In the News

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) suggested Sunday that he’s fundamentally opposed to a key part of the Democratic agenda: monthly benefits for parents. Since July, the federal government has been sending most parents monthly cash payments, a revolutionary policy that could slash child poverty ― but the payments will stop after December if Congress doesn’t pass a new law to keep them… Read more »

The fate of President Biden’s $3.5 trillion economic agenda hinges on work that’s slated to resume on Capitol Hill this week, as Democrats attempt to overcome their internal divisions and craft what could be the largest spending package in U.S. history. The next few days could prove daunting for top lawmakers in the party tasked with assembling a bill that can satisfy their past… Read more »

Congress will return from its summer recess later this month, and some Democrats are already gearing up for a political fight – with each other. Democratic lawmakers are looking to pass their $3.5tn spending package, after the House and the Senate approved the blueprint for the budget bill last month. The ambitious legislation encompasses much of Joe Biden’s economic agenda,… Read more »

One groundbreaking can look pretty similar to another as it marks the start of a construction project: There are public officials giving speeches, donning hard hats and grabbing shovels to toss some dirt. It’s the stories of individuals, however, those who have been aided by similar projects, that make the case for attention to the start of such work. Among the speakers Monday at the… Read more »

BURLINGTON — U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai toured the Washington State University Bread Lab here Thursday and met with local farmers and tribal leaders at the university’s Mount Vernon Research and Extension Center. In opening remarks to more than 30 farmers, Tai said there’s no substitute for connecting directly with local producers. “Not only do we work for President Biden,… Read more »

The federal government isn’t providing enough financial assistance to Pacific Northwest farmers, who are reeling from the impacts of recent extreme weather events. At least that’s what members of Congress from the Pacific Northwest and beyond wrote in a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Monday, July 26, in which they requested expanded federal aid for the region’s agricultural… Read more »

Thursday, July 15, 2021, could wind up being one of the most important days in the history of American anti-poverty policy. On this day, most parents in the United States began receiving monthly checks of up to $300 per child — no strings attached. What’s technically happening: The child tax credit (CTC), a policy that has existed in some form since 1997, was expanded with the enactment… Read more »

Thursday will be a historic day for American families as we recover from this pandemic. Parents will start receiving monthly payments of up to $300 per child thanks to the expansion of the Child Tax Credit. I know taxes and tax credits can be confusing, but what the Child Tax Credit really is in this situation is cash. Cash that you can use to help raise your family whether that means… Read more »

U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Medina, met with a handful of restaurant owners from the Eastside of King County on July 6 to discuss some of the challenges they currently face as communities transition back to relative normalcy following the pandemic. The restaurant owners reflected on the difficulties they have endured while adapting to keep their businesses afloat within the community as… Read more »

With nearly 70,000 new low-income housing units at stake, local leaders are asking Congress for a big boost in the new national infrastructure plan. One example is the 80 new apartments under construction by the Chief Seattle Club at 2nd and Yesler in Seattle. The focus will be on Native Americans who need housing to get off the streets. Not so long ago they included Jolene Neiss. "It… Read more »