US Congress news and information
Suzanne Bonamici has served in the U.S. Congress since 2012, representing Oregon’s 1st Congressional District, a diverse region that includes much of Portland West, its western suburbs, and coastal counties. Her time in Congress has been marked by policy work in education, environmental protection, civil rights, and support for working families. Early Background & Entry…
A government shutdown happens when the U.S. Congress fails to pass funding legislation for federal agencies, or the President does not sign it into law. Without this funding, many parts of the government are forced to close or significantly scale back operations until a budget agreement is reached. While essential services continue, the effects of…
By now, Americans should be well aware that there have been a substantial number of tariffs placed on nearly every country on Earth. This runs the gamut from China (population 1.4 billion) to the Heard and McDonald Islands (population 0)and nearly everywhere in between. What this is doing is making the conditions ripe worldwide for…
In 2024, the number of existing home sales dropped to nearly 30 year low with only a little over 4 million residences being sold throughout the U.S. Most experts agree the reason for the lower number of total sales boils down to lack of inventory, coupled with relatively high interest rates compared to the last…
It’s no secret that DOGE cuts in the federal government have thrown a wrench into both hiring and day to day operations. What’s particularly concerning is that with cuts to the National Science Foundation (NSF), there is a very good chance that AI development is going to be scaled back considerably. Just after Inauguration Day,…
It’s no secret that tariffs are typically considered as bad for an open economy. There are a few times when they can be a useful tool in temporarily supporting a sector, or preventing foreign governments from intentionally undermining a business, but generally they just increase prices for everyone involved. The smattering of tariffs, and the…
Several states held elections on April 1, mostly on the local/county level, but some had nationwide significance, as was the case for the Wisconsin Supreme Court. While turnout is almost always relatively low for off-year elections, there are a points of information which can be drawn from some of the elections. In Wisconsin The most…
There have been no shortage of headlines surrounding DOGE recently. The organization’s aim to trim the fat from the bureaucracy that is the U.S. federal government has been both heavily scrutinized by those who depend on funding, and highly praised by people who believe the government has become bloated. What has been concerning to those…
Fluctuations in the stock market in the first couple of months of a new presidency are relatively common. Obama and Bush Jr. both saw the stock markets fall in their first quarter while Clinton saw a modest gain early in his presidency. Bush Jr. and Obama’s stock market falls were essentially from events out of…
An announcement from the White House on March 26 places a 25% tariff on a large number of vehicles while the consumer will likely eat most of the cost. Earlier analysis from the Joint Economic Committee in the House came to the conclusion that, at bare minimum, tariffs are going to cost the average U.S….