Mayorkas warns of “serious” consequences for Homeland Security if government shuts down

Washington — Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas warned Friday that his agency could suffer “serious” consequences if Congress fails to pass legislation funding federal agencies and averting a government shutdown in the next few hours. In an interview with “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” Mayorkas said many components of the Department of Homeland Security

Read More

Biden, in likely last round of student debt forgiveness before leaving office, cancels $4.28 billion worth for 55,000 workers

Washington — The Biden administration is canceling federal student loans for another 55,000 workers through an existing program known as Public Service Loan Forgiveness. The Education Department’s announcement Friday targets teachers, nurses, service members, law enforcement officials and others who’ve reached eligibility through the program, which promises to erase loans after 10 years of work

Read More

Manchin predicts Senate will go along with House on shutdown negotiations: “There’s not much fight left”

Sen. Joe Manchin, who’s leaving office next month, is predicting there won’t be a government shutdown, despite the uncertainty over a bill in the day before the deadline. He says whatever agreement House Republicans reach to fund the government, the Senate will “swallow hard,” support it and go home for the holidays.  However, he doesn’t

Read More

IRS whistleblowers jab at Hunter Biden pardon in lawsuit filing against his lawyer Abbe Lowell

Two IRS whistleblowers who raised concerns about the investigation into Hunter Biden lampooned his presidential pardon while hitting back at an attorney who they say defamed them. “Plaintiffs seek no pardon because they committed no crimes. They merely seek to restore their reputations,” wrote lawyers for IRS agents Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler. The duo

Read More

What is the debt ceiling? Here’s why Trump wants Congress to abolish it before he takes office

Washington — President-elect Donald Trump, Vice President-elect JD Vance and billionaire Elon Musk blew up a GOP-backed deal to fund federal agencies into March, raising the pressure on Republican congressional leaders to craft a plan to avert a government shutdown just before the holidays.  In a statement Wednesday, Trump and Vance lambasted the agreement for

Read More