DC BUREAU

Our Washington, D.C., bureau reports on congressional delegations and key Supreme Court and administrative decisions that affect our state.

STAFF

Jane Norman

DC Bureau Chief

Jane directs national coverage, managing staff and freelance reporters in the nation’s capital and assigning and editing state-specific daily and enterprise stories.

Jacob Fischler

DC Bureau Senior Reporter

Jacob covers federal policy as a senior reporter for States Newsroom. Based in Oregon, he focuses on Western issues. His coverage areas include climate, energy development, public lands and infrastructure.

Ashley Murray

DC Bureau Senior Reporter

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

Jennifer Shutt

DC Bureau Senior Reporter

Jennifer covers the nation’s capital as a senior reporter for States Newsroom. Her coverage areas include congressional policy, politics and legal challenges with a focus on health care, unemployment, housing and aid to families.

Ariana Figueroa

DC Bureau Reporter

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

STORIES

WASHINGTON, D.C. — People protest in response to the Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on June 24, 2022, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

U.S. Senate Democrats urge ‘bold action’ by Biden on abortion rights

BY: - June 28, 2022

 Most of the Democrats in the U.S. Senate have signed on to a letter to President Joe Biden pressing him to “take immediate action” to protect abortion rights, following the U.S. Supreme Court’s Friday ruling overturning Roe v. Wade.  The one-page letter, led by Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray of Washington […]

U.S. President Joe Biden called for Congress to pass laws protecting abortion rights after the U.S. Supreme Court sent abortion decisions back to states. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Voters ‘have the final word’ in protecting abortion rights, Biden says

BY: - June 24, 2022

President Joe Biden on Friday called for Congress to pass laws protecting abortion rights and for voters to elect pro-rights candidates on “a sad day for the country” after a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling on abortion. Biden pledged to fight for policies that protect abortion access, including interstate travel and access to federally approved […]

The opinion by six of the Court’s nine justices will allow each state to set its own abortion laws, leading to a patchwork of access throughout the country. Photo from U.S. Supreme Court website

UPDATED U.S. Supreme Court overturns right to abortion in landmark decision

BY: - June 24, 2022

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that established abortion as a constitutional right.  The decision by six of the Court’s nine justices will allow each state to set its own abortion laws, leading to a patchwork of access throughout the country. The result is expected to […]

(Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Access to abortion for members of the military expanded in Pentagon spending bill

BY: - June 23, 2022

WASHINGTON — Democrats in Congress are pushing to increase access to abortion for members of the military, concerned a U.S. Supreme Court decision that could end the constitutional right will harm troops.  The U.S. House’s annual funding bill for the Defense Department would require the Pentagon to provide leave to troops and civilian employees seeking […]

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Nov. 7, 2020 -A supporter of Donald Trump yells at a Black Lives Matter supporter during a "Stop the Steal" rally, the same day President-elect Joe Biden clinched his win. (Photo: Ray Di Pietro)

U.S. House members warned about disinformation in upcoming campaigns

BY: - June 23, 2022

WASHINGTON — Experts on election security warned lawmakers during a U.S. House Administration hearing on Wednesday of targeted disinformation campaigns that could occur in the upcoming midterm and presidential elections. The panel of witnesses also stressed to members of the subcommittee on elections the dangers of conspiracy groups and their reach in sowing disinformation about […]

Filling up. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

Biden pitches a summer gas tax holiday as price hovers around $5 a gallon

BY: - June 22, 2022

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Wednesday called on Congress and state legislatures to provide a temporary reprieve from gas taxes —but members of his own party and Republicans appeared opposed, making it look likely on the federal level. In addition, many state legislatures are out of session for the year and aren’t expected to […]

testify during the fourth hearing held by the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol on June 21, 2022 in the Cannon House Office Building in Washington, DC. The bipartisan committee, which has been gathering evidence related to the January 6, 2021 attack at the U.S. Capitol for almost a year, is presenting its findings in a series of televised hearings. On January 6, 2021, supporters of President Donald Trump attacked the U.S. Capitol Building in an attempt to disrupt a congressional vote to confirm the electoral college win for Joe Biden. (Photo by Michael Reynolds-Pool/Getty Images)

Trump led pressure campaign on state election officials, Jan. 6 panel says

BY: - June 21, 2022

Former President Donald Trump was directly involved in efforts to pressure state officials in Georgia, Arizona and elsewhere to overturn the 2020 election results in their states, according to evidence the U.S. House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack presented Tuesday at the panel’s fourth hearing this month. Trump and his attorneys knew that […]

Gabriel Sterling, voting systems implementation manager for Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, criticized President Donald Trump and then-Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler for not publicly condemning threats of violence after a technician working in Gwinnett County received death threats. (Photo: Stanley Dunlap/Georgia Recorder)

Georgia, Arizona GOP officials to testify before Jan. 6 panel

BY: - June 20, 2022

The fourth Jan. 6 hearing on Tuesday will focus on pressure put by President Donald Trump and his allies on state officials in Georgia, Arizona and elsewhere to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. The U.S. House hearing will include live testimony from Republican officials in those states, committee aides said Monday. It begins at […]

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 16: A tweet from former President Donald Trump is displayed during the third hearing of the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol in the Cannon House Office Building on June 16, 2022 in Washington, DC. The bipartisan committee, which has been gathering evidence for almost a year related to the January 6 attack at the U.S. Capitol, is presenting its findings in a series of televised hearings. On January 6, 2021, supporters of former President Donald Trump attacked the U.S. Capitol Building during an attempt to disrupt a congressional vote to confirm the electoral college win for President Joe Biden (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Pence was within 40 feet of mob inflamed by Trump, Jan. 6 committee reveals

BY: - June 16, 2022

The private and public conflict between Donald Trump and Mike Pence over certifying the 2020 election results put the vice president within steps of the Jan. 6 attackers, the U.S. House committee investigating the insurrection said Thursday the U.S. House committee investigating the insurrection said Thursday. As the mob approached the U.S. Senate chamber in the […]

Capitol surveillance footage released by the House Jan. 6 panel showed Rep. Barry Loudermilk’s (at right) tour group taking pictures of basement areas normally not of interest to tourists, but possibly useful to people planning to seize the Capitol. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images (File) (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Jan. 6 panel video shows Loudermilk tour group photographing in Capitol office buildings

BY: - June 15, 2022

 The day before the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, Georgia Rep. Barry Loudermilk gave a tour to a group that included a man who took unusual photos in House office buildings, including of stairwells, tunnels and security checkpoints, the House committee investigating the attack said Wednesday. On the day of the insurrection, the […]

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

U.S. Senate GOP leader McConnell ‘comfortable’ with framework for gun control bill

BY: - June 14, 2022

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday said he is comfortable with the bipartisan deal Senate Democrats and Republicans struck on gun control legislation, signaling that he will join in passing a bill when it comes to a vote. “For myself, I’m comfortable with the framework,” the Kentucky Republican said during a […]

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 13: (L-R) Election attorney Benjamin Ginsberg, BJay Pak, former U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, and Al Schmidt, former Philadelphia City Commissioner, testify during a hearing by the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol in the Cannon House Office Building on June 13, 2022 in Washington, DC. The bipartisan committee, which has been gathering evidence for almost a year related to the January 6 attack at the U.S. Capitol, will present its findings in a series of televised hearings. On January 6, 2021, supporters of former President Donald Trump attacked the U.S. Capitol Building during an attempt to disrupt a congressional vote to confirm the electoral college win for President Joe Biden. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Trump spread claims of election fraud debunked by his own legal team, Jan. 6 panel says

BY: - June 13, 2022

Former President Donald Trump planted the seeds for the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by continually promoting theories that he lost the 2020 election through fraud, even though top advisers and officials told him there was no evidence to support the claim, according to testimony a U.S. House committee presented Monday. In its […]