DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

CNN —More than a handful of House Democratic ranking members told House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in a Sunday call that President Joe Biden needs to step aside from the 2024 campaign, according to sources familiar with the call. Democratic Reps. Maxine Waters and Bobby Scott spoke in support of Biden, according to one of the sources. “It was pretty brutal,” a senior Democratic aide told CNN, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the private conversation among House leaders. One senior House Democrat said they have been on calls and group chats with dozens of their colleagues where the consensus is that Biden needs to step aside. One of the members told CNN they anticipate that is the day when the dam will break.

Persons: Hakeem Jeffries, Joe Biden, Jeffries, Biden, Mark Takano, Adam Smith, Jim Himes, Joe Morelle, Jerry Nadler, Susan Wild, Lloyd Doggett, Seth Moulton, Raúl Grijalva, Angie Craig, Mike Quigley, Maxine Waters, Bobby Scott, Kamala Harris, ”, — Organizations: CNN, Democratic, Democrat, House Democrat, Democratic Party Locations: Washington, “, Pennsylvania

☆ Biden's TV interview fails to quell re-election concerns among lawmakers, donors and strategists
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-06 | by ( Rebecca Picciotto | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

President Joe Biden speaks to supporters during a campaign rally at Sherman Middle School on July 05, 2024 in Madison, Wisconsin. On Saturday, House Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., officially called on Biden to bow out of the presidential race. Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Il., made his own announcement during an MSNBC interview Friday, just before the full ABC News 22-minute interview aired. They join a growing choir of Democratic lawmakers, donors and strategists losing faith in Biden's ability to wage a successful campaign against Trump. Earlier this week, former Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., some of Biden's closest allies, publicly validated concerns about Biden's fitness for reelection.

Persons: Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Angie Craig, Biden, Craig, Mike Quigley, Lloyd Doggett, Grijalva, Seth Moulton, David Axelrod, Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Jim Clyburn, Pelosi, Clyburn Organizations: Sherman Middle School, ABC, Democratic, Democrat, Biden, Trump, Reps Locations: Madison , Wisconsin

☆ Jeffries Plans to Meet Virtually With Top House Democrats on Biden’s Path Ahead
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-05 | by ( Annie Karni | More About Annie Karni | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Representative Hakeem Jeffries, Democrat of New York and the minority leader, has scheduled a virtual meeting on Sunday with senior House Democrats to discuss President Biden’s candidacy and the path forward, according to a senior official familiar with the plan. The session, which is to include the ranking members of congressional committees who make up the top echelons of the party in the House, comes at a time of profound worry among Democrats on Capitol Hill about Mr. Biden’s poor performance at last week’s presidential debate. House Democrats have not met as a group since, even as concerns have mounted about Mr. Biden’s viability as a candidate and the impact he could have on his party’s ability to win back control of the chamber and hold the Senate should he remain in the race. Mr. Jeffries has been in listening mode all week, refraining from pressuring Democrats to rally around the president but also encouraging them not to be rash in their public pronouncements as Mr. Biden and his team determine the best path forward. But Democrats have begun to splinter.

Persons: Hakeem Jeffries, Biden’s, Jeffries, Biden, Lloyd Doggett of, Raúl, Seth Moulton of, Mike Quigley Organizations: Democrats, Capitol, — Locations: New York, Lloyd Doggett of Texas, Arizona, Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, Illinois

☆ Biden's first post-debate interview could ultimately decide his fate
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-05 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

In today's big story, we're looking at the mounting pressure President Joe Biden is facing to forgo his reelection campaign . The Clash's 1982 hit could be President Joe Biden's anthem these days as rumors swirl about his reelection bid. Under campaign finance law, the VP is the only candidate who can easily inherit the hundreds of millions of dollars raised by Biden's campaign . Patrick Semansky/AP Photo; BIBiden's first post-debate interview could ultimately decide his fate. In other newsAdvertisementWhat's happening todayA first look at Biden's interview with George Stephanopoulos airs on ABC.

Persons: —, he's, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Win McNamee, Chelsea Jia Feng, Joe Biden's, Biden, Insider's Bryan Metzger, Biden's, Donald Trump, Lloyd Doggett, Raúl Grijalva, Kamala Harris — hasn't, Harris, Patrick Semansky, George Stephanopoulos, Karine Jean, Pierre, CFRA, Berkshire Hathaway, Neil Shearing, Jensen Huang, Justin Sullivan, Rebecca Zisser, Caitlin Clark, Alex Morgan, Hailey Welch, Dan DeFrancesco, Jordan Parker Erb, Hallam Bullock, Amanda Yen Organizations: Service, Labour Party, Business, Democratic, ABC News, New York Times, Trump, Berkshire, Economics, Saks, Saks Global, ABC Locations: New Mexico, Virginia, Biden's, New York, London

☆ Massachusetts Gov. Healey urges Biden to ‘carefully evaluate’ whether he remains Dems best hope to defeat Trump
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-05 | by ( Kit Maher | Michael Williams | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Maura Healey issued a statement Friday urging President Joe Biden to “carefully evaluate” whether he remains the Democratic Party’s best hope to defeat Donald Trump in the 2024 election. “President Biden saved our democracy in 2020 and has done an outstanding job over the last four years. Over the coming days, I urge him to listen to the American people and carefully evaluate whether he remains our best hope to defeat Donald Trump. Those calls were signs of the unsteadiness of Democratic support for their top candidate. His Wednesday meeting with the governors came after some of them expressed frustration with not having heard from the president.

Persons: Maura Healey, Joe Biden, “, Donald Trump, Biden, ” Healy, ” Healey, Healey, Lloyd Doggett of, Raúl, Arizona –, ”, Hakeem Jeffries, Chuck Schumer, Doggett, Grijalva, – he’s, Joe Biden’s, Gavin Newsom, Gretchen Whitmer, ABC’s George Stephanopoulos Organizations: Washington CNN —, Democratic, CNN, Congress – Rep, ” Biden, ”, Michigan Gov, ” CNN Locations: Washington CNN — Massachusetts, ” California, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania

☆ Biden tries but fails to turn back rising tide threatening to swamp his reelection bid
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-04 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

I’m not leaving,” Biden declared to spooked campaign staff on a phone call on Wednesday as he searched for an elusive comeback. And even a far more competent damage control effort than the White House and the Biden campaign have mounted so far would have struggled to erase that impression. On Wednesday for instance, the White House picked up Biden’s line that he was jet lagged after two trips to Europe in early June. And Biden had the Democratic governors to the White House. The White House and the campaign said the reports were false.

Persons: CNN —, Joe Biden, Biden, Donald Trump, “, ” Biden, —, CNN’s MJ Lee, Raúl, The New York Times he’d, Lloyd Doggett, Trump, squandering, Karine Jean, Pierre, ” — Biden, Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, Nancy Pelosi, James Clyburn, Delaware Sen, Chris Coons, Minnesota’s Tim Walz, Wes Moore, Moore, – Gavin Newsom, Joe Biden’s, there’s, Gretchen Whitmer, Kamala Harris, Annie Grayer, Chris LaCivita, Susie Wiles, Joe, Copilot Kamala Harris, ”, — Biden’s, he’ll, Jeff Zeleny, Jamie Raskin, Debbie Dingell Organizations: CNN, White House, Independence, Democratic, White, ABC News, Democratic Party, Trump, Biden, The New York Times, Texas Rep, New York Times, Siena College, South Carolina Rep, House, Michigan Gov, ”, Michigan Locations: Atlanta, Europe, Arizona, Grijalva, Siena, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, California

☆ Raúl Grijalva: Second House Democrat calls on Biden to withdraw from race
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-03 | by ( Owen Dahlkamp | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: 1 min

CNN —Democratic Rep. Raúl Grijalva of Arizona has become the second sitting Democrat in Congress to call on President Joe Biden to drop out of the presidential race, according to an interview with The New York Times. “If he’s the candidate, I’m going to support him, but I think that this is an opportunity to look elsewhere,” Grijalva told the Times. “What he needs to do is shoulder the responsibility for keeping that seat — and part of that responsibility is to get out of this race.”Grijalva joins Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas as just one of two elected Democrats on Capitol Hill to call for Biden to step down from the ticket. CNN has reached out to Grijalva’s office for comment.

Persons: Raúl, Joe Biden, ” Grijalva, Lloyd Doggett, Biden Organizations: CNN — Democratic, The New York Times, Times, Capitol, CNN Locations: Arizona, Texas

The rule issued by the Interior Department's Bureau of Land Management will tighten limits on gas flaring on federal lands and require that energy companies improve methods to detect methane leaks that add to planet-warming greenhouse gas pollution. It also regulates smaller wells that are now required to find and plug methane leaks. Venting and flaring activity from oil and gas production on public lands has significantly increased in recent decades. Interior had previously announced a rule to restrict methane emissions under former President Barack Obama. The climate law includes $1.5 billion in grants and other spending to improve monitoring and data collection of methane emissions, intending to find and repair natural gas leaks.

Persons: —, Biden, Deb Haaland, ”, Jon Goldstein, Tannis Fox, Holly Hopkins, Raul Grijalva, Grijalva, “ I’m, Barack Obama, Donald Trump Organizations: WASHINGTON, Interior Department's, of Land Management, Environmental Protection Agency, United Arab, Environmental, Environmental Defense Fund, Western Environmental Law Center, American Petroleum Institute, Arizona, Natural Resources Committee, Oil, Trump, Obama, Congress Locations: United Arab Emirates, United States

☆ These 105 Democrats declined to vote for a resolution declaring 'anti-Zionism is antisemitism'
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

105 Democrats voted no or "present" on a resolution that declared "anti-Zionism is antisemitism." Advertisement105 House Democrats on Tuesday declined to vote for a resolution condemning antisemitism, pointing to language that equates it with anti-Zionism. Nadler on Monday introduced his own resolution on anti-Semitism, arguing it goes further in mitigating the problem than the Republican-proposed resolution. Rep. Nadler: "The resolution states that all anti-Zionism is antisemitism. Nonetheless, 95 Democrats voted for the resolution anyway, including Rep. Greg Landsman of Ohio, one of more than two dozen Jewish House members.

Persons: Jerry Nadler, —, Nadler, cjTReBocKW, Prem Thakker, David Kustoff, Mark Pocan, Thomas Massie, Rashida, Massie, Greg Landsman, Landsman, Jamaal Bowman, Cori Bush, Gerry Connolly, Raul Grijalva, Pramila, Summer Lee, Alexandria Ocasio, Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, Delia Ramirez, Bonnie Watson Coleman Organizations: Jewish House, Service, Democrats, Democratic, New, Defamation League, Israel, Jewish Voice, Peace, Monday, Republican, Rep, Republicans, House, Republican Rep, Jewish, New York Rep, Missouri Rep, Virginia Rep, Illinois Rep, Arizona Rep, Washington Rep, Pennsylvania Rep, Cortez of New York Rep, Minnesota Rep, Massachusetts, Michigan Rep Locations: New York, Israel, Brooklyn, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Missouri, Virginia, Chuy García, Alexandria, Cortez of, Minnesota, New Jersey

☆ A migrant had just crossed the border when he found a scared, 9-year-old boy who needed help. The encounter changed them both
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Catherine E. Shoichet | Thomas Lake | After Days Of Hiding Authorities | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +23 min

Chris Buchleitner and his mother, Dawn Tomko, went on many camping trips together, like the one shown here. With help on the way, Manuel could have headed on for Tucson or Phoenix. The local fire chief gave him a small stuffed horse, telling Manuel he’d been a hero in the wilderness, like the Lone Ranger. An orphaned boy moves to PennsylvaniaWhen Chris Buchleitner was still a baby, his parents made a plan for the worst-case scenario. Cordova, who now has seven children and four grandchildren, says he thought of his own children when he came across Chris Buchleitner in the Arizona wilderness.

Persons: Chris Buchleitner, van, Chris, He’d, he’d, Manuel Cordova’s, Chris doesn’t, Chris’s, Dawn Tomko, Tanner, Jade, Manuel, Manny, Magdalena de Kino, Saint Francis Xavier, Father Kino, Manuel Jesus Cordova Soberanes, Norma Jean Gargasz, Magdalena, Manuel burrowed, ” Manuel, “, who’d, Manuel Cordova, Jeffry Scott, Chris hadn’t, Manuel he’d, Michael M, Foster, Dennis DeConcini Port, Alma Lidia Soberanes, Cordova, Manuel finally, ” Manuel didn’t, Manuel hadn’t, Jack Buchleitner, —, Jack, Dawn, Mary Butera, Christopher, Mary, Vinny Butera, Austin Steele, don’t, Mexico Manuel, They’d, ”, that’s, Julian Rigg, Emmanuel Macron, Raul Grijalva, he’s, hadn’t, Eythan, they’re Organizations: CNN, Patrol, Border Patrol, Jesuit, Saint, Police, Arizona Daily Star, AP, Ranger, Rico Fire, Dennis, Duquesne University, UPMC, Coopers Rock State Forest, North, Facebook Locations: Arizona, Mexican, Mexico, Tucson, Phoenix, American, Rimrock , Arizona, Magdalena, Sonora, Nogales, Nogales , Arizona, manila, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, UPMC Shadyside, West Virginia, Washington, North, Magdalena’s, Mexicali, United States, France, Emmanuel Macron . Arizona, America

☆ Student-loan borrowers risk losing Social Security benefits if they fall behind on payments. Democrats want to make sure that doesn't happen when repayment starts back up next month.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Student-loan borrowers who miss payments risk having their Social Security benefits garnished. "It's past time Congress protects seniors and the Social Security benefits they have earned with every paycheck." Those Social Security recipients are at risk of seeing around $2,300 in benefits garnished every year if they go into default. On October 1, millions of federal student-loan borrowers will once again be footing an extra monthly bill. "For many, Social Security benefits are the only source of income they can depend on and it's time we restore that certainty for seniors."

Persons: that's, Raúl Grijalva, John Larson, Ron Wyden, Wyden, they're, she's, Grijalva Organizations: Social, Service, Social Security, Center for Retirement Research, Retirement Research, Education Department, eBay, Seniors Locations: Wall, Silicon

Now, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Interior Department should work together to ease the damage, the GAO said. A Customs and Border Protection spokesman said Wednesday that the agency is working on a response to the report. An Interior Department spokeswoman said the agency would have no comment. “The wall saved lives and disrupted the cartel’s ability to improve their operational control of our country’s borders.”Environmental groups said the GAO report confirmed their earlier complaints. They said future repair work could benefit from more involvement by the Interior Department, a lead manager of the federal land where much of the damage occurred.

Persons: Donald Trump, ”, Raul Grijalva, Grijalva, Trump, Mark Morgan, Morgan, Laiken, Michael Dax, Emily Burns, Joe Biden, Damage Organizations: PHOENIX, Government, Office, U.S . Customs, Border Protection, Interior Department, GAO, Customs, U.S, Arizona Democrat, Homeland Security, Forest Service, Border, Heritage Foundation, Center for Biological Diversity, Department of, Wildlands, Sky Islands Alliance, Department of Defense, Kumeyaay Locations: U.S, Mexico, cactuses, Arizona, Texas, Washington, Southwest, California , Arizona, New Mexico, Sonora, California, Rio Grande Valley, Arizona's Sonora, Quitobaquito, Rio Grande

☆ US lawmakers are calling for a Department of Labor investigation into $12B HR startup Deel over its use of independent contractors, citing Insider's investigation
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Rob Price | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Democratic lawmakers are demanding a Department of Labor investigation into HR startup Deel. In March, Insider reported on internal concerns at Deel over its use of independent contractors. A group of Democratic congresspeople led by California representative Adam Schiff are calling for a federal investigation into the $12 billion HR startup Deel for allegedly misclassifying employees as independent contractors. Insider's March 2023 story found the startup, which helps large organizations hire and manage workers around the world, classified at least half of its workers as independent contractors. Deel workers who are hired as independent contractors do not receive certain employment rights that they would otherwise be entitled to if they were full-time employees.

Persons: Adam Schiff, Democratic congresspeople, Julie Su, Deel, Alex Bouaziz, Bouaziz, Schiff, Bill Pascrell, Raúl, André Carson, John Garamendi of, Haley Stevens of, Red Bull, Stephen Padilla Organizations: Department of Labor, Morning, Democratic, Labor, United States Department of Labor, Bloomberg, Insider's, Haley Stevens of Michigan, Nike, state's Labor, Workforce Development Agency Locations: California, Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Spain, Greece, Brazil, Turkey, India, Pakistan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Philippines, Nigeria, New Jersey, Arizona, André Carson of Indiana, John Garamendi of California

☆ The debt-ceiling bill that just passed the Senate eases the way for a new gas pipeline — and for clean energy projects like EV charging and solar panels
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Bartie Scott | Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The debt-ceiling bill includes reforms that aim to speed up construction on energy projects. It also claims a West Virginia pipeline is in the national interest — and pushes through its completion. The reforms in the bill include limiting the environmental permitting process to two years, along with requiring projects to name a single lead agency that would develop one master environmental review document. Now, the permitting reforms included in the deal would force federal agencies to approve all remaining permits for the pipeline and allow it to bypass the courts and fast-track construction. Manchin, who is also the chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, plans to bring more comprehensive legislation to the Senate floor by the end of the summer.

Persons: —, Kevin McCarthy, Raúl Grijalva, polluters, Grijalva, Melanie Stansbury, Stansbury, Sen, Joe Manchin, Tim Kaine, Kaine, Manchin Organizations: Service, Environmental, White, Sunday, Arizona, Natural Resources Committee, NEPA, Natural Resources, Infrastructure Law, Democratic, Senate, Senate Energy Locations: West Virginia, Virginia

The House Rules Committee voted to advance a bill dealing with the federal debt ceiling to the full House. Raising the debt limit, now $31.4 trillion, would allow Treasury to continue borrowing to pay the US's bills. Earlier, he said on "Fox and Friends" that "There's nothing in the bill for" Democrats — hardly a helpful statement for Biden. Top administration officials are heading to Capitol Hill to brief Democrats privately ahead of Wednesday's planned vote. "It is my expectation that House Republicans would keep their promise and deliver at least 150 votes as it relates to an agreement that they themselves negotiated," Jeffries said.

Persons: —, Kevin McCarthy, Joe Biden, McCarthy, Democrats —, Biden, Wednesday's, Hakeem Jeffries, Jeffries, Scott Perry, Chip Roy, Nancy Mace, Pramila Jayapal, it's, Sen, Joe Manchin, Raul Grijalva, Chuck Schumer, McConnell, Schumer, Democratic Sen, Tim Kaine, Virginia, Janet Yellen, Aamer Madhani, Seung Min Kim, Farnoush Amiri, Darlene Superville, Mary Clare Jalonick Organizations: Treasury, Service, WASHINGTON, Republicans, Democrats, Caucus, Republican, Capitol, Fox, Office, Social Security, Democratic, Freedom Caucus, Liberal, Appalachia ., Congressional Progressive Caucus, Democrat, Natural Resources Committee, Senate, Senators, House, Associated Press Locations: Washington, Texas, Appalachia, Arizona, That's

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a candidate for the Republican 2024 presidential nomination, said the deal does not do enough to change the fiscal trajectory. "After this deal, our country will still be careening toward bankruptcy," he said on Fox News. There's no question about that," said Republican Representative Dusty Johnson, who said he had talked to dozens of fellow lawmakers. Some $4 trillion in debt for - at best - a two-year spending freeze and no serious substantive policy reforms," Roy wrote on Twitter. McCarthy has predicted it will draw the support of most of his fellow Republicans, who control the House 222-213.

☆ Republicans speak out against U.S. debt-ceiling deal, in sign of rocky road ahead
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a candidate for the Republican 2024 presidential nomination, said the deal does not do enough to change the fiscal trajectory. "After this deal, our country will still be careening toward bankruptcy," he said on Fox News. There's no question about that," said Republican Representative Dusty Johnson, who said he had talked to dozens of fellow lawmakers. McCarthy has predicted it will draw the support of most of his fellow Republicans, who control the House 222-213. Most of the savings would come by capping spending on domestic programs like housing, border control, scientific research and other forms of "discretionary" spending.

But that copper sits below the federally owned Oak Flat Campground, a place some Apache consider home to deities. The mine would create a crater 2 miles (3 km) wide and 1,000 feet (304 m) deep that would destroy that worship site, which the San Carlos Apache tribe strongly opposes. Some other Apache tribes in the area support Rio's project, but the San Carlos Apache have vowed to block it. Rio said it will continue to try to win the San Carlos Apache's approval. Several courts have ruled against the San Carlos Apache and their allies, which have appealed to the full 9th U.S.

It was the first time in 100 years that the House has not elected a speaker on its first day. McCarthy has refused to give up against the hardliners, who make up less than one-tenth of the House Republican conference. Supporters of McCarthy, who has served as House Republican leader since 2019, accuse some hardliners of conducting a "Never Kevin" campaign aimed solely at stopping him. He may not want it right now, but George Washington did not want to be president," Representative Lauren Boebert told Fox News. Some Republicans warned that continued obstruction could lead them to work with Democrats to elect a moderate Republican as speaker.

Friday’s release of former President Donald Trump’s tax returns from his four years in the White House and two years prior is an important and long overdue public service. It also would have been a warning shot to any future presidents who may want to keep their tax returns private. ), chairman of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, asked the agency for information related to Trump’s tax returns. Ultimately, though, it’s on House Democrats that the Trump tax documents release on Friday were so limited. So they couched their court case as looking into the effectiveness of mandatory IRS audits of tax returns of all sitting presidents.

He voted against the Puerto Rico Status Act on the floor last week, calling for "letting a full and robust legislative process take place." One of the bill’s main negotiators, Rep. Nydia Velázquez, D-N.Y., the first Puerto Rican woman elected to Congress, is confident about more congressional hearings on Puerto Rico's territorial status in the new year. That’s intentional, said Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González-Colón, a Republican nonvoting member of Congress representing Puerto Rico who favors statehood and helped negotiate the Puerto Rico Status Act. What’s next for Puerto Rico’s territorial status? Excluding Puerto Rico’s territorial status also gives Wicker and others pause.

☆ Biden's student-loan forgiveness 'does not go far enough' for seniors and people with disabilities facing 'crippling debt,' a Democratic lawmaker says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A group of Democrats introduced a bill to wipe out student debt for Medicare and Social Security Disability Insurance recipients. Rep. Jamaal Bowman said Biden's broad debt relief "does not go far enough" to help those borrowers. Social Security benefits risk being seized if a borrower falls behind on student debt payments. More than three million Americans over 60 collectively owe more than $86 billion in student loans, per the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Social Security benefits are also at risk of seizure if a borrower defaults on paying their student loans.

The House voted Thursday in favor of the Puerto Rico Status Act, which seeks to resolve the U.S. territory's status and its relationship to the United States through a binding plebiscite. The Puerto Rico Status Act also lays out terms for a November 2023 binding plebiscite including all three nonterritorial status options. Lawmakers from both sides debated the merits of the Puerto Rico Status Act on the House floor Thursday. While Democrats insisted the legislation is a significant step toward Puerto Rico's decolonization, Republicans worried over the economic implications of changing Puerto Rico's status. Venator- Santiago, who has been tracking Puerto Rico legislation in Congress for years, said this is the first time since 2010 that the House votes in favor of legislation dealing with changes to Puerto Rico’s territorial status.

☆ Puerto Rico independence vote bill passes U.S. House
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Moira Warburton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Puerto Rico Status Act outlines terms for a binding referendum on the three options: full independence, U.S. statehood or sovereignty with formal U.S. association, similar to the Marshall Islands and Micronesia. Democratic Representative Raul Grijalva, the bill's original sponsor, said that whether the measure gets a vote in the Senate or not, it will still set "an important historical precedent" for Puerto Rico. The legislation "tells the people in Puerto Rico, our fellow U.S. citizens, that this election is going to be aboveboard and the consequences are going to be aboveboard," Grijalva told a House committee hearing on Wednesday night. Unless the Senate acts on the Puerto Rico bill this month, which is improbable, the legislation will expire. Puerto Rico, which has about 3.3 million people and high rates of poverty, became a U.S. territory in 1898.

Republican leaders had promised voters during the election they would cut the mining permit review timeline in half and boost domestic EV mining, rather than seek more supply overseas. Westerman and other Republicans will be partially stymied by Republicans' failure to wrest control of the U.S. Senate from Democrats. With their newfound control, Republicans could threaten to withhold funding from agencies perceived as taking too long to approve mines. The Resolution project is opposed by Representative Raúl Grijalva, an Arizona Democrat who will relinquish his chairmanship of the House Natural Resources Committee to Westerman. Republicans say that expanding such deals to other countries is not a priority for the new Congress.

Search resuls for: "Raul Grijalva"

25 mentions found