Author

Ashley Murray

Ashley Murray

Ashley Murray covers the nation’s capital as a senior reporter for States Newsroom. Her coverage areas include domestic policy and appropriations.

U.S. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, a Louisiana Republican running for U.S. House speaker, is surrounded by members of the press on Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023, at the U.S. Capitol.

Louisiana’s Steve Scalise and Ohio’s Jim Jordan jump into race for U.S. House speaker

By: and - October 4, 2023

WASHINGTON — Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana and Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio announced Wednesday they will seek the U.S. House speaker’s gavel after Kevin McCarthy’s unprecedented ouster brought the lower chamber into uncharted territory. Eight dissident Republicans joined Democrats to unseat McCarthy Tuesday, leaving a vacuum of GOP leadership and bringing an abrupt […]

Rep. Matt Gaetz, who filed the motion to vacate against House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, leaves a House Republican Conference meeting at the U.S. Capitol on Oct. 3, 2023 in Washington, D.C.

U.S. House votes to remove Kevin McCarthy as speaker

By: , and - October 3, 2023

UPDATED at 2:37 p.m. with reaction from Oregon representatives. WASHINGTON — Dissident Republicans in the U.S. House voted with Democrats on Tuesday to oust Kevin McCarthy as speaker, a historic move that came just nine months after he secured the gavel following days of negotiating with the GOP’s right flank and 15 rounds of voting. […]

The Department of Veterans Affairs has released guidance on what functions will continue and which will be suspended in a government shutdown that could occur beginning Saturday at midnight.

Government shutdown won’t affect health care or most benefits for veterans, VA says

By: - September 28, 2023

WASHINGTON — Veterans who rely on government health care and other assistance can continue to see their doctors and receive education and pension benefits despite a possible, and likely imminent, partial shutdown that will temporarily cease many federal operations. The Department of Veterans Affairs on Tuesday released guidance on what functions will continue and not […]

Active-duty military would work without pay in shutdown, White House warns

By: - September 26, 2023

WASHINGTON — The White House is warning that a partial government shutdown would mean 1.3 million active-duty armed services members must keep working without receiving paychecks and hundreds of thousands of Pentagon employees would face furloughs. The Biden administration on Tuesday blasted what it’s now calling an “extreme Republican shutdown,” saying it would undermine national […]

Hospitals plead with Congress to avert $8 billion in cuts in Medicaid funding

By: - September 20, 2023

WASHINGTON — Health care representatives from across the United States are urging Congress to halt cuts to funding that helps hospitals care for uninsured or low-income patients who rely on Medicaid. More than 250 hospitals and health systems appealed to House and Senate leadership in a letter, asking the lawmakers to avert or delay a forthcoming […]

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 […]

People on Medicare spent $3.4 billion out of pocket last year on the 10 drugs selected Tuesday for Medicare price negotiations.

Biden administration chooses first 10 drugs for Medicare price negotiations

By: - August 29, 2023

WASHINGTON — Medicare can now negotiate lower prices for 10 common high-price drugs, cutting out-of-pocket costs for an estimated 9 million seniors and saving taxpayers billions, the Biden administration said Tuesday. Medicare will begin this year to negotiate with the manufacturers of popular medications used to treat blood clots, diabetes, heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic […]

Former President Donald Trump ascends plane.

Judge sets March trial date in Trump federal election interference case

By: - August 28, 2023

WASHINGTON — The federal trial in the case accusing former President Donald Trump of knowingly lying about the 2020 presidential election results and trying to overturn them will begin in March, a federal judge said Monday. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who waived Trump’s appearance for the first hearing, scheduled jury selection to begin March […]

Potatoes

Farm bill timeline in flux as a messy September for Congress nears

By: - August 15, 2023

WASHINGTON — The roundtables, listening sessions and appearances at farm shows have largely wrapped up and lawmakers tasked with reauthorizing the nation’s agriculture and nutrition programs are comparing notes and beginning to draft the massive, multi-year farm bill. The 2018 version expires Sept. 30, just as many urgent priorities compete for floor time in Congress […]

Former President Donald Trump boards his plane at Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, following an arraignment in Washington, D.C. federal court on August 3, 2023.

Trump pleads not guilty to charges he sought to subvert 2020 election

By: and - August 3, 2023

WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to four felony charges Thursday in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., after a federal grand jury handed up an indictment against the former chief executive. Trump, the front-runner in the 2024 GOP presidential primary, was released under the conditions that he must not violate federal, […]

Veterans exposed to burn pits, toxins urged to apply for retroactive benefits

By: - August 3, 2023

WASHINGTON — A deadline for a year’s worth of backdated benefits is fast approaching for U.S. veterans suffering illnesses after exposure to open burn pits, Agent Orange and other toxins. Nearly a year ago, President Joe Biden signed the PACT Act, a law supporters describe as the largest expansion of veteran benefits in U.S. history. […]

Donald Trump holds campaign speech in Pennsylvania.

Congress, GOP presidential candidates react to Trump indictment

By: and - August 1, 2023

WASHINGTON — Members of Congress and Republicans competing against Donald Trump in the presidential primary quickly reacted Tuesday to the latest indictment against the former president, falling largely along party lines. This one, by a federal grand jury, stems from Trump’s alleged efforts to subvert the 2020 election after Election Day and leading up to […]