Tag: spending bill

Posted on

County To Pay $275K For Firing Librarian Over LGBTQ Books + More

Library shelf featuring LGBTQ books

Some news stories I thought worth your time:

• LGBTQ Nation: Saline County, Arkansas has agreed to pay $275,000 to Patty Hector, the county library’s former executive director, to settle her lawsuit alleging county officials violated her free speech rights by firing her in October 2023.

Hector was terminated after publicly opposing a resolution to remove LGBTQ books from the children’s section of the Saline County Library. Continue reading “County To Pay $275K For Firing Librarian Over LGBTQ Books + More”

Posted on

New Spending Bill Fails To Pass As Deadline To Govt Shutdown Nears

UPDATE: The new House bill failed bigly in a 174-235-1 vote this evening. The bill required two-thirds of the majority to pass. It failed because 38 conservative Republicans and almost all House Democrats voted against the legislation. Republicans could try again to pass the bill through a simple majority, but they don’t even have those votes. Continue reading “New Spending Bill Fails To Pass As Deadline To Govt Shutdown Nears”

Posted on

Congress Passes Spending Bill + Grindr Date Gone Wrong + More News

Congress passing short-term spending bill

Some news items you might have missed: • New York Times: Lawmakers in Congress voted to pass a stopgap spending bill to avoid a federal shutdown through Dec. 20. The Senate vote was 78 to 18. The House vote was 341-82. All the “no” votes were Republicans. Continue reading “Congress Passes Spending Bill + Grindr Date Gone Wrong + More News”

Posted on

Biden Slams GOP For Anti-Pride Flag Provision In Spending Bill

The White House slammed House Republicans for slipping an anti-LGBTQ provision into the omnibus spending bill passed by Congress on Friday. Even though 50 anti-LGBTQ amendments that Republicans had tried to force into the government funding bill were defeated, a provision to ban Pride flags from flying over U.S. embassies did make it into the final language. Continue reading “Biden Slams GOP For Anti-Pride Flag Provision In Spending Bill”

Posted on

Congress Passes Temporary Spending Bill To Avoid Govt Shutdown

Congress has approved a temporary spending bill that will stave off a partial government shutdown (through the beginning of March) just one day before a crucial deadline. The House just passed the measure by a vote of 314-108. President Biden is expected to sign it before the midnight deadline on Friday. Continue reading “Congress Passes Temporary Spending Bill To Avoid Govt Shutdown”

Posted on

Far-Right House Republicans Rebel Against Spending Bill

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA)

Even though Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) have agreed to a spending bill, Johnson’s far-right Republican colleagues in the House are threatening to blow the legislation up. Continue reading “Far-Right House Republicans Rebel Against Spending Bill”

Posted on

House Passes Stopgap Spending Bill Thanks To Dems

The House of Representatives has passed a spending bill that will keep the federal government running into early 2024

Even though the House of Representatives is currently in Republican control, it was the Democrats that helped newly-elevated Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) in passing legislation that will keep the government running into early 2024. Continue reading “House Passes Stopgap Spending Bill Thanks To Dems”