Congress scrambles to avert shutdown as deadline looms
Congress is as soon as once more operating up on one more vital authorities funding deadline, as lawmakers scramble to avert a shutdown by midnight on Friday, when funding runs out for six massive annual spending payments that cowl some 70% of all federal discretionary spending. As just lately as Friday, negotiators had been nearing an settlement to finish a spending invoice however disagreements over funding for the division of homeland safety have since derailed the talks.
In the meantime, the US supreme court docket is predicted to listen to oral arguments over whether or not the White Home violated free speech protections in the course of the Covid-19 pandemic, when authorities officers requested that Twitter, Fb and different social networks take away misinformation in regards to the coronavirus. The case of Murthy v Missouri – the fruits of years of a Republican-backed authorized marketing campaign – has the potential to radically redefine how the US authorities interacts with social media firms.
Right here’s what else we’re watching:
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11.30am. Joe Biden, first girl Jill Biden and Kamala Harris will converse at a Ladies’s Historical past Month reception.
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1.30pm. White Home press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and nationwide safety adviser Jake Sullivan will temporary.
Key occasions
Deal to avert shutdown held up over border safety impasse
A dispute over border safety funding threatens to power a shutdown of swaths of the federal authorities, with lawmakers racing to achieve a deal on long-term spending laws to fulfill a Friday deadline.
Disagreements over immigration on the US-Mexico border have stymied the talks, the Washington Publish reported, whereas a part of the dispute is that Democrats are urgent for extra funding for pay fairness for the transportation safety administration (TSA) whereas Republicans need extra funding for US immigration and customs enforcement’s (ICE) detention and enforcement efforts, the Hill reported.
GOP negotiators had been ready to supply the homeland safety division roughly the identical degree of funding for the remainder of the 2024 fiscal yr, however as a result of inflation, that might symbolize a major funding reduce in actual phrases.
On Sunday, the White Home accused Republicans of “enjoying politics” with appropriations for the homeland safety division, telling Politico that the GOP wish to “sow chaos on the border forward of November” after rejecting a proposal from Democrats for an additional $1.56bn in funding for border safety.
Nick Robins-Early
The supreme court docket will hear oral arguments on Monday in Murthy v Missouri, a case with the potential to radically redefine how the US authorities interacts with social media firms.
Central to the case is whether or not the White Home violated free speech protections in the course of the Covid-19 pandemic, when authorities officers requested that Twitter, Fb and different social networks take away misinformation in regards to the coronavirus.
The lawsuit accuses the federal government of “coercing” tech platforms to vary their insurance policies, block content material and droop customers. The grievance was filed by attorneys common in Louisiana and Missouri in addition to rightwing people such because the conspiracy principle web site founder Jim Hoft. If the courts resolve of their favor, the White Home can be blocked from contacting social media firms, as occurred when a decrease court docket sided with the plaintiffs.
The Biden administration has argued that officers didn’t coerce or threaten social media platforms. It additionally argues that federal companies have routinely communicated with social media platforms about terrorist group organizing or overseas affect campaigns, which has prompted tech firms to voluntarily implement their very own insurance policies that ban such content material.
The swimsuit is the fruits of years of a Republican-backed authorized marketing campaign arguing that efforts by federal companies and Joe Biden’s White Home to cut back misinformation on-line represent censorship.
Right here’s what you should know in regards to the case.
Congress scrambles to avert shutdown as deadline looms
Congress is as soon as once more operating up on one more vital authorities funding deadline, as lawmakers scramble to avert a shutdown by midnight on Friday, when funding runs out for six massive annual spending payments that cowl some 70% of all federal discretionary spending. As just lately as Friday, negotiators had been nearing an settlement to finish a spending invoice however disagreements over funding for the division of homeland safety have since derailed the talks.
In the meantime, the US supreme court docket is predicted to listen to oral arguments over whether or not the White Home violated free speech protections in the course of the Covid-19 pandemic, when authorities officers requested that Twitter, Fb and different social networks take away misinformation in regards to the coronavirus. The case of Murthy v Missouri – the fruits of years of a Republican-backed authorized marketing campaign – has the potential to radically redefine how the US authorities interacts with social media firms.
Right here’s what else we’re watching:
-
11.30am. Joe Biden, first girl Jill Biden and Kamala Harris will converse at a Ladies’s Historical past Month reception.
-
1.30pm. White Home press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and nationwide safety adviser Jake Sullivan will temporary.