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.

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, led a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on gun violence on Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023. (Screenshot from U.S. Senate webcast)

Gun violence as a public health crisis explored by U.S. Senate Democrats

By: - November 30, 2023

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats on Tuesday discussed how to treat gun violence as a public health crisis, in hopes of building upon last year’s federal gun safety legislation. “Across the country, gun violence is a public health epidemic,” Illinois Democrat Dick Durbin, the chairman of the committee, said in his opening remarks. […]

Student debt relief activist rally in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on June 30, 2023 in Washington, D.C. The Supreme Court stuck down the Biden administration’s student debt forgiveness program in Biden v. Nebraska. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Attempt to kill Biden student debt relief plan tied to income fails in U.S. Senate

By: - November 16, 2023

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Republicans on Wednesday night failed to garner enough votes to block a new Biden administration rule on an income-driven repayment plan for federal student loans. The resolution did not pass, 49-50. Sen. Joe Manchin III of West Virginia was the sole Democrat who joined Republicans in backing the resolution. Sen. Tim […]

Sen. Joe Manchin III, D-W.Va., left, talks with Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., as they arrive for a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on Capitol Hill Oct. 31, 2023 in Washington, D.C. Manchin announced on Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023, he will not run for reelection in 2024. Tester is running and is one of the Senate’s more vulnerable incumbents. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Democrats’ struggle to keep U.S. Senate majority complicated by Manchin decision 

By: , and - November 13, 2023

WASHINGTON — U.S. Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin III announced Thursday he does not plan to run for reelection come 2024, giving Republicans an opportunity to pick up a seat and increasing their chances of flipping Senate control. A centrist who has long frustrated his party’s leadership and outside advocacy groups with his views on fossil […]

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023, heard a case on a federal law that prevents the possession of firearms by a person who is subject to a domestic violence protective order. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

U.S. Supreme Court considers case dealing with gun rights and domestic violence

By: - November 8, 2023

WASHINGTON — U.S. Supreme Court justices during Tuesday’s oral arguments seemed to lean toward upholding a federal law that prevents the possession of firearms by a person who is subject to a domestic violence protective order. Liberal and conservative justices appeared to side with the Biden administration’s position that the 1994 federal law is in […]

U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., left, shakes hands with Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., as the House of Representatives holds an election for a new speaker of the House at the U.S. Capitol on Oct. 25, 2023 in Washington, D.C. (Win McNamee)

Mike Johnson of Louisiana elected speaker of the U.S. House after three weeks of stalemate

By: and - October 25, 2023

WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans on Wednesday voted for Louisiana’s Mike Johnson as speaker in a chamber that has been frozen for more than three weeks after former Speaker Kevin McCarthy was ousted. In a 220-209 party-line vote, all Republicans present backed Johnson. All Democrats present voted for Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York. […]

U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., leaves a House Republican conference meeting in the Longworth House Office Building on Capitol Hill on Oct. 24, 2023 in Washington, D.C. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Mike Johnson of Louisiana picked as newest GOP nominee for U.S. House speaker

By: and - October 24, 2023

WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans late Tuesday voted to tap Louisiana’s Mike Johnson as speaker after the GOP nominee from earlier in the day was tanked. Johnson, 51, is the fourth Republican nominee attempting to break the deadlock in the lower chamber that has been leaderless and frozen for three weeks. He is the second […]

U.S. House gripped by paralysis again after GOP punts proposal for speaker pro tem

U.S. House gripped by paralysis again after GOP punts proposal for speaker pro tem

By: , and - October 19, 2023

WASHINGTON — A resolution meant to temporarily allow U.S. House Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry of North Carolina to move critical legislation won’t be acted on, House Republicans said following a tense, closed-door meeting on Thursday. But it appeared that the House will vote a third time on whether Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan will serve […]

Immigrants wait overnight next to the U.S.-Mexico border fence to seek asylum in the United States on Jan. 07, 2023 as viewed from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. As of August, there is a backlog of more than 2.6 million pending immigration cases, according to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, a research center at Syracuse University. (John Moore/Getty Images)

Independent immigration court system advocated in U.S. Senate hearing

By: - October 19, 2023

WASHINGTON — An immigration judge and lawyer told a U.S. Senate Judiciary panel on Wednesday that an independent immigration court would help ease a  backlog of more than 2 million pending cases. Because the immigration court system is an arm of the U.S. Justice Department — the Executive Office for Immigration Review — each presidential […]

U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, right, talks to Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., as the House of Representatives prepares to hold a vote on a new speaker of the House at the U.S. Capitol on Oct. 18, 2023, in Washington, D.C. Jordan’s bid to become speaker fell short a second time. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

U.S. House stalled again after rejecting Jim Jordan as speaker a second time

By: and - October 18, 2023

WASHINGTON — Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan in his second bid for U.S. House speaker on Wednesday failed to win enough support from his fellow Republicans, leaving the party deadlocked with no clear path to govern the chamber. Jordan’s 200 votes on a first ballot on Tuesday dropped Wednesday to 199, a signal from centrist Republicans […]

U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, walks to the House chamber ahead of a planned vote for Speaker of the House in the House of Representatives at the U.S. Capitol on Oct. 17, 2023 in Washington, D.C. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Ohio’s Jim Jordan fails in bid for U.S. House speaker, leaving chamber paralyzed again

By: , and - October 18, 2023

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House rejected Ohio’s Jim Jordan as a candidate for speaker on Tuesday, though he vowed to secure the votes needed in the days ahead. Jordan’s decision to try to rally roughly 20 holdouts to his side leaves the House frozen, unable to take up legislation to fund the government ahead of […]

U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., arrives to a House Republican Conference meeting at the U.S. Capitol on Oct. 12, 2023 in Washington, DC. The House Republicans continue to debate their pick for speaker after their initial candidate, Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., appeared to lack the majority of the needed votes on the floor. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

There’s still no speaker of the U.S. House. Could Patrick McHenry be the solution?

By: , and - October 13, 2023

WASHINGTON — Louisiana Republican Rep. Steve Scalise stepped into a closed-door meeting at the U.S. Capitol Thursday to negotiate with more than a dozen holdout Republicans in his quest to become the next speaker of the House, though dissent only seemed to grow following the three-hour session. On Thursday night, Scalise announced he was dropping […]

Louisiana Republican Rep. Steve Scalise, who is running to become speaker of the U.S. House, talks with reporters on Tuesday, Oct. 10 following a closed-door candidate forum at the U.S. Capitol. (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

Scalise nominated by U.S. House GOP as speaker in closed-door meeting

By: , and - October 11, 2023

WASHINGTON — Uncertainty and party infighting over the next U.S. House speaker prevailed at the Capitol Wednesday evening, despite a majority of Republicans picking Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise as their nominee behind closed doors earlier in the day. The chamber adjourned and was scheduled to return at noon Thursday to again try to elect a […]