Policy

High-profile legislation amounting to lawmakers’ first real stab at addressing voter anger over data centers stalled in the Senate on Thursday after securing overwhelming support in the House a day earlier. Senate Energy and Natural Resources ranking member Martin Heinrich objected to a unanimous consent request by Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, to clear the bill, […]

Surgeon general nominee Nicole Saphier, seeking to be confirmed as the nation’s top health educator and spokesperson, on Wednesday declined to fully distance herself from the Trump administration’s changes to the childhood vaccine schedule when pressed by a prominent Republican. During a hearing of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, outgoing Chairman Bill Cassidy, R-La., […]

Members of House Democrats’ Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition and its affiliated nonprofit released a set of policies on Tuesday to serve as a template to address both economic and climate concerns in the next Congress should their party make big midterm gains. The SEEC Institute’s Thriving Economy Project is presented as a “a policy […]

A coalition of 67 health care industry and advocacy groups is urging Congress to revisit a surprise medical billing law to address an unforeseen problem from its enactment: the ballooning costs of settling disputes when services are performed out of network. The industry groups sent a letter to congressional leadership on Thursday pushing for changes to the so-called No […]

More broadband deployment funding could be headed to states to serve locations missed in earlier rounds of a $42 billion federal grant program. The Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration announced Thursday that it plans to accept new proposals from states under the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program. The announcement comes after members […]

Those who’ve fought on Capitol Hill to rein in social media platforms see last week’s settlement between Meta and state attorneys general not as a final destination, but as a roadmap to what’s possible. Privacy and First Amendment advocates are worried they’re right. The settlement comes as the House and Senate have taken divergent paths […]

Legislation that would require parental consent for social media platforms to process data for users under 16 advanced out of a House panel on Tuesday, after it was amended to remove a proposed ban on social media accounts for kids. The bill, as amended, won approval by voice vote in the House Energy and Commerce […]

Sen. Bill Cassidy is accusing abortion pill manufacturers of not meeting their legal responsibilities to ensure compliance with Food and Drug Administration safety regulations, especially when pills are sold online through third-party providers. A report issued Thursday by Cassidy, chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, follows the panel’s monthslong investigation into the three […]

Meta’s massive proposed settlement over claims of social media harm doesn’t remove the need for legislation that would govern use of online platforms by children and teens, two leading lawmakers and advocacy groups said Wednesday. A group of 47 states with the District of Columbia and U.S. territories reached the settlement with the owner of […]

The Department of Health and Human Services on Friday outlined potential changes to the childhood vaccine schedule, suggesting kids shots should be spread farther apart in contrast to recommendations from pediatric groups. The request for information fulfills directives outlined in President Donald Trump’s executive order from Aug. 10 that seeks to stagger vaccine doses in childhood and asks […]