Author

Ariana Figueroa

Ariana Figueroa

Ariana covers the nation's capital for States Newsroom. Her areas of coverage include politics and policy, lobbying, elections and campaign finance.

Food benefits for low-income families at risk in a government shutdown, White House says

By: - September 25, 2023

WASHINGTON — As Congress barrels toward a partial government shutdown, the White House on Monday warned that a program that helps millions of low-income families afford healthy food could see substantial cuts. The White House released a state-by-state breakdown, estimating that nearly 7 million people who rely on the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, […]

U.S. Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., speaks to reporters after a House Republican conference meeting at the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 19, 2023 in Washington, D.C.

U.S. House GOP spending bills falter as Congress struggles to avoid a shutdown

By: and - September 19, 2023

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Democrats said Tuesday they are preparing their own short-term spending bill that they believe will garner bipartisan support, a decision that could stave off a partial government shutdown — and as House Republicans failed to advance two spending bills. The Senate move would work as long as the House votes to […]

U.S. prisons chief insists to Senate panel there’s been ‘visible change’ in the system

By: - September 13, 2023

WASHINGTON — The head of the Federal Bureau of Prisons on Wednesday outlined to the Senate Judiciary Committee how she has sought improvements in the nation’s troubled prison system, and fielded questions from Republicans about transgender inmates. “Developing meaningful change throughout the agency is not something that happens in a moment,” Colette Peters, the director […]

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, speaks during a news conference following a closed-door lunch meeting with Senate Democrats at the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 6, 2023 in Washington, D.C. At left is U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, a Washington Democrat and chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Battles over spending, farm bill, Ukraine and yet more loom over a divided Congress

By: , , and - September 13, 2023

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House and Senate are both back in D.C. following a long summer recess, facing an overwhelming agenda of unfinished work — funding the federal government and reauthorizing major programs set to expire at the end of the month. Congressional leaders and President Joe Biden have only a few weeks to broker […]

U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy at a press conference on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023, in the U.S. Capitol.

U.S. House Speaker McCarthy tells committees to launch Biden impeachment probe 

By: - September 12, 2023

WASHINGTON — U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday announced that he has directed several House committees to open a formal impeachment inquiry into unproven GOP allegations that President Joe Biden profited from his son’s business dealings when he was vice president in the Obama administration. “These allegations paint a picture, a picture of corruption,” […]

Bartender serves beer.

States seek to let teens as young as 14 serve booze in restaurants

By: - August 10, 2023

WASHINGTON — As a former bartender and current tipped worker, Trupti Patel knows that customers tend to get grabby when there is alcohol involved. After working in the food service industry for more than a decade, she is accustomed to dealing with drunk customers who get out of hand, especially if they become belligerent or […]

Rally against gun violence.

More than 100 advocacy groups urge Congress to denounce anti-immigrant rhetoric

By: - August 2, 2023

WASHINGTON — On the eve of the fourth anniversary of the mass shooting in El Paso, Texas in which 23 people were murdered, more than 160 religious, civil rights and immigrant advocacy groups called on congressional leaders to denounce lawmakers who use white supremacist, anti-immigrant rhetoric, arguing that it can lead to violence for marginalized […]

Immigrants wait overnight next to the U.S.-Mexico border fence to seek asylum in the United States on Jan. 7, 2023.

Public schools banned from sheltering migrants under bill passed by U.S. House

By: - July 19, 2023

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House on Wednesday night passed a bill to bar the use of public K-12 school facilities to provide shelter for migrants seeking asylum in the U.S. The bill, approved 222-201, is known as the “Schools Not Shelters Act” and is a rebuke of the Biden administration’s immigration policy. If enacted into […]

U.S. House Republicans pass overhaul of federal elections system out of committee

By: - July 14, 2023

WASHINGTON — On a party-line vote, the U.S. Committee on House Administration has passed a bill that would enact strict new voting laws for states, such as requiring copies of IDs for voting by mail, and set penalties for states that allow voting by noncitizens in local elections. The 224-page bill, H.R. 4563, was approved […]

More than 800,000 student loan borrowers to have debt forgiven, White House announces

By: - July 14, 2023

WASHINGTON — The Department of Education and the White House announced Friday that more than 800,000 federal student loan borrowers will have their remaining debt wiped out. The $39 billion in debt relief will come through fixes to mismanagement of the agency’s income-driven repayment plans. Many long-time borrowers, including those who had been making payments […]

US Supreme Court rules against Biden administration student loan debt relief plan

By: - June 30, 2023

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday ruled that the Biden administration does not have the legal authority to enact a one-time student debt relief program, dealing a blow to the 40 million Americans who would have qualified for the program. Last year, the Biden Administration rolled out a debt forgiveness plan for borrowers […]

Protestors near the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., after a ruling by the court striking down the use of affirmative action in college acceptance decisions, on Thursday, June 29, 2023. (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

US Supreme Court strikes down use of affirmative action in college admissions

By: and - June 29, 2023

UPDATED at 11:25 a.m. Thursday, June 29, 2023 with reactions and more information. WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that two prominent universities’ consideration of race in acceptances violated the U.S. Constitution, effectively reshaping the role of affirmative action in the college admissions process throughout higher education. In a 6-3 decision, Chief […]