Новости за 23.09.2022

When Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Joe Manchin announced a surprise deal to pass a climate, deficit reduction, and health care policy bill in July, that arrangement came with a caveat. Democratic leadership agreed to a September vote on one of the longtime pursuits of the conservative West Virginia Democrat: an energy permitting proposal to expedite the approval of new projects. If you were excited to see Congress finally moving legislation over the summer, get ready for Stuck Senate Fall... Читать дальше...

On Wednesday, Senator Joe Manchin released the Energy Independence and Security Act, the long-awaited permitting reform bill that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer pledged to build into a continuing resolution that will keep the government funded after the end of the month. The bill would expedite the process to approve both conventional and renewable energy projects by streamlining environmental reviews. It would also give more power to federal authorities to speed along priority projects... Читать дальше...

During his presidency, Donald Trump was constantly at war with the civil service. It’s not hard to see why someone like him might find himself at odds with Washington’s army of dedicated public servants. Our federal workforce, however flawed, is an engine of fairness that strives to consistently minister to the needs of all Americans. It’s also proven to be a last line of defense against corruption and misrule. Naturally, Trump and other figures within the Republican Party want to destroy it. And should the GOP retake the White House... Читать дальше...

Zoom funerals—I attended two—were haunting affairs. One stage-managed, with prerecorded video addresses and little downtime; the other facilitated toward connection by a skilled organizer, allowing space for tears and new knowledge. So different, and yet I attended both from the same spot on my sublet couch before taking a masked walk to vent the energy that I could not spend in hugging and talking with others once the cameras clicked off. Those Zoom funerals epitomized pandemic life and pandemic death... Читать дальше...

Whose conscience is cleaner than that of a social worker? Few jobs demand as much selflessness, or let you be of greater service to those in need; in few jobs will you get paid less while helping people more—the typical measure of occupational rectitude. The social worker cares about people, not status or money. Toiling in the dense bureaucratic thickets of state agencies and adjacent nonprofits, she soothes the angry, comforts the sick, and connects the poor with the resources they lack. (As a rule... Читать дальше...

Republican Senator Tom Cotton this week criticized the Biden administration for its silence as peaceful protesters in Iran are beaten and killed.