déjà vu: History shows why moderate Democrats may be hesitant about Biden's agenda as 2022 midterm elections loom.
'You are free, you are home': Haitian migrants to be offered residency and permits by Mexico.
Reclaiming the suburbs: Republicans look to reclaim suburban voters turned off by Trump.

Murders in the U.S. have gone up

It's not pretty news.

The FBI reported a nearly 30% increase in murders in 2020, the largest single-year jump since the bureau began recording crime statistics six decades ago.

The surge in killings drove an overall 5% increase in violent crime last year, according to the FBI's Uniform Crime Report. Violence stalked most major cities, the report found, even as the coronavirus pandemic exacted its own deadly toll across the country.

Not the first time it's been this bad: Although the reported annual increase was dramatic, the total number of homicides last year – 21,570 – did not surpass some stunning totals in the early 1990s, including the nearly 25,000 murders recorded in 1991.

It's Banned Books Week! Here's why so many of those books should NOT be banned. — Mabinty

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