In the News
House Democrats call on Trump administration to lift restrictions on fetal tissue for coronavirus research
by Cristina Marcos
More than a dozen House Democrats on Monday called on the Trump administration to lift restrictions on research that uses human fetal tissue to allow for studies on potential treatment for COVID-19. The lawmakers argued in a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar that such studies could lead to developing coronavirus treatments more quickly. Public health officials have estimated that a vaccine will not be available for at least another 12 to 18 months. "Because of your … Continue Reading
April 05, 2020
Facing coronavirus pandemic, Bay Area members of Congress learn to work from home
by Tal Kopan
WASHINGTON - Rep. Mike Thompson is growing a beard. Rep. Zoe Lofgren is cooking something new every night. Rep. Jared Huffman is doing yoga with his wife and daughter. And they're spending a lot of time with their Bay Area constituents where many Americans are these days - online. This is Congress in the age of the coronavirus. Like many people, members of Congress are trying to figure out how to do their jobs remotely during the coronavirus pandemic. No in-person legislating is scheduled … Continue Reading
March 31, 2020
Reps. Thompson, Huffman ask state to pressure insurers over coronavirus-related claims by businesses
by Bill Swindell
U.S. Reps. Mike Thompson and Jared Huffman, along with 31 other California colleagues, on Tuesday wrote to state Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and asked him to use his office's authority to ensure commercial insurance companies comply with their business interruption policies regarding claims related to losses from the coronavirus. The lawmakers' call to action comes after insurers have been denying claims by small businesses by citing that a pandemic and a virus such as COVID-19 are … Continue Reading
March 27, 2020
Sonoma County’s congressmen say stimulus bill provides vital aid, but more will be needed
by Guy Kovner
Democratic Reps. Mike Thompson and Jared Huffman hailed the approval Friday of a $2.2 trillion stimulus bill, calling it an "important step forward" that will benefit their constituents in the North Bay and along the North Coast, while saying far more spending will be needed to mend the nation's economy. Thompson said the bill, signed by President Trump after the House approved it on a voice vote, will "stop the bleeding" by delivering money to workers, small businesses and health care … Continue Reading
March 26, 2020
North Coast lawmakers laud $2T COVID-19 stimulus bill
by Ruth Schneider
North Coast legislators lauded the efforts to pass a $2 trillion stimulus bill which is expected to go to a vote in the House of Representatives on Friday. The bill addresses national needs as the United States now leads the world in the total number of COVID-19 infections, with more than 83,000 cases nationwide, according to John Hopkins University. "I am glad we were able to pull something together this quickly that is mostly focused on workers, small business and families," U.S. Rep. … Continue Reading
March 23, 2020
U.S. to bring home stranded Americans using planes that deport immigrants
by Tracy Wilkinson
WASHINGTON - With pressure mounting over Americans stranded outside the United States because of coronavirus-related travel restrictions, the government plans to use its planes that deport migrants to bring U.S. citizens home, a senior administration official said Monday. The use of repurposed deportation flights is one of several actions the State Department is taking to retrieve thousands of Americans grounded in foreign countries since the U.S. began closing its borders and barring … Continue Reading
March 21, 2020
Democrats call for stimulus to boost Social Security benefits by $200 a month
by Alexander Bolton and Mike Lillis
Senate Democrats on Saturday unveiled a plan to increase monthly Social Security benefits, veterans assistance and Supplemental Security Income benefits by $200 a month, which could further add to a stimulus bill that is now estimated to cost between $1.3 trillion and $1.4 trillion. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) joined Sen. Ron Wyden (Ore.), the senior Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) in calling for the expanded benefits to be … Continue Reading
March 06, 2020
Allbirds founder: Being a sustainable business is 'not that hard'
by Cara Salpini
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Pairs of cherry blossom-themed shoes hung on one wall, while green, Logan Circle shoe laces stood by the door, and Joey Zwillinger, co-founder of Allbirds, sat on a stool in front of a wall of boxes of shoes. It had all the trappings of a classic store opening event, only the focus wasn't on the store. Sitting beside Zwillinger in the shoe brand's newest store in Georgetown was U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman, D-California. The collected attendees had been invited to listen in on a … Continue Reading
March 05, 2020
Playing politics with science spawns new threat to endangered whales
by Jacob Holzman
Scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration warned that blasting air guns in an area where a rare whale migrates and gives birth could push it closer to extinction. But those findings conflicted with the Trump administration's push for drilling in the Atlantic Ocean, so the scientists were ordered to change their official conclusions so the agency could permit air guns to sound off in the whales' territory. Documents obtained by CQ Roll Call show that science-based … Continue Reading
March 05, 2020
Petaluma officials tout a busy year of achievements
by MATT BROWN
Petaluma City Manager Peggy Flynn has just completed a whirlwind first year at the city's helm, highlighted by progress on several housing and infrastructure projects, and victories on key issues like river dredging and fairgrounds negotiations. But Petaluma's budget remains threadbare, Flynn said, and the city has begun sobering talks aimed at ensuring longterm fiscal stability. "It's been quite an amazing year," said Flynn, who was hired from Novato a year ago to replace retiring city … Continue Reading
March 05, 2020
Mendocino County reports on coronavirus preparations; no cases locally
by CURTIS DRISCOLL
Mendocino County officials held a press conference Thursday morning to update the public about their preparedness plans for COVID-19, otherwise known as coronavirus. Mendocino County Health Officer Dr. Noemi Doohan stressed that Mendocino County still has zero cases of COVID-19. California declared a state of emergency over the coronavirus on Wednesday, and the U.S. Congress recently approved around $8.3 billion to fight the virus. The coronavirus was first found in Wuhan, China, in December … Continue Reading
March 04, 2020
California’s 1st coronavirus death reported in Placer County
by RUTH SCHNEIDER
California's Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency after the first coronavirus death was reported in the state. The elderly patient, who was in Placer County, contracted the virus while on a cruise ship. The measure made California the third U.S. state to declare a state of emergency. Washington and Florida are the other two. The cruise ship the patient was on is now sitting off the coast of the state. State officials asked the ship to not dock in the Port of San Francisco as … Continue Reading
March 03, 2020
The Coronavirus Is Challenging What Our Politicians Think About ‘Medicare For All’
by Matt Fuller and Arthur Delaney
WASHINGTON ? With the coronavirus spreading across the globe, U.S. politicians seem to be rethinking some of their most dearly held beliefs about socialized medicine. A Department of Health and Human Services official told a Senate committee Tuesday that the administration is considering how it could pay hospitals to treat uninsured coronavirus, or COVID-19, patients. And Republicans in Congress ? some of whom have spent their entire political careers railing against Obamacare and … Continue Reading
February 27, 2020
GOP's 'Trillion Trees' plan meets Democratic opposition
by Nick Sobczyk
Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) struggled to rally support for his "Trillion Trees Act" at a Natural Resources Committee hearing yesterday, as Democrats pitted it against their more sweeping attempts to halt fossil fuel extraction on public lands. Westerman's bill, H.R. 5859, would aim to sequester carbon by aligning the United States with an international initiative to plant a trillion trees around the world. Part of the package of climate policies Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) … Continue Reading
February 27, 2020
The Future For Fishing: Managing A Lucrative Resource In The Face Of Climate Change
by Nathan Eagle
Hawaii's $100 million tuna industry was the latest focal point for members of Congress trying to decide how to improve the main federal law governing the management of U.S. coastal waters. Conservationists and commercial fishing industry leaders came together on the need to restructure the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to adequately consider climate impacts during a panel discussion in Honolulu. But that was about it for the common ground they found during the … Continue Reading
February 26, 2020
House hearing confronts tree planting push
by KELSEY TAMBORRINO
- The parties' different approaches to tackling carbon emissions will be on display today during a House committee hearing. - The leaders of the Senate Energy Committee signaled Tuesday there are working to iron out a few remaining issues on an anticipated broad energy package. - Lawmakers voted Tuesday to confirm the president's pick for deputy secretary of the Interior Department. GOOD MORNING! IT'S WEDNESDAY. I'm your host, Kelsey Tamborrino. Check out the POLITICO Energy podcast - all … Continue Reading
February 26, 2020
Members of House committee at odds over efficient climate policy
by Alexandra Limon
WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) - Climate change policy was front and center Wednesday as the House Natural Resources Committee debated two different bills aimed to combat the effects of global warming in the United States. Chairman Raúl Grijalva's H.R.5435 would require net-zero emissions from the nation's public lands and oceans by 2040. The move would be a substantial drop in the amount of fossil fuel that is currently extracted. "We have an urgent need to reduce these emissions in order to … Continue Reading
February 26, 2020
North Coast lawmakers aim to stop FEMA from seeking repayment from disaster victims
by JULIE JOHNSON
Two North Coast lawmakers are proposing to bar the Federal Emergency Management Agency from demanding disaster victims return federal aid that was received in good faith, a move taken in response to the agency's threat to seek repayment from the victims of recent wildfires. U.S. Reps. Jared Huffman of San Rafael and Mike Thompson of St. Helena are co-sponsoring the bipartisan bill introduced Tuesday by Missouri Republican Rep. Sam Graves. The bill sets out to prevent the federal government … Continue Reading
February 26, 2020
House lawmakers split along party lines over bill to pause fossil fuel leases
by Ellie Potter
Lawmakers split along party lines in a hearing examining a Democratic-backed bill that would pause federal fossil fuel lease sales, with Republicans bemoaning its potential impact on industry, communities and federal revenue streams. House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., introduced the bill, which would pause oil, gas and coal lease sales for a year to force federal agencies to enact a plan to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from public lands and waters by … Continue Reading
February 26, 2020
Federal judge hears arguments about FEMA’s $4 billion claim in PG&E case
by JULIE JOHNSON
Attorneys seeking maximum compensation for wildfire victims in PG&E's bankruptcy case argued before a federal judge Wednesday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency is not entitled to a $4 billion cut of the $13.5 billion deal reached by the utility with individual victims, warning that the federal government's claim undermines the ability of people hit by fire to recover. FEMA officials have said the agency would take back some federal assistance it gave to fire survivors in … Continue Reading