U.S. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., speaks to advocates outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023, about $16 billion in child care funding requested by the Biden administration. (Samantha Dietel/States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON — U.S. House Democratic leaders on Wednesday called on Congress to pass President Joe Biden’s $16 billion supplemental child care funding request.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York and Whip Katherine Clark of Massachusetts gathered with child care activists and other House Democrats at a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol.

Child care providers with the Care Can’t Wait coalition discussed their support for the Biden administration’s supplemental funding request, which has not been acted upon yet in Congress.

The Care Can’t Wait coalition includes organizations such as the Service Employees International Union and Community Change Action.

Community Change Action is a group advocating for “low-income people, especially low-income people of color,” according to the organization’s website. Members of the coalition also spent the day lobbying lawmakers in a call for action on child care funding.

Other Democrats showing support at the press conference included U.S. Reps. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, Suzanne Bonamici of Oregon, Lois Frankel of Florida, Sara Jacobs of California and Joaquin Castro of Texas.

Other funding running out

With pandemic-era American Rescue Plan funds expiring, the White House requested that Congress pass $16 billion in supplemental funds to help continue support for child care providers.

This funding would “support more than 220,000 child care providers across the country that serve a total of more than 10 million kids,” according to a November White House press release.

Jeffries said House Democrats will do “whatever it takes” to support child care providers. He said Democrats will “stand strongly and fight” for “the entire amount of funding.”

“We are going to continue to show up, we are going to continue to stand up, we are going to continue to speak up,” Jeffries said, “until we are able to secure here in the Congress $16 billion in funding necessary to allow the child care system to continue to function in a dignified fashion.”

Clark said that without this supplemental funding, “workers will be laid off, kids will lose their classrooms and parents will have nowhere to turn.”

DeLauro said many families are “accepting lower household income and a lower standard of living in order to stay home and take care of their children.”

Bonamici called for a bipartisan effort to pass the Biden administration’s supplemental child care funding request.

“We must work together and save childcare because care can’t wait,” Bonamici said.

Struggling to afford care

BriTanya Brown, a Community Change Action member and child care provider from Texas, said she struggled to afford child care for her own children.

“I couldn’t afford to put my children in care,” Brown said. “There were no care options available.”

Brown said her limited options for child care are because of a teacher shortage. Many teachers “do not have rising wages to support their own families,” Brown said.

Brown said it is important for children to have “an equal opportunity for the highest education.”

Maria Angelica Vargas, a child care provider from California and SEIU member, said families struggle to get the “affordable child care they need.”

“Let’s make sure families have access to affordable, high quality child care by investing in our child care systems through additional emergency funding,” Vargas said.

The color guard at Hmong Lao Memorial Day, Cadott Veterans Memorial in Cadott, Wisconsin, May 14, 2023. (Photo by Nao Shoua Xiong)

WASHINGTON — Members of Wisconsin’s congressional delegation are leading a bipartisan effort to award the Congressional Gold Medal to Hmong veterans of the Vietnam War.

During the Vietnam War, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency recruited the Hmong people as soldiers to help combat communism’s spread through Southeast Asia. The Hmong, who lived and worked as farmers in Laos amid the rise of the communist Pathet Lao, served in intelligence operations, disrupted the Ho Chi Minh Trail — the North Vietnamese supply route — and rescued U.S. pilots in what is known as the “secret war.”

During and after the war, the Hmong faced tremendous casualties. Hmong soldiers “died at a rate ten times as high as that of American soldiers in Vietnam,” according to a press release from the office of U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican.

Yee Leng Xiong, the executive director of the Hmong American Center in Wausau, Wisconsin, said that when he recently spoke with Hmong elders, they told him that they fear that their communities are only respected for past contributions during the Vietnam War.

Xiong said the elders are afraid that once the remaining Hmong veterans die, “the United States would no longer respect the Hmong community.”

“Many of our Hmong veterans actually don’t know if the United States government actually loves them, or recognizes them or will claim them as their own,” Xiong said.

They want to know that “their commitment, their contribution, meant something,” Xiong said.

He said the Hmong Congressional Gold Medal Act is a “huge step” in recognizing Hmong veterans. The act, introduced in both the House and Senate, would honor the veterans for their service with the highest civilian award bestowed by Congress.

Calling Wisconsin home

Approximately 319,373 Hmong Americans live in the United States and an estimated 54,200 reside in Wisconsin, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2017-2021 American Community Survey. This means that about one-fifth of the nation’s Hmong American population calls Wisconsin home, according to the Census Bureau data.

The 2020 decennial census, unlike the American Community Survey, did not separate the Hmong American population from the Asian American population.

Johnson and U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, a Wisconsin Democrat, are cosponsors of the Senate bill awarding Congressional Gold Medals, which they introduced Nov. 9 alongside Sens. Gary Peters of Michigan, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Thom Tillis of North Carolina.

“I’m happy to lead with Senator Peters to ensure the Hmong people get the recognition they deserve for their dedication to the fight against communism,” Johnson said in a press release. “Wisconsin is proud to be home to so many brave individuals who are dedicated to liberty and freedom and opposed to government tyranny.”

Baldwin said that “we owe” the Hmong veterans for their “service and sacrifice.”

“Wisconsin has a special bond with the Hmong people, and I am proud to honor and recognize their courageous service to our country,” Baldwin said in a statement.

Baldwin has also introduced bipartisan legislation that would recognize Southeast Asian Diasporas’ contributions during the Vietnam War. This includes Hmong communities.

U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman, a Wisconsin Republican, re-introduced the House bill awarding Congressional Gold Medals in March after sponsoring its previous version last year. Wisconsin’s U.S. Reps. Gwen Moore, Tom Tiffany, Bryan Steil, Scott Fitzgerald, Derrick Van Orden and Mark Pocan are among the 49 listed cosponsors.

“The Hmong people fearlessly served in the fight against communism, and they deserve to be recognized for their honorable service,” Tiffany said in a statement. “We are lucky to call many of them neighbors in Wisconsin today, and the Hmong Congressional Gold Medal Act ensures their service and sacrifice is not forgotten.”

Remembering Hmong sacrifices

After the U.S. withdrew from Vietnam in 1973, the Hmong were targeted by the communist regimes of North Vietnam and Laos.

According to the Hmong American Center website, the Hmong “were hunted down, taken to concentration camps, put into hard labor and persecuted. Their villages were sprayed with chemical weapons and bombed with napalm.”

More than 10% — or about 35,000 — of the Hmong population in Laos died, according to the Hmong American Center website.

Forced to flee their homeland, the Hmong took refuge in Thailand before many eventually moved to other nations, including the U.S., according to the Hmong American Center. Today, most Hmong Americans can be found in California, Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Carolina and Michigan.

Xiong of the Hmong American Center said that as of March of this year, there were fewer than 280 Hmong veterans left in Wisconsin, but there have been many veteran deaths since then.

The dwindling number of surviving Hmong veterans, who served about 50 years ago, creates a greater sense of urgency for recognition, Xiong said. He said members of Wisconsin’s Hmong communities are “extremely terrified” that within the next five to 10 years, there will not be any surviving veterans left.

“We want to make sure that they know that they are loved, that they’re respected, and recognized for their contributions,” Xiong said.

Hmong contributions to Wisconsin economy

Xiong said it is important to recognize the ways in which Wisconsin’s Hmong population has economically benefited the state.

In Marathon County — where Wausau is located — many Hmong farm ginseng, an herbal root. Marathon County grows the most ginseng in Wisconsin, Xiong said. Wisconsin is also the largest ginseng producer in the U.S.

The Hmong community in Wausau has also contributed to the growth of local businesses, such as Great Lakes Cheese Company and Marathon Cheese Corporation, Xiong said.

Wausau has one of the largest Hmong American populations in Wisconsin, alongside Milwaukee, La Crosse, Green Bay, Sheboygan, Madison, Eau Claire and others, according to the Hmong American Center.

Wisconsin’s Hmong communities have paid millions of dollars in payroll taxes, Xiong said. Xiong referenced to a report from Marquette University in Milwaukee and said that the Hmong median income surpassed the statewide average household median income.

This is a “true testament of the Hmong community’s tenacity to continue to do better,” Xiong said.

“That shows that the Hmong community, despite the fact that they’ve only been here for 45 years — which is not very long — they were able to continue working on themselves and continue to become contributors to the states here,” Xiong said.

Xiong said that Hmong communities still face many challenges, including fears of lost language and culture.

“The most important component that many of our elders and our veterans are afraid of, is basically loss of language, culture, and also their own history,” Xiong said.

He said the Hmong elders worry that younger generations will not remember the efforts and sacrifices of their veterans.

A need for mental health resources

Many of the Hmong people today also experience generational trauma, Xiong said, and there is a need for greater access to mental health resources.

Xiong said Hmong veterans continue to struggle with mental health issues such as PTSD, but there is a lack of mental health care services available that have the cultural prioritization they need.

Rep. Francesca Hong, who was the first Asian American elected to the Wisconsin Legislature, also said that it is important for Hmong communities to have greater access to “culturally responsive” and appropriate mental health resources.

It is necessary to ensure “that Hmong elders — including our Hmong veterans — don’t feel isolated,” Hong said, and that “they have access to farming, and practices and cultures that remind them, and make them feel as though they can make Wisconsin more their home.”

“I think having more community programs that bring together Hmong elders and Hmong youth, specifically queer youth, to kind of broaden how we can better make inclusive communities, I think that’s really important,” Hong said.

Hong said there must be greater efforts to ensure Wisconsin’s Hmong organizations are properly funded, “because it’s the community that knows best how to serve their communities.”

Hong calls for more action in Congress

Hong said that while the Congressional Gold Medal is a “tremendous honor” for Hmong veterans, veterans have other concerns that must be addressed.

“I think the elder (Hmong) populations that I speak with in Wisconsin, when I speak to their communities, there’s a lot of concern around mental health resources, easier access to getting veteran status on driver’s licenses, and feeling as though that they are more in the community,” Hong said.

Hong said that when members of Wisconsin’s congressional delegation challenge diversity, equity and inclusion programs, as well as measures to tackle anti-Asian hate, “that impacts our Hmong communities directly.”

While Hong did not mention any specific examples of Wisconsin members of Congress challenging measures to combat anti-Asian hate, Tiffany was the only U.S. representative from Wisconsin to vote against the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act in 2021. The law aimed to address the rise in violence against Asian Americans during the pandemic.

Hong said it is important for Wisconsin’s elected officials to recognize “that our communities deserve to be in places where diversity is celebrated and not weaponized.”

“I think there is a lot more they can do to be champions of diversity, and recognizing that we should be radically welcoming of our Hmong communities regardless of veteran status or not,” Hong said.

U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a Washington Democrat and the chair of the Progressive Caucus, speaks at a press event, joining about 100 tenant advocates to call on the Federal Housing Finance Agency to bolster tenant protections and rent regulations on Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023. (Samantha Dietel/States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a Washington state Democrat, joined about 100 tenant advocates at a press event outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday to demand action on the housing crisis.

Jayapal, who chairs the Congressional Progressive Caucus, called on the Federal Housing Finance Agency to bolster tenant protections and rent regulations. The People’s Action Homes Guarantee campaign brought tenant advocates to Washington, D.C. for the event.

These advocates live in properties receiving financial assistance from the federal government, or have experience with rent hikes or evictions, according to a People’s Action press release.

Jayapal listed steps the FHFA should take in order to keep people in their homes. Jayapal said the FHFA should implement “anti-rent-gouging protections” to prevent “egregious rent hikes.”

She also said the FHFA should create “good cause” eviction standards and sources of income protections to prevent tenants from being “unfairly evicted.” The FHFA should also establish requirements for habitability to ensure that homes are livable for their tenants, she said.

She also called on the FHFA to ensure that multifamily housing is “safe and affordable.”

“These are steps that will help protect millions of working families,” Jayapal said.

She said landlords who “price-gouge and discriminate against our most vulnerable tenants” must be held accountable.

Jayapal said that when she returns to her district, which includes most of Seattle, she hears from constituents “every single day” that “the rent is too damn high.”

“The housing crisis is out of control, no matter where you live in the country,” she said.

This housing crisis keeps families in a “cycle of poverty,” Jayapal said.

“Addressing the cost of rent is an economic justice issue, a social justice issue and a racial justice issue,” Jayapal said.

Attempts to reduce homelessness

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development reported that over 25,000 people experienced homelessness in Jayapal’s home state of Washington last year.

Jayapal re-introduced legislation alongside Democratic Rep. Grace Meng of New York in March that would provide over $300 billion for housing infrastructure in an effort to reduce homelessness in the U.S. The bill would also designate $27 billion per year for homelessness services.

The pair of lawmakers had previously introduced the same legislation, called the “Housing is a Human Right Act of 2023,” in June 2021.

Also in 2021, Jayapal co-sponsored legislation that would have canceled rent and home mortgage payments during the pandemic. The bill aimed to “constitute a full payment forgiveness, with no accumulation of debt for renters or homeowners and no negative impact on their credit rating or rental history,” according to a press release from Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar’s office.

Tenant advocates

Two tenant advocates associated with the Homes Guarantee Campaign gave emotional testimonials about their challenges amid the housing crisis and demanded federal action.

Iris Espada, who is from Holyoke, Massachusetts, said she lives in a low income housing complex.

“Every month I make decisions between paying for groceries, my phone, my light bills,” Espada said. “I am struggling. It is very painful.”

She said she has been “homeless and on the street with three kids,” and has frequently been evicted.

Demetrius Mosley, a tenant from Louisville, Kentucky, spoke about his struggle to keep a stable family life amid rent increases.

Mosley said that when he and his family first moved to a trailer park in 2021, rent was $885. His rent has since increased to $1,200, he said.

Mosley said he could no longer afford to feed his four children, so he had to send them away to live with family in Florida.

“I was at the mercy of the landlords,” Mosley said. He choked up as he said, “But now it’s cost me the thing that I love the most in the world: my family.”

He said he feels “angry, defeated” and “frustrated.”

“As a father, I feel like I’ve failed my family,” Mosley said.

Mosley said he was terminated from his job when he asked for the time off to travel to Washington, D.C. for the press event. He is now unemployed, he said.

“I couldn’t afford the rent already when I was working,” Mosley said. “But now I just don’t know.”

An earlier version of this report misspelled the name of Iris Espada.

Sen. Markwayne Mullin, an Oklahoma Republican, is shown holding a printout of the social media post that led him to challenge the head of the Teamsters union to a physical fight at a U.S. Senate hearing Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023. (U.S. House webcast screenshot)

WASHINGTON — Sen. Markwayne Mullin, an Oklahoma Republican, challenged the head of the Teamsters union to a physical fight at a U.S. Senate hearing Tuesday intended to showcase how labor unions are making families’ lives better.

The tense confrontation at the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing stemmed from acrimonious posts on social media, as well as a confrontation between the two at an earlier Senate hearing.

Tuesday’s episode started after Mullin read aloud one of Teamsters chief Sean O’Brien’s posts on X, formerly known as Twitter. In the post, O’Brien had called Mullin a “greedy CEO who pretends like he’s self made.”

O’Brien, general president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, ended the post by writing, “You know where to find me. Anyplace, Anytime cowboy.”

“So this is a time, this is a place,” said Mullin, who has a mixed martial arts background, to O’Brien, seated at a witness table in front of him. “You want to run your mouth, we can be two consenting adults. We can finish it here.”

“OK, that’s fine,” O’Brien said. “Perfect.”

“You want to do it now?” Mullin asked.

“I’d love to do it right now,” O’Brien said.

“Well, stand your butt up, then,” Mullin said.

“You stand your butt up,” O’Brien said.

Both men rose to their feet. Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders, an 82-year-old Vermont independent, intervened, and called for them to sit down.

“You’re a United States senator,” Sanders told Mullin. “This is a hearing. God knows the American people have enough contempt for Congress, let’s not make it worse.”

For Mullin’s remaining time asking questions of O’Brien and other witnesses, the two continued to throw verbal insults at each other. Sanders pounded his gavel and shouted over them in attempts to shut down the heated exchange.

“We’re not here to talk about fights or anything else,” Sanders said.

Mullin and O’Brien also had a tense moment at a previous committee hearing back in March. In another post on X,? O’Brien told Mullin, “Sounds like you need to shut your mouth & get to work for the people of your state.”

UAW strike

Another main witness at the hearing, titled “Standing Up Against Corporate Greed: How Unions are Improving the Lives of Working Families,” was Shawn Fain, president of the United Auto Workers.

The union reached tentative agreements at the end of October with the “Big Three” automakers — Ford Motor Co., Stellantis and General Motors. The strike began in Detroit in mid-September, but expanded to more than 20 other states.

“The working class needs this committee and the entire Congress to step up,” Fain said. “You all have an essential role to play, not only supporting our fights and other fights like ours, but to finish the job for economic and social justice for the entire working class.”

Fain spoke about the success of the UAW’s strike and the ripple effect it has had. He referenced that auto companies Honda, Toyota and Hyundai have raised wages since the UAW agreements.

“In less than seven weeks, we won justice for our members and other workers,” Fain said.

Fain said the UAW’s efforts helped significantly raise wages for over 100,000 workers, improve retirement security, secure jobs and ensure workers have “a just transition” to making electric vehicles.

This transition would allow autoworkers to “flow” into a new job of making batteries for electric vehicles, Fain said.

Legislative efforts

Sanders, who supported the UAW’s strike, highlighted his legislation — the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, otherwise known as the PRO Act — as a means to make organization easier for American workers.

Ranking member Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican, said the PRO Act faces opposition from his party.

U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, a Wisconsin Democrat, said she is working on legislation that would require the Federal Trade Commission to additionally “consider the impact of mergers on workers.”

“The workers are the ones who bear the brunt of the quote-unquote ‘efficiencies’ found after a consolidation,” Baldwin said.

Protecting the right to unionize

Labor organizers called for more action by Congress to help U.S. workers.

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters is a labor union with members across diverse occupations. The largest employer in the Teamsters union is UPS, which reached a collective bargaining agreement earlier this year. This agreement raised wages and improved workplace conditions for UPS workers.

“We need our elected officials to do more and do what’s right,” O’Brien told senators.

Sara Nelson, the president of the Association of Flight Attendants-Communication Workers of America, said labor unions are “necessary for a stable economy, our safety, our security and our democracy.”

Republican witnesses included Diana Furchtgott Roth, the director of the Center for Energy, Climate, and Environment and the Herbert and Joyce Morgan Fellow in Energy and Environmental Policy at the Heritage Foundation, and Sean Higgins, a research fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute in Arlington, Virginia.

The Heritage Foundation and the Competitive Enterprise Institute are both conservative think tanks.

Higgins said the increased wages as a result of union strikes could increase inflation.

In response, Fain later said the idea that raising wages negatively impacts the economy is rooted in “fearmongering.” Fain said when unions bargain for a contract that includes higher wages, the opposition often believes “the world’s going to end because working class people make a livable wage, and it’s going to drive the price of vehicles up.”

Sen. Robert P. Casey Jr., a Pennsylvania Democrat, said a worker’s right to unionize “is under threat.”

“Every day of the week, that right is under threat across the country,” Casey said. “That right to organize is essential to building an economy that works for all Americans.”

Leaders of the congressional Bipartisan Women’s Caucus organized a press conference on Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023, to highlight prevention and treatment of breast cancer. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Speaking is Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Fla., and standing to her left is breast cancer survivor Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla. (Samantha Dietel/States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON — Members of Congress shared their experiences and called for bipartisan legislative action Thursday in recognition of October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Leaders of the congressional Bipartisan Women’s Caucus organized a press conference to highlight prevention and treatment of breast cancer.

“Each one of us here today are tributes to our friends, our loved ones, our family members who have fought and some that have survived, and unfortunately some have not,” said U.S. Rep. Kat Cammack, a Florida Republican and co-chair of the women’s caucus.

Cammack said that during the pandemic, many women postponed or canceled preventive screenings for breast cancer, which has now created a backlog of patients seeking care.

She encouraged women everywhere to get screened for breast cancer, as early detection is “critical.”

In the U.S., breast cancer is the second-most-common cancer among women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“The average risk of a woman in the United States developing breast cancer sometime in her lifetime, which we’re seeing earlier and earlier, younger and younger — it’s about 13%, or 1 in 8,” Cammack said.

Rep. Deborah Wasserman Schultz, a Florida Democrat and breast cancer survivor, also said that early detection “is the key to survival.”

She said that if she had not been aware enough to practice a self-examination and recognize that “something felt different,” she potentially “would not be standing in front of you today.”

‘A bipartisan path’

The representatives widely advocated for bipartisanship in their search for solutions to combat breast cancer.

U.S. Rep. Emilia Sykes, an Ohio Democrat and vice chair of the women’s caucus, said it is important “to find a bipartisan path.”

“This is not a red issue,” said Rep. Monica De La Cruz, a Texas Republican and vice chair of the women’s caucus. “It’s not a blue issue. This is a red, white and blue issue for all American women.”

De La Cruz said representatives must “come together and support each other in this cause for bringing awareness, supporting research and diagnosis, and supporting the family of those women who are suffering from breast cancer.”

Prevention, treatment and recovery

Sykes said it is necessary to increase access to quality, affordable care, affordable prevention, early detection and treatment options.

Rep. Maxine Waters, a California Democrat, said that “too many women of color in particular” are dying because they are not aware of opportunities to have early breast cancer detection.

Sykes said Black women are more than 40% more likely to die from breast cancer than white women.

“And these incredible obstacles that prevent us from getting the screening, and the preventative care and the treatment are abysmal, startling and just plain wrong,” Sykes said.

Sykes referenced her support for the Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act. This bill would help improve accessibility for early detection cancer screenings.

Wasserman Schultz re-introduced legislation in March that would also improve accessibility to cancer screenings. Under the Reducing Hereditary Cancer Act, genetic testing would also be covered under Medicare.

Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, an Iowa Republican, co-sponsored that legislation.

“We want to make sure that women know that there is prevention, that there is treatment, and that there is recovery,” said Miller-Meeks, who lost her aunt and sister to breast cancer.

Miller-Meeks, who is an ophthalmologist, also noted her service as the director of the Iowa Department of Public Health. She said there have been a number of advancements in prevention, treatment and recovery.

“All of our portfolio that we have to treat breast cancer has dramatically changed … and that includes genetic testing as well,” Miller-Meeks said.

In terms of recovery, Miller-Meeks said possible avenues for women may include breast reconstruction or other devices.

She said there is legislation in Congress “on all of those issues.”

Cammack said the representatives are “united in the fight against breast cancer.”

“This truly is an epidemic that we need to confront head on,” Cammack said.

A disusssion on preventing gun violence included, from left to right: Democratic Lieutentant Governors Association Executive Director Kevin Holst, Everytown for Gun Safety Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Monisha Henley, Maryland Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller, Former NFL player and gun safety activist Brandon Short, Vermont Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman, Rhode Island Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos. (Samantha Dietel/States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON — Six lieutenant governors from across the country joined gun violence prevention advocates to share their stories and offer solutions at a policy discussion event Tuesday.

The Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association hosted the gun violence prevention policy summit, which was the first event of its kind. The DLGA partnered with the gun violence prevention advocacy groups Everytown for Gun Safety, March for Our Lives and Giffords, as well as the labor union American Federation of Teachers, for the event.

Many of the speakers were survivors of gun violence themselves, and shared their stories throughout the panels, which prioritized different angles on the topic of gun violence.

The six lieutenant governors in attendance included Garlin Gilchrist of Michigan, Austin Davis of Pennsylvania, Peggy Flanagan of Minnesota, Aruna Miller of Maryland, Sabina Matos of Rhode Island and David Zuckerman of Vermont.

Kevin Holst, DLGA executive director, moderated the event’s three panels.

The first panel focused on justice for victims of gun violence and holding the firearms industry accountable for its role in perpetuating gun violence, while the second panel highlighted ways to help youth to feel safe in their communities, including at school. The third panel concluded the event by focusing on “disarming” hate.

The panelists discussed policy solutions at the local, state and federal levels. Some called for federal actions such as the tightening of background checks and a national ban on assault weapons.

More broadly, panelists said tackling a variety of issues, such as poverty, access to quality education and more are necessary steps to preventing gun violence.

Gilchrist said gun violence is an issue that “confronts literally every American.”

“There’s not an American you can talk to who does not have some direct connection to the issue of gun violence and doesn’t have an interest in having fewer people die in gun-related deaths,” Gilchrist said.

Guns and democracy

Holst guided the event’s first panel to dissect what he called “the nexus of guns and democracy.”

Speakers at the first panel included Gilchrist, Giffords Law Center Chief Counsel and Vice President Adam Skaggs, Oregon Treasurer Tobias Read and Jessie Ojeda, a guns and democracy attorney fellow at Giffords Law Center.

Gilchrist said that “in the face of this loud and dangerous minority of people who frankly believe more in guns than they do in voting,” it is important to show voters that “this system can be strengthened to be more robust.”

Ojeda said she had two “core” policy suggestions for state legislatures to pass.

First, she called on states to prohibit the open and concealed carrying of guns at or near polling places. She said that 12 states have these types of policies in place.

Her second recommendation was for states to expand anti-intimidation laws to acknowledge firearms.

“No state currently has a law that expressly recognizes the inherent intimidation of firearms at polling places,” Ojeda said.

Gilchrist talked about his experience on April 30, 2020, when armed protestors entered the Michigan State Capitol calling for an end to the state’s COVID-19 safer-at-home order.

He said that at the time, the Michigan Capitol was one of two state capitol buildings in the country that allowed people to bring firearms into the building. That has since changed, he said.

“We still see people sort of bumping up against that policy,” Gilchrist said.

Gilchrist described seeing people line up — with guns — along both sides of the sidewalk on his usual path into the Capitol building.

Holding the firearm industry accountable

Gilchrist, who highlighted his state’s recent passage of background checks and storage laws, said there “absolutely needs to be accountability” for those who make, manufacture, market and distribute firearms.

Skaggs said the “irresponsible marketing and advertising” of specific gun companies have promoted white supremacist and extremist logos.

“We have gun companies that are kind of appealing to the lowest common denominator, if you want to think of it that way,” Skaggs said.

Skaggs said that because governments are “significant consumers” in the firearm industry, governments should then look at their suppliers. Those suppliers may then, in turn, “hold themselves to higher standards,” Skaggs said.

“I think passing these kinds of laws that open up the courthouse doors to litigation on behalf of victims of gun violence, on behalf of communities that have high rates of gun violence, that really has the opportunity to transform the way the industry behaves,” Skaggs said, “and the standards to which the industry holds itself, and to which we as communities and as a nation hold them to those standards.”

Ojeda said gun companies often target children and young adults in their marketing, and drew a comparison to how tobacco companies have similarly targeted that demographic. This youth-targeted marketing of firearms is unregulated, Ojeda said.

Youth safety

The event’s second panel highlighted survivors of gun violence, including Teachers Unify to End Gun Violence executive director and co-founder Abbey Clements.

“Gun violence lives in classrooms across the country,” said Clements, who is a teacher and survivor of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012 in Newtown, Connecticut. A gunman entered the school and killed 26 people — 20 students and six adults.

Clements said there is a “love” and “deep connection” between herself and her students who also survived.

“They’re heartbroken, really, with our generation,” Clements said.

Clements raised concerns about how lockdown drills in schools inflict further trauma upon students. She said drills need to be “trauma-informed.”

Davis said that when he was a kid, he had a defining experience with gun violence. There was a shooting outside his home, where he was with his mom.

“I remember the look on her face, and how terrified she was,” Davis said. “And I think that was the first time where she felt like she couldn’t protect us from what were outside forces.”

The impact of gun violence on his community inspired him to get involved with activism.

“As I’ve traveled my entire career, I’ve seen that same look in the face of mothers and community members’ eyes all across Pennsylvania, and really all across this country,” Davis said. “That same feeling of hopelessness, that same feeling of being trapped in a community.”

Davis said that in order to curb gun violence, there need to be greater investments in community-based programs and “attack the root causes of poverty.”

This means investing in education systems and workforce development programs, Davis said.

“We’re only going to tackle this if we take on all those things and take over a comprehensive approach to prevention,” Davis said.

Flanagan said it is important to invest in mental health care for students both inside and outside of school. She said it is also important for schools to have the financial support they need to hire and keep mental health professionals.

Flanagan said her state of Minnesota has spent “hundreds of millions of dollars” on projects based in “communities of color and Indigenous communities.” She said this money was used to create infrastructure for mental health and wellness centers, community organizations and an Olympic-sized swimming pool in Minneapolis to give people opportunities.

“These things matter and it’s also part of how we tackle gun violence prevention by making sure there are robust places in communities, created by communities themselves, to create these spaces where people feel seen, heard and valued, and protected,” Flanagan said.

March for Our Lives board Chair Tre Bosley, who lost his brother to gun violence in 2006, said the government needs to take a “holistic approach to gun violence in Black and brown communities.”

Bosley said violence prevention “looks different” in his community in Chicago. He said his organization took a group of kids “who had never been off their block” to downtown Chicago.

“That’s not gonna be covered by certain policies, certain grants, but that is violence prevention,” Bosley said. “I’m showing them the different side of the city they live in that they would never experience, to make them look at life differently.”

Removing guns

During the third and final panel of the event, panelists discussed the banning of assault weapons, the intersection of domestic violence and gun violence, as well as the repealing of “Stand Your Ground” laws.

This panel included Miller, Matos, Zuckerman and Monisha Henley, the senior vice president of government affairs of Everytown for Gun Safety. Brandon Short, a gun safety activist and former NFL player, also sat on the panel.

Short, who played for the New York Giants and Carolina Panthers, turned to activism after his pregnant daughter was shot and killed by her partner.

Homicide is the leading cause of death among pregnant women, and these deaths are often attributed to firearms, Short said.

Short said there are currently 28 states in which a convicted domestic abuser can own a firearm.

“I don’t think that there should be a state in our union where you should be able to have a firearm and be convicted for hurting a woman,” Short said.

Matos highlighted a law in her state that allows judges to have guns taken away from individuals convicted of domestic violence. She said to other policymakers in the room that if they implement a similar policy, they should make sure this process is automatic. Otherwise, domestic violence survivors may have to request for this to happen.

Henley and Short said that “Stand Your Ground” laws need to be repealed. These laws often allow people to shoot or kill someone when they feel threatened, but this is often difficult to prove, Short said.

Henley said that once gun violence prevention policies are passed, leaders have to do more to “bring stakeholders together” and have public service announcements so that people can know and understand these new laws.

“The last piece is to have a reporting mechanism,” Henley said. “So really understanding how it’s working, so that if you need to do adjustments, you need to learn from it, all those things are existing together.”

U.S. House Republicans were meeting Monday night to hear from their latest candidates for speaker. Shown is the U.S. Capitol at night. (Bill Dickinson/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON –– The eight Republican candidates to be speaker of the U.S. House were set to make their cases to their colleagues Monday evening, as the House Republican Conference restarted its process to choose a candidate.

Nine had filed on Sunday to run for speaker but on Monday night Pennsylvania Rep. Dan Meuser dropped out, after announcing just the day before he would make a bid for the post. Meuser cited his promise to run former President Donald Trump’s campaign in Pennsylvania as one of the reasons he exited the race.

The chamber has been in turmoil since eight Republicans voted with all House Democrats to remove Speaker Kevin McCarthy from the post last month. The conference has been unable to unite behind a single candidate.

After Monday night’s speeches, the conference was expected to hold a vote or likely multiple votes behind closed doors Tuesday to try to settle on a nominee, then bring that nominee to the floor.

With the exception of Minnesota’s Tom Emmer, the House majority whip, the group is not particularly well known outside of their districts.

Six of the eight voted to object to certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election, in line with Trump’s position.

With Republicans holding only a 221-212 majority, any would-be speaker will need near-unanimous support from Republicans —?a tall order for a deeply divided conference largely still loyal to the former president, but with some members in vulnerable seats.

“It’s a nearly impossible task,” Peter Loge, a professor at the School of Media and Public Affairs at George Washington University, told States Newsroom. “Because you have to be as conservative and angry and election-denying as Matt Gaetz, but as reasonable and a believer in compromise and democratic institutions as the New York moderates. And you can’t be both at the same time.”

In hopes that Republicans will rally around whoever the party nominates this time, Rep. Mike Flood of Nebraska introduced a “unity pledge” for members to sign. As of Monday afternoon, eight of the nine original candidates — all but Gary Palmer of Alabama — have signed the pledge, according to Flood’s office.

“Everyone running for Speaker should sign this,” Michigan Republican Jack Bergman, one of the contenders, wrote on X.

Loge said the field can be divided into long-term members with institutionalist tendencies —?Emmer and Texas’ Pete Sessions, for example — and newer members such as Florida’s Byron Donalds, who are more in line with the conference’s anti-establishment wing.

The next speaker will immediately face a challenge in passing spending bills or a short-term funding measure to keep the government open past a Nov. 17 deadline, as well as an aid package to Israel and Ukraine amid ongoing wars and a farm bill reauthorization.

States Newsroom put together the guide below to help readers get to know the candidates:

Jack Bergman of Michigan

First elected in 2016, Bergman is a retired U.S. Marine Corps lieutenant general. He sits on the Armed Services, Veterans’ Affairs and Budget committees.

He’s said his priorities as speaker would include funding the government, especially the military, homeland security and aid to foreign allies.

In announcing his candidacy, Bergman suggested he would stay in the position only through the end of the current Congress,

“We need a leader who shuns permanent power and recognizes the current crisis of leadership,” he said.

How he’s voted:

• Certifying the 2020 election: No
• Sept. 30 continuing resolution to keep government open: Yes
• Sept. 28 Ukraine aid bill: Yes

Who’s supporting him: Other members of Michigan’s House GOP delegation. They are John James, John Moolenaar, Tim Walberg and Lisa McClain.

Byron Donalds of Florida

A member of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus, Donalds is a favorite of the Trump wing of the party. He voted against certifying the 2020 election and has said as recently as July that President Joe Biden is not legitimate.

First elected in 2020, Donalds, 44, is the youngest to join the field and has been in the House for the shortest time.

He has said his priorities would be to improve border security and “responsibly” pass funding bills.

He sits on the Financial Services Committee. Before coming to Congress, he worked in the finance industry.

The only non-white Republican candidate for speaker, Donalds would be the first Black speaker.

How he’s voted:

• Certifying the 2020 election: No
• Sept. 30 continuing resolution to keep government open: Did not vote
• Sept. 28 Ukraine aid bill: No

Who’s supporting him: fellow Florida Republicans Carlos Gimenez, Mario Diaz-Balart and Mike Waltz.

Tom Emmer of Minnesota

Currently the No. 3 House Republican, Emmer is considered by some the frontrunner for the top spot and has McCarthy’s endorsement.

In an appearance on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” on Sunday, McCarthy praised Emmer’s experience as part of his leadership team.

“He sets himself, head and shoulders, above all those others who want to run,” McCarthy said.

Emmer also developed relationships across the conference when he chaired the House Republican campaign operation in the 2020 and 2022 cycles.

Emmer is one of only two candidates for speaker who voted consistently to certify the 2020 election results. That could make his path harder with the most fervent Trump supporters in the House GOP.

Emmer posted a video of Trump on Monday saying that he had “always gotten along” with Emmer and saying he would stay out of the speaker race. Emmer wrote that as speaker he would continue their “strong working relationship.”

He won his House seat in 2014 following an unsuccessful run for Minnesota governor.

In his letter to colleagues announcing his candidacy, Emmer highlighted national debt and spending, national security and border security as major issues.

How he’s voted:

• Certifying the 2020 election: Yes
• Sept. 30 continuing resolution to keep government open: Yes
• Sept. 28 Ukraine aid bill: Yes

Who’s supporting him: McCarthy.

Kevin Hern of Oklahoma

The chair of the conservative House Republican Study Committee, Hern could seek support from budget hawks.

The Institute for Legislative Analysis, a limited-government group, gave Hern the highest marks of any candidate for fiscal and tax issues.

Hern has not been shy about his leadership aspirations. He publicly weighed a run for speaker shortly after McCarthy stepped down, but opted not to join that race. He has said he at one time dreamed of being an astronaut.

In a letter to colleagues, Hern said Congress has not run well for decades, citing the number of unauthorized programs and a lack of regular order for spending bills. He also listed illegal immigration and drug overdose deaths as problems that Congress should address.

Hern won a special election for his House seat in 2018. Hern owns several McDonald’s franchises in Oklahoma.

How he’s voted:

• Certifying the 2020 election: No
• Sept. 30 continuing resolution to keep government open: No
• Sept. 28 Ukraine aid bill: No

Mike Johnson of Louisiana

As the vice chairman of the House Republican Conference, Johnson is something of an establishment candidate. He’s also a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee, which Rep. Jim Jordan, the conference’s previous nominee, chairs.

But Johnson also has conservative bonafides, having previously chaired the House Republican Study Committee.

In his letter to colleagues asking for support, Johnson highlighted the national debt, border security, crime and inflation as major issues.

An attorney, Johnson was on Trump’s defense team for the former president’s Senate impeachment trials in 2019 and 2020.

How he’s voted:

• Certifying the 2020 election: No
• Sept. 30 continuing resolution to keep government open: No
• Sept. 28 Ukraine aid bill: No

Gary Palmer of Alabama

Palmer called for GOP unity in his speaker candidacy announcement.

“There is a distinct difference between our vision for a prosperous and strong America and the vision of the Democrats that has done so much harm,” Palmer said in his statement on X.

Palmer said he “decided to step forward” as a candidate “to do what I can to put our differences behind us and unite Republicans behind a clear path forward, so we can do our job for the benefit of the American people.”

His statement also cited the concerns American families have about the cost of living, child safety, crime in urban areas, fentanyl, federal bankruptcy and national security.

Palmer was first elected to the House in 2014.

Palmer serves as the chairman of the House Republican Policy Committee. He also sits on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, as well as the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability.

He led the Alabama Policy Institute for 24 years before joining Congress. The Alabama Policy Institute is a conservative think tank with core values surrounding free markets, limited government and “strong families,” according to the organization’s website.

How he’s voted:

• Certifying the 2020 election: No
• Sept. 30 continuing resolution to keep government open: No
• Sept. 28 Ukraine aid bill: No

Austin Scott of Georgia

Scott received 81 votes when he ran for speaker earlier this month against Jordan, an Ohio Republican.

“If we are going to be the majority we need to act like the majority, and that means we have to do the right things the right way,” Scott said in his announcement Friday that he will run again for speaker of the House following Jordan’s withdrawal.

He is one of only two members to vote consistently to certify the 2020 presidential election.

Scott has been a House member since 2011.

Scott sits on the House Armed Services Committee and the Agriculture Committee. He chairs the House Agriculture Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities, Risk Management and Credit.

How he’s voted:

• Certifying the 2020 election: Yes
• Sept. 30 continuing resolution to keep government open: Yes
• Sept. 28 Ukraine aid bill: Yes

Pete Sessions of Texas

Sessions has been in Congress the longest of any of the candidates.

Sessions was initially elected to represent the eastern Dallas district in 1999 and continued to serve until he lost to Rep. Colin Allred in 2018. Sessions was then reelected in 2020, this time to represent the district surrounding Waco.

He chaired the National Republican Congressional Committee from 2009 to 2012. Republicans regained control of the House in 2010. He also chaired the House Rules Committee from 2013 to 2019.

Sessions voted against the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act last year, as well as the codification of same-sex marriage.

In 2019, Sessions was caught in a scandal when he was referred to in an indictment of two men charged with violating campaign finance rules.

How he’s voted:

• Certifying the 2020 election: No
• Sept. 30 continuing resolution to keep government open: Yes
• Sept. 28 Ukraine aid bill: Yes

Ashley Murray contributed to this report.

Parents-to-be from Haiti stand at a gap in the U.S.-Mexico border wall after having traveled from South America to the United States on Dec. 10, 2021 in Yuma, Arizona. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON — The effects of immigration and crime on national parks took center stage Wednesday during a U.S. House hearing led by Republicans.

Members of the U.S. House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations discussed trash accumulation, the destruction of wildlife habitats and the illegal marijuana growing operations tied to cartels as environmental consequences of migrants coming onto park lands. Republican members also expressed concerns about the placement of asylum seekers’ camps on national park land.

House Natural Resources Committee ranking member Raúl Grijalva, an Arizona Democrat, said it’s part of a humanitarian crisis.

Michael Reynolds, the National Park Service deputy director, and Chris French, the National Forest System deputy chief at the U.S. Forest Service, testified about how their agencies collaborate with U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

French said that while the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is primarily responsible for protecting the nation’s borders, the U.S. Forest Service’s “stewardship and law enforcement responsibilities are vital to assisting the border patrol with effectively defending national security, responding to terrorist threats, safeguarding human life and stopping the degradation of natural and cultural resources on National Forest System lands.”

The three other testifying witnesses were Julie Axelrod, the director of litigation at the Center for Immigration Studies, a non-profit that seeks to limit immigration into the U.S.; John Nores, a retired lieutenant with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and former Marijuana Enforcement Team leader at the agency; and Verlon M. Jose, the chairman of the Tohono O’odham Nation in Sells, Arizona.

Representatives and witnesses frequently referenced migrant camps at the National Park Service Gateway National Recreation Area’s Floyd Bennett Field, an airfield in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.

The city?entered?lease agreements in September with the National Park Service to create emergency housing for migrants at the airfield. New York City Mayor Eric Adams said the city has been forced to look for new options with thousands of asylum seekers arriving in the city and no federal plan for their housing.

The House Natural Resources Committee released a?statement?in September, in which Chairman Bruce Westerman, an Arkansas Republican, condemned the placement of migrant camps in national parks.

“The (Biden) administration has now set a terrible precedent to use our public lands across the country to house migrants,” Westerman said at the hearing.

Westerman asked Reynolds if he could “assure concerned Americans that their national parks will not be used to house any additional migrants.”

“I can assure you that we will review everything for legal basis, and conservation protection is job one,” Reynolds said.

Westerman said the building of migrant shelters on National Park Service land is not his “vision” for how the parks should be used, nor does he think many Americans consider that to be the purpose of these parks.

“These areas face challenges that unfortunately are becoming increasingly familiar across the United States, from piles of trash to concerns about human trafficking,” Westerman said.

Humanitarian crisis and local intervention

CBP has?reported?more than 6 million encounters at the U.S. southern border since 2020.

“The unprecedented number of refugees and asylum seekers that are coming to the border is a reality,” Grijalva said. “It is a humanitarian crisis and needs to be dealt with.”

Grijalva said it is important to have a supplemental spending bill that can provide adequate resources “for the management of that crisis.”

“It is not right, nor is it proper, that local communities bear the burden financially and otherwise, for the processing, shelter and transition of those seeking refuge and asylum in this country,” Grijalva said.

Westerman said 35% of the land along the U.S. Southern border is Native American land.

Jose, whose tribal nation shares a 62-mile border with Mexico, said the Tohono O’odham Nation spends about $3 million each year “to help meet the U.S. border security responsibilities.”

The Tohono O’odham Nation police force spends more than a third of its time working on border issues, “including the investigation of immigrant deaths, illegal drug seizures and human smuggling,” Jose said.

The types of border security measures implemented on the Nation’s lands include:

• A High Intensity Drug Trafficking Task Force.
• An Immigration and Customs Enforcement office and Customs and Border Protection forward operating bases.
• An ICE tactical patrol unit called the “Shadow Wolves.”
• Vehicle barriers “that run the entire length of the Tribal border and a patrol road that parallels it.”
• A CBP checkpoint on the Nation’s major highway.
• A surveillance tower system.

“The Nation shares the federal government’s concerns about border security, and we believe that the measures we have taken to assist CBP and our own law enforcement efforts are necessary to protect the Nation’s members specifically and the United States generally,” Jose said.

Trash and drugs on federal lands

Republican members said they were concerned about trash accumulation at the border.

Rep. Juan Ciscomani, an Arizona Republican who is not a member of the committee, joined the hearing to speak with the witnesses. Ciscomani’s congressional district sits along the U.S.-Mexico border and contains areas of federal land.

Ciscomani asked French for statistics on the amount of trash picked up on national forest lands along the Southern U.S. border.

French said he was not “not entirely sure,” and that his agency did not have specific data on the amount of trash picked up this year compared to previous years. He said about 40,000 individuals were apprehended on National Forest System lands so far this year.

“What I can tell you is that this has been a continuous problem,” French said.

Subcommittee Chairman Paul Gosar, an Arizona Republican, asked French about the illegal marijuana growing sites operating on national forests. The Republican committee members said these growing sites are linked to international cartels.

French said that in the previous five years, the USFS has remediated 336 grow sites, and removed about 350 miles of irrigation pipes. About 300,000 pounds of trash have been removed from the grow sites. French said that toxic and banned substances have also been removed.

Nores, who co-founded the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Marijuana Enforcement Team, said in the team’s first five years, it “destroyed 3 million toxically tainted cannabis plans” and about 29 tons of “toxically tainted processed cannabis for sale and distribution.”

Nores said the team also made nearly 1,000 felony arrests.

Nores raised concerns about black market cannabis operations “not only on public lands, but on rural private land as well.”

Tohono O’odham Nation border wall concerns

Jose said his community has concerns about the?construction of the border wall, which he said is ineffective in the desert Southwest.

He said the border wall has damaged sacred tribal areas, including the destruction of human burial sites, and has affected cultural practices.

“The Nation wholeheartedly agrees with GAO that the federal agencies must do a better job coordinating with each other and with the Nation on a strategy to mitigate the harm that a wall has caused,” Jose said.

The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday discussed national regulations for policies on name, image and likeness use for college athletes.(Getty photos)

WASHINGTON — College athletic officials testified Tuesday in support of nationally standardized name, image and likeness regulations at a U.S. Senate hearing.

The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing to discuss policies governing name, image and likeness, known as NIL, in college sports. The witnesses in attendance — such as National Collegiate Athletic Association President Charlie Baker and Big Ten Conference Commissioner Tony Petitti — called for a unified NIL law to swiftly address inconsistencies in state laws, as well as protect the health and wellbeing of student athletes.

NIL rules in some states generally allow high school or college athletes to make money based on their own name, image and likeness, or personal branding. Through NIL, student-athletes can profit from autographs, merchandise, affiliations and other means.

The witnesses also said they do not want student athletes to be considered employees, as they said this could create a myriad of problems for athletic programs and the athletes themselves.

“We want to partner with Congress to further curtail inducements and prevent collectives and other third parties from tampering with students,” Baker said.

Baker said the NCAA “is moving bylaws forward to improve outcomes for student athletes because they deserve to profit from NIL.”

“We are concerned that management of college athletics is shifting away from universities to collectives,” Petitti said.

The five other witnesses included decorated University of Florida gymnast Trinity Thomas, University of Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick, National College Players Association executive director Ramogi Huma, Saint Joseph’s University athletic director Jill Bodensteiner and Grove Collective executive director Walker Jones. The Grove Collective is exclusively a University of Mississippi NIL program.

NCAA policy

The NCAA adopted its interim NIL policy in 2021. This policy provides the following guidelines:

• “Individuals can engage in NIL activities that are consistent with the law of the state where the school is located.”
• “College athletes who attend a school in a state without an NIL law can engage in this type of activity without violating NCAA rules related to their name, image and likeness.”
• “Individuals can use a professional services provider for NIL activities.”
• “Student-athletes should report NIL activities consistent with state law or school and conference requirements to their school.”

“Between the (transfer) portal and NIL, college football is in absolute chaos,” said ranking member Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican.

The NCAA transfer portal is a database where student athletes can declare their intentions to transfer to another school.

Graham referenced how University of Utah football players recently received Dodge Ram pickup trucks through an NIL deal.

“We’re heading down the road here of a bidding war,” Graham said.

Disadvantages and confusion for students

NIL laws currently exist in 32 states, which results in inconsistent rules for student athletes to juggle.

Thomas, who profits from NIL, said this lack of uniformity often leaves students confused.

These laws also place some students at a disadvantage, depending on where they go to school, she said. The best path forward, Thomas said, would be a national policy “that applies to all athletes from every sport at every school.”

“This will create equal opportunity for all student athletes to benefit from NIL,” Thomas said. “It will create a uniform standard to ensure we’re all playing by the same rules and eliminate confusion and unfair advantages.”

Proposed federal NIL legislation

Many members of Congress have already proposed legislation that would create a national NIL standard, including Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, who chaired the committee in Illinois Democrat Dick Durbin’s absence.

Blumenthal, alongside New Jersey Democrat Cory Booker and Kansas Republican Jerry Moran, introduced a discussion draft of a bill in July that would set national NIL standards. The draft also aimed to create a Medical Trust Fund for student athletes.

Blumenthal said it is important to set a “strong national standard” and to “make sure it is enforceable.”

Blumenthal referenced that in his legislation, he proposed a separate corporation that would serve as a “central oversight entity that would set, administer, and enforce rules and standards to protect athletes who enter into endorsement contracts,” according to a Booker press release.

Sen. Joe Manchin III, a West Virginia Democrat, appeared at the end of the hearing to talk about legislation that he introduced with Sen. Tommy Tuberville, an Alabama Republican, in July. The bill, called the “Protecting Athletes, Schools and Sports (PASS) Act of 2023,” would establish a consistent national NIL standard, as well as further protect the rights of athletes and schools.

“Our legislation with Senator Manchin will set basic rules nationwide, protect our student-athletes, and keep NIL activities from ending college sports as we know it,” Tuberville, a former football coach at Auburn University, said in a Manchin press release.

In the press release, Baker endorsed the PASS Act on behalf of the NCAA.

Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, also discussed his own discussion draft of a bill that he introduced in August. His bill would codify NIL rights for student-athletes with a national standard.

Cruz, who said he was “very worried about the state of college athletics,” warned that if Congress “doesn’t act and act quickly,” there could be “enormous damage.”

Sen. John Kennedy, a Louisiana Republican, told Baker that he “may regret asking Congress to intervene here.”

“All of a sudden, you’re going to be micromanaged,” Kennedy said.

Employee status

Many of the witnesses said they were concerned about how employee status could affect college athletic programs or students.

Bodensteiner said international students would also be unable to compete if there was a transition to employee status.

Graham asked Baker what would happen to Division II schools if student athletes were labeled as employees. The NCAA Division II includes schools with smaller, lesser-funded athletic programs than those in Division I.

“I think it’s pretty clear that Division II and Division III schools would get out of the interscholastic collegiate sports business,” Baker said.

Swarbrick said preventing student athletes from being considered employees protects their ability to be admitted and to learn under the same standards as other students.

“If this committee and Commerce Committee doesn’t act in about a year, this thing is going to be an absolute mess, and you’re going to destroy college athletics as we know it,” Graham said.

Sports fall under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.

Transparency in college sports

Baker repeatedly called for greater transparency in college athletics. For example, Baker said there are no publicly available numbers regarding NIL participation.

“Nobody knows what’s going on,” Baker said.

“So the first thing we really need to have more than anything, is some form of transparency around what people are actually getting,” Baker said.

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, speaks to reporters as House Republicans hold a caucus meeting at the Longworth House Office Building on Oct. 13, 2023 in Washington, D.C. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans on Friday put forward their second nominee this week for speaker, though lawmakers departed Capitol Hill for the weekend without unifying enough to hold a floor vote and with a highly uncertain outcome when they return.

Ohio Republican Rep. Jim Jordan won the conference nomination in a closed meeting, defeating Georgia’s Austin Scott, who announced his bid shortly before the meeting began.

But Jordan is at least 50 votes shy of being able to win the speaker’s gavel during a floor vote and Republicans said they weren’t entirely sure he could secure the votes. That raises the strong possibility they will hit the two-week mark on Tuesday lacking a functional U.S. House of Representatives.

House Democrats also blasted Jordan as an extremist on Friday evening, pointing out he refused to certify the 2020 election results and linking him to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Jordan, a founder of the far-right House Freedom Caucus and the aggressive chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, has been backed by former President Donald Trump in his campaign for speaker; Jordan has said he had nothing to do with the Capitol insurrection.

Scott said following the second ballot that he has endorsed Jordan for speaker and that his fellow Republicans should accept the process is to now back Jordan on the floor.

“This is not about Jim Jordan. It’s not about Steve Scalise. It’s not about Austin Scott,” he said, referring to himself in the third person and to Rep. Steve Scalise, the first nominee picked by Republicans earlier in the week. “This is about the United States of America and having a speaker in the House.”

Scott, who was publicly a candidate for speaker for less than four hours, said his frustration was not with Jordan, but with the people who refused to vote for Scalise after Republicans nominated him on Wednesday.?

Scott launched his campaign against Jordan to have an “an honest debate about different issues and things that needed to be sorted out.”

“I didn’t have prep time, or a whip list, or make phone calls asking for support,” Scott said. “I never even told the Georgia delegation I was running, because I didn’t have time. I was also trying to get in touch with my wife.”

Scott eventually did talk with his wife and she replied “go for it,” he said.

Jordan vs. Scott

House Republicans voted first whether to nominate Jordan or Scott, a 124-84 vote.

After Jordan won the nomination, a second ballot asked Republicans if they would support him on the floor. That ballot came back with 152 yes votes and 55 no votes, according to Florida Rep. Kat Cammack. The victor will need 217 votes on the floor.

Jordan plans to work through the weekend to get the votes he needs to become speaker, but Cammack conceded the process could devolve into exactly what happened with Scalise this week.

“The fact remains that you have got a very, very thin margin,” Cammack said. “And he’s going to have to basically get all of those (no votes), including some of those people who swore up and down that they never would support him. So they have to really get into those weeds.”

The House returns at 6 p.m. Eastern on Monday, though no votes have been scheduled.

Turmoil as Scalise drops out

The speaker nomination vote came just two days after the party elected Louisiana’s Scalise as their nominee. But he withdrew Thursday evening after failing to get? commitments for the 217 votes needed to win a floor vote.

“I did not recommend that Steve Scalise dropped out of the race. I think there were tactics that he could have used to get there,” said Rep. Dusty Johnson of South Dakota.

“But listen, I respect Steve Scalise. His decision, he felt like remaining in the race was more likely to divide the conference than to unify it right now,” Johnson said. “I would tell you, Jim Jordan has the best chance to unify this conference of any other leader we’ve got.”

Johnson delivered the nomination speech for Jordan on Friday.

“Jim Jordan is gonna give us the best opportunity to get things done during the 118th Congress. This is an unruly bunch,” Johnson said.

Rep. Frank Lucas of Oklahoma nominated Scott.

Florida Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart, who opposes Jordan, said it’s not personal, but he questions whether Jordan can get his supporters to follow him on legislative deals if he couldn’t get them to back Scalise when he was the speaker nominee.

“He supported Scalise and yet the folks that are his closest group, he couldn’t get them to follow him,” Díaz-Balart said.

“This is not trying to figure out how to negotiate appropriation bills, how to deal with the debt limit, how to deal with national security issues,” Díaz-Balart said. “This is, frankly, I hate to say this, kind of the simplest thing we do.”

“And if you can’t get your own people to follow you on a very simple thing like this then I think you have an issue of leadership,” Díaz-Balart added.

Díaz-Balart also said he thinks Jordan has a numbers problem and likely cannot get the backing he needs to win on the floor.

“My issue here is very simple,” Díaz-Balart said. “I think it’s a very difficult math equation for him to overcome. I think he clearly deserves the opportunity to try to figure out how we can move forward. And let’s see where that goes.”

No speaker since Oct. 3

The House has been without a speaker for nearly two weeks after eight House Republicans and Democrats voted to remove California Rep. Kevin McCarthy from office.

Internal disagreements about the direction of the House Republican Conference and years of personal grievances have prevented the group from unifying around a candidate since then.

Scalise called together his fellow lawmakers twice on Thursday, once to try to coalesce everyone around him as their nominee and a second time to bow out of the race.

House Republicans again gathered behind closed doors Friday morning to debate whether they should change their internal party rules to require a speaker nominee to, in a closed conference meeting, garner the 217 votes needed to win on the floor before holding a vote in full view of the American people.

They once again decided to keep party rules as they are, requiring a simple majority of the conference to vote for a nominee for speaker.

They broke for lunch and then huddled again Friday afternoon to hear from Jordan, who lost to Scalise in conference earlier this week, and Scott.

Until Republicans elect a speaker, the House will remain at a standstill with five weeks until a mid-November funding deadline and as war rages in Israel and Ukraine.

Jordan’s background

Jordan, 59, was a member of the Ohio House of Representatives from 1995 to 2000 before moving to the state’s Senate from 2001 to 2006. He was sworn in as a member of Congress in 2007.

He is chair of the Judiciary Committee and is one of the party’s leading critics of the Biden administration and Democrats in general. But he would need to step aside as chairman if elected speaker.

Scott, 53, was a member of the Georgia House of Representatives from 1997 to 2010 before being sworn in as a member of Congress in 2011.

Scott is a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, House Armed Services Committee and House Committee on Agriculture.

With the Republican stalemate dragging on, several members of the party have begun discussing voting to give Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry of North Carolina the authority to bring up bills and resolutions on the floor.

The role of speaker pro tem, established after 9/11 to ensure continuity of government, has been broadly debated by experts and lawmakers since McCarthy? was removed as speaker.

Some have argued that the speaker pro tem should have more authority than McHenry has been exercising, while a House procedure expert said during an interview Thursday the role was meant to be limited to a caretaker for the institution who facilitates the election of the next speaker.

Vote next week?

Rep. Kevin Hern of Oklahoma said Jordan still has several members to convince before taking the vote to the floor.

“When you can only lose four and you’ve got 55 saying no, that’s big,” Hern said. “(Jordan’s) asked everybody to come forward over the next few days. And right now it looks like we’re gonna be adjourned and vote on Tuesday.”

Nebraska Rep. Don Bacon said “a bipartisan path is going to be the only way out.”

McCarthy, when asked if he was concerned about the current attendance problem, said he was “worried about the small majority.”

“You see how eight can partner with all the Democrats and cause all sorts of chaos,” McCarthy said.

Florida’s Anna Paulina Luna said Republicans shouldn’t be going home for the weekend.

“We should not be leaving town. We have no speaker, we should not be out,” she said.

When asked why the Republicans decided to return home for the weekend, Johnson said “There are lots of concerns about attendance. I think you just get a lot of funerals and weddings scheduled on Saturday. This is a human element.”

Democrats blast Jordan, call for moderates to join them

Late Friday afternoon, just as Republicans were exiting their meeting, House Democratic leaders rallied against Jordan and urged Republicans to take a bipartisan path.

Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, Katherine Clark of Massachusetts and Pete Aguilar of California tied Jordan to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and called him unfit for leadership.

“The House Republican civil war continues to rage on, miring the Congress in chaos, dysfunction and extremism,” Jeffries said. “House Republicans have chosen to triple down.”

“House Republicans have selected as their nominee to be speaker of the people’s House the chairman of the chaos caucus, a defender in a dangerous way of dysfunction and extremist extraordinaire.”

Jordan, a close ally of former President Donald Trump who voted against certifying the 2020 presidential election results, represents a dangerous element of the Republican Party, Clark said.

House Republicans who voted for Jordan for speaker were “siding with an insurrectionist against our democracy,” she said.

The Democratic leaders didn’t explicitly call for Republicans to support their candidate for speaker, Jeffries, but said moderate Republicans should work with them on the issues facing the chamber.

“Traditional Republicans can break away from the extremism, partner with Democrats on an enlightened, bipartisan path forward so we can end the recklessness and get back to work doing the business of the American people,” Jeffries said, a theme he’s voiced repeatedly all week.

Jacob Fischler contributed to this report.?

Louisiana’s Steve Scalise and Ohio’s Jim Jordan jump into race for U.S. House speaker

WASHINGTON — Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana and Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio announced Wednesday they will seek the U.S. House speaker’s gavel after Kevin McCarthy’s unprecedented ouster brought the lower chamber into uncharted territory.

Eight dissident Republicans joined Democrats to unseat McCarthy Tuesday, leaving a vacuum of GOP leadership and bringing an abrupt halt to chamber business, including negotiating long-term government spending.

McCarthy ally Patrick McHenry, of North Carolina, is currently filling the role as speaker pro tempore. McCarthy said Tuesday night that he would not try to regain the post.

Scalise and Jordan both issued letters to party colleagues making the case that they can unite the conference and shepherd conservative priorities, including border security and possibly resizing Ukraine funding, into policy.

“I know the coming weeks ahead will be some of the most arduous times we will face together, but this Conference is worth fighting for — we cannot lose sight of our shared mission,” Scalise, who represents Louisiana’s 1st District, wrote.

“Now, more than ever, we must mend the deep wounds that exist within our Conference and focus on our objectives so we can get back to work for the millions of people who are counting on us. It is with that sense of responsibility and purpose that I am seeking the Conference’s nomination for Speaker of the House.”

Scalise, who often wears a mask, announced in August that he had been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a blood cancer, after undergoing tests. He said he would continue to serve in the House while undergoing treatment. His diagnosis came six years after he survived a near-fatal shooting at an Alexandria, Virginia, park while practicing for the annual Congressional Baseball Game.

The two Republicans met Wednesday morning and into the afternoon behind closed doors with the Texas delegation, one of the largest in the House, to discuss a path forward. They exited at separate times, and it was unclear if they were ever in the room simultaneously.

Jordan, who chairs the House Committee on the Judiciary and is helping lead the GOP impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, appealed to members of the majority, writing that they “must continue to address the issues that matter to the American people,” including crime and tackling the deficit.

“The problems we face are challenging, but they are not insurmountable. We can focus on the changes that improve the country and unite us in offering real solutions. But no matter what we do, we must do it together as a conference. I respectfully ask for your support for Speaker of the House of Representatives,” Jordan, who represents the state’s 4th District, wrote.

Among those who threw their support behind Jordan on Wednesday were Reps. Mark Green of Tennessee, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Mike Carey of Ohio, Jim Banks of Indiana, Darrell Issa of California and Mary Miller of Illinois.

Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota declared his support for Scalise Wednesday and also announced a run for majority leader.

The far-right’s leverage

Republicans hold a slim majority in the House, which allowed just a handful of far-right conservatives to create conditions for easily removing the speaker.

McCarthy’s rocky path to the speakership in January took multiple rounds of voting as more than a dozen far-right conservatives blocked him during a four-day stalemate.

The California Republican won on the 15th ballot after making several concessions to the ultra-conservative wing of his party, including? changing rules to allow one member to file a motion to vacate the speakership — essentially calling for a no-confidence vote on the speaker.

Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida was the one to do so Tuesday, carving the beginnings of an unknown path in the House and interrupting any progress House Republicans were hoping to make on appropriations with just over 40 days until temporary funding expires.

Gaetz excoriated McCarthy for striking a deal with Democrats Saturday to keep the government funded until Nov. 17.

In the hallway outside of the Texas delegation meeting, Jordan told reporters that if elected speaker he would work against including Ukraine military and humanitarian assistance in long-term funding.

“I’m against that. What I understand is, at some point we’re going to have to deal with this appropriation process in the right way. We’re going to try to do that in the next 41 days. The most pressing issue on Americans’ minds is not Ukraine. It is the border situation and it’s crime on the streets, and everybody knows that. So let’s address those,” he said.

Upon exiting the Texas delegation, Scalise told the press that he believes the rest of the conference has “strong passions” about securing the border and fighting for struggling families.

“I’ve been just listening to a lot of members, and I had a lot of really good conversations about how we keep focusing on the things we need to do to get our country back on track. And I think most of our members are in that same place,” he said.

Speculation and a Senate rebuke

Speculation swirled in the Capitol hallways Wednesday that Oklahoma’s Kevin Hern or Florida’s Byron Donalds may be eyeing the gavel. Neither officially declared a run as of Wednesday afternoon.

“You’ll be the first to know,” Hern told reporters Wednesday outside of the Texas delegation meeting.

At least one House aide told States Newsroom that their office received a call from Hern asking for support.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky praised McCarthy at the Senate GOP weekly press conference.

“I think he has much to be proud of. We avoided a government shutdown. We did the inevitable with regard to the debt ceiling, and I’m one person who is extremely grateful for his service,” McConnell said.

“I have no advice to give House Republicans except one: I hope whoever the next speaker gets rid of the motion to vacate. I think it makes the speaker’s job impossible,” he said.

Kevin Kirby operates a tractor to begin the sweet potato harvest process by plowing them up from the field on Kirby Farms in Mechanicsville, Virginia, on Sep. 20, 2013. Kirby is a fourth-generation farmer. A U.S. Senate hearing on Sept. 27, 2023 examined foreign ownership of U.S. farmland. (USDA photo by Lance Cheung.)

Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., speaks at a press conference on her bill aimed at improving the lives of restaurant workers, on Sept. 19, 2023, outside the U.S. Capitol. (Samantha Dietel/States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, a Michigan Democrat, re-introduced legislation Tuesday aimed at improving the lives of U.S. restaurant workers.

The “Restaurant Workers Bill of Rights” would raise wages and improve work conditions for restaurant staff. Tlaib, who also pushed this legislation last year, held a press conference Tuesday alongside U.S. House colleagues and restaurant workers who shared their stories.

The bill is backed by Restaurant Opportunities Centers (ROC) United, a non-profit organization working to improve the lives and rights of restaurant employees. It is the largest and oldest restaurant worker-led organization in the country.
ROC United members carried signs and cheered in support of protected rights for restaurant workers at the press event outside the U.S. Capitol.

According to a press release, Tlaib’s bill lists the following rights for restaurant employees:

• “A thriving wage,” which includes raising the tipped minimum wage.
• “The right to healing and rest, including requiring paid family and medical leave.”
• “The right to a safe and dignified work environment, including enforceable federal workplace protections.”
• “The right to universal health care and bodily autonomy, including ensuring that all Americans have equal access to comprehensive, quality and affordable health care.”
• “The right to democracy in their workplace, including protecting workers’ right to organize without fear of retaliation, and transparency around wages, tips and policies.”

The pandemic and afterward

There are over 12 million restaurant workers in the country, Tlaib said, who are an integral part of the economy. Many of these workers were disproportionately affected during the pandemic.

“Even as restaurant workers came back to work, it became clearer than ever, if anything at all, that workers living paycheck to paycheck needed to stop,” Tlaib said, “and that there (were) systematic issues that are impacting the lives of our restaurant workers every single day, the majority of whom are women, people of color and immigrants.”

U.S. Rep. Troy Carter, a Louisiana Democrat who joined Tlaib at the press event, said that restaurant workers “make the ultimate sacrifice of serving.”

“COVID showed us that when we were desperate to eat, and there were very few places to go, our restaurant operators, our restaurant workers, were there,” Carter said. “They stepped up.”

Many of these workers had to come to work even if they were not feeling well themselves, Carter said.

“Shouldn’t they be cared for?” Carter said. “Shouldn’t they be given an opportunity to get rest? Shouldn’t they be given the opportunity to earn a wage commensurate with the incredible work that they’re doing? Of course, the answer is yes.”

Tipped minimum wage

Tlaib’s bill, which likely won’t advance in the Republican-controlled House, would raise the tipped minimum wage. Under it, federal law would require restaurant workers to be paid the full minimum wage, with tips received on top of that wage.

Many states allow restaurant owners to pay their employees $2.13 per hour before tips. Congress has not raised this wage since 1991.

“$2.13 isn’t a living wage, it’s a starvation wage,” Tlaib said.

Carter told audience members to ask themselves if they would work in an industry for that long without a pay increase.

“It’s time that we give our restaurant workers the support and the backing they need so that they can lead fulfilling lives,” said U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez, an Illinois Democrat supporting the bill.

Toxic work environments

The legislation also aims to improve the working environments of restaurant employees, who often report toxicity and sexual harassment in the workplace.

“So many, especially women, have come up to me and talked to me about those toxic work environments,” Tlaib said.

The bill outlines that restaurant workers should have access to housing and child care, as well as universal health care.

“You deserve to rest,” Tlaib said to the restaurant workers gathered behind her.

Lisa Baptiste, a ROC United member and New York City restaurant worker, shared her experiences as an immigrant worker from the Caribbean. She said because she was undocumented, her only option was to work at a restaurant when she first moved to the U.S.

She was never provided with paid sick or family leave benefits, Baptiste said.

“As a mother of three, one with special needs, finding someone who was capable, trustworthy and affordable to take care of my son was extremely difficult,” Baptiste said.

She said she often had to leave work early or miss work in order to take care of her son, whom she said many caretakers struggled with. She said she could not afford the experienced caregiver that her son needed.

“As a restaurant worker, life has been difficult,” Baptiste said. “It has been challenging in many, many ways. Having to pick and choose what bills to pay because the weekly income is unable to pay all.”

Baptiste said she wants restaurant worker wages to increase, as well as see workers receive the “healing and the rest that we deserve, including child support and paid sick and family leave.”

Carter said he and his colleagues will “fight to make sure that this (legislation) gets over the goalposts.”

“We will fight to make sure that this gets to the president’s desk,” he said.

U.S. Sen. Patty Murray of Washington speaks at a press conference on child care funding outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023. (Samantha Dietel/States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON — Congressional Democrats introduced a bill Wednesday to extend funding for five years for a pandemic-era child care subsidy program set to expire at the end of the month.

The legislation would extend the child care stabilization grant program, which Congress established in 2021 to help child care providers meet additional costs during the pandemic. The bill would provide $16 billion in mandatory funding each year for the next five years.

Congress initially provided $24 billion for the program as part of Democrats’ massive COVID-19 relief bill in 2021.

Sen. Patty Murray, a Washington Democrat and the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, joined by congressional colleagues, child care providers and advocates, called on Congress to act before this “lifeline” is cut off Sept. 30, noting its economy-wide impact.

“When I say we need to act more urgently before things get worse — I don’t just mean parents are going to feel the pain, or child care workers are going to feel the pain,” Murray said. “I mean, the entire U.S. economy is going to feel this.”

If this child care funding ends, child care providers may raise costs or not be able to continue serving families, Murray said, and parents may also be forced to leave their jobs to take care of their kids.

Too many people are forced to choose between their careers and caring for their children, Rep. Bobby Scott, a Virginia Democrat and ranking member on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, said.

The bill attracted 35 co-sponsors in the Senate and 78 in the House. All the co-sponsors are Democrats except U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent who caucuses with the party.

“Over 3 million kids will be in danger of losing quality child care they have today” if Congress does not take action, Sanders, the chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said. “Over 230,000 child care workers will be in danger of losing their jobs and over 70,000 child care facilities all over America will likely be shut down.”

Sanders said the country’s workforce crisis would only be worsened if child care relief is cut off.

U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat, said about 80,000 children could lose child care spots in Virginia, while nearly 2,800 early childhood education workers could see layoffs.

“We know if child care is accessible and it’s affordable, parents and our children survive,” U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the leading Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, said. “So we need to keep up those investments to help parents. That is what our obligation is in this time of difficulty and struggling for people in the economy.”

Without a strong child care industry, the economy will “cease to function,” DeLauro said.

Cynthia Davis, the founder and CEO of Kings and Queens Childcare Center in Washington, D.C., spoke at the press conference to explain how her business could be affected by a loss of funding.

Davis said that if relief runs out at the end of the month, her business could see layoffs, increased rates or have to “drop out of the public child care program and start serving private families only.” Or her doors could close permanently, she said.

“This will devastate low-income and single-parent households and parents experiencing homelessness who hope to enroll their children in my program,” Davis said. “All children, no matter their family’s income level, deserve an equal chance at the start of their lives.”

U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill, a Democrat from New Jersey, recalled her experiences as a mother searching for affordable child care for her now-17-year-old daughter.

“I can remember it like it was yesterday,” Sherrill said. “That horrible feeling as I tried to find a place that I was comfortable leaving my baby girl and also could afford. And there were times when I paid my entire paycheck towards affording that quality child care.”

This is an issue that disproportionately affects women, said U.S. Rep. Jimmy Gomez, a California Democrat.

U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman, a New York Democrat and former middle school principal, said it is important to recognize the impact of quality child care on the individual lives of children. Without access to quality child care, he said, “children are more likely to be exposed to toxic stress and chronic trauma,” which can affect their brain development.

A disproportionate number of children with trauma are then placed in special education classes, as well as “being caught up in something we call the school-to-prison pipeline,” Bowman said.

“We do not and will not have a healthy democracy, a healthy society, and a healthy human race without investing in child care,” Bowman said.

“Gender Queer,” a graphic memoir by Maia Kobabe, was the most challenged book in America in 2022, according to the American Library Association. (Photo by New Jersey Monitor)

WASHINGTON — U.S. senators at a committee hearing Tuesday discussed the consequences of book bans and parents’ desire to control what their kids read — though they also acknowledged it’s not an issue for Congress to settle.

The Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimony about book bans, focusing on how censorship limits liberty and literature. The hearing occurred amid an increase in book challenges across the nation.

Democrats’ witnesses included Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias; Emily Knox, an associate professor at the University of Illinois and board president at the National Coalition Against Censorship; and Cameron Samuels, a Brandeis University student and co-founder of Students Engaged in Advancing Texas. SEAT is a nonprofit organization with a mission to increase “youth visibility in policymaking,” according to its website.

Max Eden, a research fellow at the conservative-leaning American Enterprise Institute and Nicole Neily, president at Parents Defending Education, testified as minority witnesses. Parents Defending Education is a conservative nonprofit organization “fighting indoctrination in the classroom,” according to its website.

PEN America reported that many recent book challenges have happened in Texas, Missouri, Utah, Florida and South Carolina.

The American Library Association reported in April that last year, 2,571 books were targeted for censorship, which is a 38% increase from the 1,858 books challenged in 2021. Most of these targeted books “were written by or about members of the LGBTQIA+ community or by and about Black people, indigenous people and people of color,” according to the report.

In his testimony, Giannoulias said the following American classics were challenged last year:

• George Orwell’s “1984”
• Mark Twain’s “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”
• J.D. Salinger’s “The Catcher in the Rye”
• Alice Walker’s “The Color Purple”
• Khaled Hosseini’s “The Kite Runner”
• John Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men”
• Maya Angelou’s “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”

Senate role in book bans?

Multiple U.S. senators said the federal government is limited in its ability to address or restrict book banning.

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, the ranking minority member and a South Carolina Republican, said parents should advocate for their children and that it is not his role as a senator to have control over book bans.

“What is our role here?” Graham said. “What am I supposed to do? Am I supposed to take over every school board in the country and veto their decisions about what books go into public schools?”

U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, a Democrat from New Jersey, said he agreed with Graham that he didn’t “see much Congress can do.” Booker said there will not be federal laws addressing book bans, but it is still important to discuss these issues.

“In a diverse democracy, it is so necessary that we know each other, that we see each other, that we understand each other,” Booker said. “That’s what makes us stronger.”

Booker asked Knox if giving people a “sanitized version of American history” is dangerous. Knox said “absolutely,” and that “we gain nothing by not telling children the truth of genocide, slavery and Jim Crow.”

“It may be painful, but it is still the truth,” Knox said. “It must be said.”

Parental control debate

Giannoulias, who helped Illinois to become the first state to outlaw book banning, said libraries in Illinois are not eligible for state-funded grants if they ban books.

He said that banning books limits the nation’s marketplace of ideas and prevents children from gaining new perspectives.

“We will be banning knowledge, culture, empathy, understanding, and diverse and differing worldviews,” Giannoulias said.

Giannoulias said one parent with a certain worldview should not be allowed to determine what books should be in libraries. Giannoulias said that instead, parents should keep an eye on what their own children are reading.

“I have three young daughters, and there are some books and titles that my wife and I don’t feel are age appropriate for them,” Giannoulias said. “But I could never imagine a world where I would tell another family what books their kids should or should not be allowed to read.”

Sen. Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat who chairs the committee, said he agreed with Giannoulias that the first responsibility lies with parents.

Neily, however, said parents across the country are ridiculed or shamed for speaking out against books that they feel are inappropriate for their children.

Knox said it is important to remember that changes to library collections are collective decisions.

Graham praised Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican running for the presidential nomination, because “he decided to step in and stop what he thought was abusive from his point of view.”

In March, DeSantis signed legislation to increase parental control over what books are available to children in school libraries.

At the end of the hearing, U.S. Sen. John Kennedy, a Louisiana Republican, read passages from both “Gender Queer” by Maia Kobabe and “All Boys Aren’t Blue” by George M. Johnson, which are the two most challenged books of 2022, according to the ALA.

Both books have been flagged for LGBTQ+ content and sexually explicit content.

Kennedy asked Giannoulias to clarify whether only libraries should decide whether those books should be available to children.

Giannoulias said no, and that “we’re not advocating for kids to read porn.” He said individual parents should not be allowed to make decisions about where to draw the line for an entire community, and referenced Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” as an example.

“Parents absolutely have a say” when it comes to their own children, Giannoulias said.

A parade in favor of women's suffrage, the right to vote, in 1913. (National Archives)

As Congress considers a bill to place a women’s suffrage monument on the National Mall, a nonprofit is working to raise the estimated $50 million needed to build it.

The Women’s Suffrage National Monument Foundation, the nonprofit backing the effort, launched a donation campaign Tuesday in an effort to raise funds for a memorial honoring women’s rights activists. The campaign, called the “72-Hours for Women’s Monumental Equality Giving Challenge,” ends at noon Eastern time on Friday and aims to help meet the cost of erecting the monument to the 19th and 20th century activists fighting for women’s right to vote and other rights.

The U.S. House Natural Resources Committee unanimously passed a bill in July that would allow the monument to be constructed on the National Mall, but provides no federal funding.

The bill’s next step would be a vote on the House floor. Members return next week after a summer recess, but have several other must-pass items, including government funding bills and a defense policy bill.

The Senate has not taken action on a companion measure.

While Congress must authorize monuments on the mall, many are funded at least in part with private donations.

“How amazing if American women united behind this,” Kimberly Wallner, the foundation’s deputy director, wrote in an email. “To give $10 each to the first national monument in D.C. to honor women’s history and we could start designing and building this in time to break ground by America’s 250th anniversary of our democracy.”

Wallner said she estimates a budget of $50 million for the construction of the monument, but the ultimate cost will depend on the site location and size. Wallner said it is likely that the group? would receive about an acre for the monument.

If the bill does pass, the foundation would have to work through about a yearlong process with the National Park Service to select a specific site on the National Mall, Wallner said.

The bill has received bipartisan support in Congress. Colorado Democrat Joe Neguse sponsored the House bill, with a group of 32 members of both parties signing on as co-sponsors. U.S. Sens. Tammy Baldwin, a Wisconsin Democrat, and Marsha Blackburn, a Tennessee Republican, reintroduced the Senate counterpart in March.

“The National Mall is home to memorials for those who fought for our freedom, Presidents who defined our country, and the seat of our government, and it is only fitting that it also houses the Women’s Suffrage National Monument,” Baldwin said in a March news release. “Wisconsin has played a crucial role in the fight for women’s rights and I am proud to continue this long and proud tradition.”
Blackburn, in the same news release, said that as Tennessee’s first female U.S. senator, she was pleased to join Baldwin in this effort to honor women suffragists “who pioneered the way for future generations.”

U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, a Colorado Democrat, has also spoken out in support. Bennet had helped to lead the previous 2020 legislation that authorized the monument’s construction.

“American history has always been a struggle between the promise of equality and the reality of inequality, and this bipartisan legislation commemorates our long and enduring journey toward securing equality for all,” Bennet said in a March news release. “For centuries, we have witnessed historic calls for progress on the National Mall, and this monument to women’s suffrage deserves this most dignified location for its home.”

There are not any monuments dedicated to women’s history in the country’s commemorative quarter, Wallner said, and that the foundation is hoping for a site in Constitution Gardens near the 56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence Memorial.

“We think that would be a very great place to tell the story of our foremothers and their part of building our democracy in context with that other founding memorial,” Wallner said.

U.S. first lady Jill Biden speaks at a media preview of the state dinner during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's state visit, June 21, 2023 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON — First Lady Jill Biden tested positive for COVID-19 Monday night, the White House said in a statement.

Biden has mild symptoms and will spend the week at home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, the White House said.

President Joe Biden tested negative Monday night and Tuesday. He will continue to be tested “at a regular cadence this week and monitor for symptoms,” the White House said.

This “regular cadence” will be determined in consultation with President Biden’s physician, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at a Tuesday press briefing.

President Biden has no symptoms and will be following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 guidelines, Jean-Pierre said.

President Biden did not modify his schedule or travel plans. He was scheduled to award the Medal of Honor to U.S. Army Captain Larry L. Taylor for conspicuous gallantry on Tuesday afternoon. He is also scheduled to travel to New Delhi, India on Thursday to attend the G20 Leaders’ Summit.

Jean-Pierre said Biden will be masking while indoors and around people, in alignment with CDC guidelines. The CDC does not recommend that someone with a close contact test every day, Jean-Pierre said, but Biden will be tested before traveling to India.

The CDC reported a rise in COVID-19 cases nationwide last month. Between Aug. 13 and Aug. 19, the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations increased by about 19% from the previous week, according to CDC data. Total weekly hospital admissions reached 15,000.

Between Aug. 20 and Aug. 26, the number of COVID-19 deaths increased by about 18% from the previous week, according to CDC data.

Where has the first lady been traveling?

President Biden and the first lady traveled to Florida on Saturday to meet with people impacted by Hurricane Idalia, as well as survey the damage.

The Bidens met with first responders, local officials and federal personnel in Live Oak, Florida.

On Aug. 31, Jill Biden visited Madison, Wisconsin, where she made stops to promote the Bidens’ Cancer Moonshot initiative, as well as attend a Back-To-School Educator Appreciation Event.

The Cancer Moonshot initiative strives “to prevent more than 4 million cancer deaths by 2047 and to improve the experience of people who are touched by cancer.”

Later that day, the first lady spoke at a fundraiser for U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, President Biden and the state’s Democratic Party. Baldwin and Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers were also at the event.

There were about 200 people in the audience, according to a White House pool report, but Jill Biden did not greet or take photos with supporters after her speech.

Does a bipartisan gun safety law endanger hunting and archery programs in schools? (Getty Images)

WASHINGTON — Republican lawmakers are concerned that the Biden administration is interpreting last year’s bipartisan gun safety law to cut funding for school archery and hunting programs, though programs themselves say they haven’t been affected.

A provision in the law — a bipartisan effort to curb gun violence that established new criminal offenses, and expanded background check requirements and the scope of existing restrictions, according to the bill summary — bans education funding for “training in the use of a dangerous weapon.” Republicans in Congress have noted concern that could lead to funding cuts for school programs that encourage gun safety.

The law included a provision that “prohibits the use of elementary and secondary education funds to provide any person with a dangerous weapon or training in the use of a dangerous weapon.”

The Department of Education has interpreted this provision to defund school archery and hunting programs across the country, scores of Republican lawmakers say, which prompted wide disapproval.

However, there is little evidence that any programs have yet been affected.

Patrick O’Connell, director of training and technology at the National Archery in the Schools Program, an organization that coordinates school archery programs across the country and has spoken out in defense of archery and firearm safety education, said he is unaware of any schools that have been affected by a loss of funding.

“Just a large number of schools concerned about that possibility,” he said.

Spokespeople for the Education Department did not return messages seeking comment.

Criticism from lawmakers

Funding for hunting and archery programs generally comes from student fees, organized fundraisers, donations or state funds — with federal money adding relatively little, Michael Bloxom, the NASP Alabama state coordinator, said.

But congressional Republicans have still voiced objections about potential losses in that funding.

In an Aug. 4 letter, 66 House Republicans pressed Education Secretary Miguel Cardona to restore funding for archery and hunting programs.

The representatives praised the long safety records of such programs and the opportunities that they provide for students.

“These scholastic programs are where millions of kids learn safe and responsible firearm handling and storage, and this egregious, irresponsible overreach by your Department will have far-reaching negative consequences,” the representatives wrote.

In an Aug. 11 letter to President Joe Biden, 19 Republican senators demanded that the administration withdraw Education Department guidance specifying that federal funds cannot be used for firearm training programs. That reversal would allow school archery and hunting programs to continue receiving federal funds, they said.

The senators, led by U.S. Sen. John Barrasso, a Wyoming Republican and the third-ranking member of the Senate GOP, used the letter to highlight the importance of school archery and hunting programs.

“While the administration claims to be eliminating dangerous activities, this guidance will, in fact, have the opposite effect,” the senators wrote. “These programs provided thousands of students with the opportunity to learn proper instruction for firearm and archery safety.”

The senators, none of whom were among the 14 Senate Republicans who joined the full Democratic caucus in voting for the bill last year, called on the Biden administration to reverse “this misguided decision and ensure funding for these vital programs is not withheld.”

Objections haven’t come only from Republicans. Sen. Jon Tester, a Montana Democrat, also wrote a letter to Cardona to express concern about how the interpretation of the gun law may affect school archery and hunting programs.

“In Montana, our schools have long offered shooting sport and hunter safety classes that play an important role in teaching safety and personal responsibility to students,” Tester said in his letter. “Outdoor recreation is foundational to our western way of life and any reduction of federal support for these educational programs is unacceptable.”

U.S. Rep. Mark Green, a Republican from Tennessee who chairs the U.S. House Homeland Security Committee, introduced a bill on Aug. 1 meant to ensure federal funding for school archery and hunting programs would continue.

Green said that the Biden administration should not prevent Tennessee schoolchildren from receiving safety and skills training in archery, hunting or other shooting sports.

“The classes President Biden wants to defund aren’t only about hunting and archery, they are about teaching young Americans how to respect nature and to focus on a goal,” Green said. “The Biden administration’s decision to strip funding for these important classes doesn’t just miss the mark, it misses the entire target.”

The Department of Education issued a statement to Fox News last month that it would work to restore federal funding for these programs.

Signs of impact

Officials with state chapters of NASP say they have been unaffected by the recent funding interpretation.

Generally the only cost to the schools may come in the form of teacher salaries, Bloxom, the Alabama NASP coordinator, said.

Still, there has been confusion and concern from people involved in the program.

“There was a lot of concern and discussion among teachers and parents, and a lot of that fear was due to a lack of information,” Bloxom said.

Alabama’s programs have not been interrupted so far, he said.

“We are hopeful a compromise on the interpretation by the US DOE will permanently alleviate the fear that these important programs could be affected in the future,” Bloxom said.

Wyoming NASP coordinator William Poole said the legislation has been misinterpreted and that it is unclear how it would impact schools in his state.

“Our agency and partners are working to understand the intent of the legislation,” Poole said. “We will continue to support and advocate wholeheartedly for hunter education and archery in the schools. These programs play a vital role in fostering conservation ethic in our youngest citizens.”

Republican presidential candidates (L-R), former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, U.S. Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and North Dakota governor Doug Burgum participate in the first debate of the GOP primary season hosted by FOX News at the Fiserv Forum on August 23, 2023 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Eight Republican presidential candidates gathered onstage Wednesday night in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for a heated first primary debate heavily influenced by former President Donald Trump, though the party’s front runner refused to attend the two-hour event.

Trump instead recorded a competing 46-minute interview with former Fox News personality Tucker Carlson that aired on X, formerly known as Twitter, posted minutes before the debate began. Trump throughout the interview insulted President Joe Biden’s health and mental capacity, mocked his fellow Republican candidates and repeated his unfounded claim that the 2020 election was stolen from him.

With just five months before voters head to the first-in-the-nation GOP caucuses in Iowa, each of the eight Republicans who qualified for the debate sponsored by conservative broadcaster Fox News tried to convince viewers they are the best politician to defeat Biden in the 2024 election.

Attending the GOP debate were North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, former Vice President Mike Pence, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott.

A handful of the candidates criticized Trump, who faces criminal indictments in four cases and is expected to report to the Fulton County Jail in Georgia on Thursday for a voluntary surrender in a case centering on interference in the 2020 election.

All the candidates but Hutchinson and Christie raised their hand to indicate they would still support Trump if he were convicted of any of the four criminal prosecutions he faces. Ramaswamy said he would pardon Trump on his first day in office.

Abortion policy??

In one of the more contentious exchanges, the Republican candidates — who all consider themselves “pro-life” — differed over whether a GOP president should press for a nationwide ban on abortion access, likely to be a major issue in the 2024 election following the Supreme Court ruling striking down Roe v. Wade.

Haley said the candidates need to be honest with Americans that it’s unlikely a majority of U.S. House members and at least 60 U.S. senators would vote to pass a nationwide ban.

If elected, Haley said, she would look for consensus to prevent abortions late in a pregnancy, encourage adoptions, protect doctors and nurses who don’t believe they should have to perform abortions, ensure contraception is available and make sure women don’t go to jail if they choose to end a pregnancy.

“Let’s treat this like the respectful issue that it is and humanize the situation and stop demonizing the situation,” Haley said.

Pence rejected that assertion, arguing that “consensus is the opposite of leadership.”

The former vice president said he would press for a nationwide ban on abortion access after 15 weeks.

“When the Supreme Court returned this question to the American people, they didn’t just send it to the states only. It’s not a states-only issue. It’s a moral issue,” Pence said. “And I promise you, as president of the United States, the American people will have a champion for life.”

Scott also advocated for a nationwide ban of at least 15 weeks, saying Democratic states should not be able to set their own abortion laws.

“We cannot let states like California, New York, Illinois have abortions on demand up until the day of birth. That is immoral. It is unethical. It is wrong,” Scott said. “We must have a president of the United States who will advocate and fight for at the minimum a 15-week limit.”

DeSantis was somewhat less clear than the other candidates, saying he believes in a “culture of life” and was proud to sign a six-week ban as Florida governor, though he didn’t say what he would press for if elected president.

“Look, I understand Wisconsin is going to do it different than Texas. I understand Iowa and New Hampshire are going to do different. But I will support the cause of life as governor and as president,” DeSantis said.

There were approximately 930,160 abortions in the United States during 2020, according to the Guttmacher Institute. The majority of the abortions within the country are now done through medication abortion, a two-dose regimen that is approved for up to 10 weeks gestation.

About 93% of abortions take place during the first trimester, defined as at or before 13 weeks of gestation. Another 6% take place between 14 and 20 weeks and about 1% of abortions take place at 21 weeks or later in a pregnancy, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Minnesota Democratic Sen. Tina Smith said on a press call hosted by the Biden-Harris campaign on Tuesday in advance of the event that the Republican debate would “make really clear what Americans already know, which is that none of the Republican candidates for president will protect access to health care, including abortion.”

“These candidates are completely out of touch with American voters who strongly support abortion rights,” Smith said.

Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America has called on all of the Republican candidates to commit to pressing for a nationwide ban on abortions after 15 weeks gestation, while other conservative organizations have pressed for a nationwide abortion ban earlier in pregnancy.

Biden blamed for economic problems

Before the first question of the night, Fox News played a montage of voters complaining about rising prices.

Year-over-year inflation reached its highest point in two decades under Biden, at 9.1% in June 2022, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That dropped to 3.2% last month, much closer to the Federal Reserve’s target of 2%.

In Trump’s absence, the first question of the night went to the candidate leading in the polls behind Trump, DeSantis, who said the nation was in decline under Biden. He called for opening more energy production as a way to boost the economy.

Christie said he and others on the stage “predominantly” agreed with DeSantis’ answer on the economy, but said he had the strongest leadership experience that would be required.

The other candidates largely used their first round of speaking to criticize the economy under Biden.

The Republicans sought to present themselves as the most conservative option on spending and taxes, describing Biden and congressional Democrats as irresponsible free spenders.

But Haley said Democrats weren’t the only ones to blame, noting the $2.2 trillion COVID-19 relief law was passed on a bipartisan basis and signed by Trump. She also said Republicans asked for three times as much money in federal earmarks this year.

“So you tell me who are the big spenders,” she said. “I think it’s time for an accountant in the White House.”

She criticized Scott, DeSantis and Pence for voting to raise the debt limit.

Scott said his votes to approve large spending packages under Trump were a response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Three candidates —?DeSantis, Ramaswamy and Burgum —?specifically named Biden’s energy policies as a hurdle to economic growth.

“We will be energy-dominant again,” DeSantis said, borrowing a favorite phrase of Trump.

Climate change

The second topic of the night, perhaps a surprise to Republican primary voters, was about climate change. A Catholic University of America student asked how the candidates would soothe young voters concerned about climate change.

Moderators Brett Baier and Martha MacCallum sought to have candidates raise their hands if they agreed human activity was causing climate change. Hutchinson appeared ready to raise his hand when DeSantis shut down the exercise.

“Look, we’re not schoolchildren, let’s have the debate,” he said. “I’m happy to take it to start.”

He did not substantively answer the question, instead criticizing Biden’s response to the recent wildfires on Maui and complaining about media coverage.

Ramaswamy was the most clear on the issue, though he took the opposite position to even most Republican voters.

“The climate change agenda is a hoax,” he said. “The anti-carbon agenda is the wet blanket on our economy.”

Haley and Scott both nodded to environmental protection but declined to advocate for reducing domestic carbon emissions. Instead, they said, the U.S. should focus on forcing developing countries to reduce theirs.

“Is climate change real? Yes it is,” Haley said. “But if you want to go and really change the environment, then we need to start telling China and India that they have to lower their emissions.”

Average global temperatures in July set a new mark for the hottest month on record, coming after the hottest June ever recorded. This year is likely to be the hottest year since record keeping began in the 1880. The last nine years are the nine hottest ever, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information.

Majorities of voters in both parties now say human activity is causing a warming climate, but still differ on whether those rising temperatures are primary factors in dangerous weather events —?such as wildfires, floods, drought and severe storms —?according to a Washington Post-University of Maryland poll published Wednesday.

“Climate change is real, by the way,” Biden tweeted during the exchange.

Divide on Ukraine aid

One of the starkest dividing lines Wednesday was on aid to Ukraine, with Ramaswamy and DeSantis saying the U.S. should not send more funding to the country defending a Russian invasion.

Ramaswamy’s position in particular seemed to rankle Pence and Haley, who have longer foreign policy resumes.

Ramaswamy said Haley could look forward to board positions with defense contracting companies.

“You have no foreign policy experience, and it shows,” Haley shot back. “It shows.”

The U.S. has sent $110 billion to Ukraine since Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops into that country last year. Biden asked Congress to approve $24 billion more as part of a supplemental funding request this month that also called for additional funds for disaster relief and border security.

Wisconsin setting

The debate took place at Fiserv Forum, the home arena of the Milwaukee Bucks basketball team. Located downtown, the forum can seat more than 17,000 people for concerts and sporting events. Since the arena opened in 2018, it has hosted performers such as Elton John, Lizzo, Harry Styles and Bon Jovi.

Biden narrowly won Wisconsin during the 2020 general election with 49.5% of the vote compared to Trump’s 48.8%. The two were separated by fewer than 20,700 votes. During his interview with Carlson, Trump claimed to have won Wisconsin.

Biden said Wednesday afternoon during a family trip to Lake Tahoe, Nevada, that he planned to watch as much of the Republican primary debate as he could, though when asked about his expectations, he laughed and said, “I have none.”

Trump defends Jan. 6

Trump in his interview with Carlson hinted at armed conflict and lobbed insults at his GOP rivals and Biden. Trump also presented an alternate version of history about the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, saying the crowd was filled with “love and unity.” Trump has been indicted in connection with his activities that led to the day’s events.

“People in that crowd said it was the most beautiful day they’ve ever experienced,” he said. “There was love in that crowd. There was love, and unity. I have never seen such spirit, and such passion, and such love, and I’ve also never seen, simultaneously and from the same people, such hatred of what they’ve done to our country.”

Carlson said Trump has been impeached and indicted and asked him, “Don’t they have to kill you now?” And asked by Carlson if open conflict was possible in the future, Trump said he didn’t know.

“I can say this, there’s a level of passion that I’ve never seen, there’s a level of hatred that I’ve never seen, and that’s probably a bad combination.”

Candidates pledge to support a convicted Trump

On the debate stage, the moderators asked the candidates to raise their hands if they would still support Trump’s candidacy if he is convicted.

Ramaswamy’s hand went up first, followed quickly by Haley, Scott and Burgum, then DeSantis and Pence. Christie and Hutchinson indicated they would not support Trump if he’s convicted.

“Someone’s got to stop normalizing this conduct,” Christie said. “Whether or not you believe the criminal charges are right or wrong, the conduct is beneath the office of president of the United States.”

The crowd reacted with a mix of boos and cheers.

Ramaswamy called Trump the best president of the century and said Christie’s “entire campaign” was “based on vengeance and grievance against one man,” Trump. Ramaswamy dismissed the federal prosecutions of Trump as political.

Christie responded that Ramaswamy’s approach was hypocritical because the 38-year-old entrepreneur said he supported law and order.

“You make me laugh,” Christie said, prompting prolonged boos from the audience.

Candidates left on the sidelines

Several GOP presidential hopefuls didn’t qualify for the debate, including former Texas Rep. Will Hurd and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez.

Hurd criticized the Republican National Committee’s debate criteria, saying a “the lack of transparency and confusion around the RNC’s debate requirements is antithetical to the democratic process.”

“I have said from day one of my candidacy that I will not sign a blood oath to Donald Trump,” Hurd said in a statement. “The biggest difference between me and every single candidate who will be on the debate stage in Milwaukee is that I have never bent the knee to Trump.”

The RNC required candidates to sign a pledge committing to support the official Republican nominee in the general election as one of the benchmarks for participating in the debate. Trump said in early August he would not sign the pledge.

Suarez said in a statement he was “sorry that this debate will not include my perspectives from the largest growing voting block in our country — young, conservative Hispanics.”

The Miami mayor said earlier this month that any candidates who didn’t make the debate stage should drop out, though he didn’t withdraw his candidacy after he failed to make the stage.

The second Republican presidential primary debate will be Sept. 27 in Simi Valley, California, at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.