David Sherfinski

White House requests $715 billion for Pentagon in 2022, holding DoD spending essentially flat

The White House on Friday released its initial framework of President Biden's proposed budget for fiscal 2022, which gives only a slight boost in funding for the Pentagon and a bigger increase for domestic spending programs in areas such as housing, climate change and gun control.

April 9, 2021

Biden ‘clear-eyed’ about getting gun background checks through Congress: White House

The White House on Thursday poured cold water on the prospects of major gun control legislation passing Congress this year, leaving President Biden's narrow executive actions tightening firearms regulations as the likely limit of his influence, despite heavy pressure from his base.

April 8, 2021

Biden announces executive actions to combat ‘crisis’ of gun violence

President Biden on Thursday announced his first major executive actions on gun control since taking office, saying his administration plans to issue new regulations for "ghost" guns and braces, publish model "red flag" laws for states, and prioritize violence intervention programs.

April 8, 2021

SBA suspends application portal for shuttered venue relief program

The Small Business Administration had to suspend an application portal for a new coronavirus relief program Thursday a day after a government watchdog cast doubt on whether the SBA was prepared to properly oversee it.

April 8, 2021

Republican senators push back after Biden says they didn’t move an ‘inch’ on COVID-19 relief

A group of 10 Republican senators pushed back Wednesday evening against President Biden's comments that they refused to move an "inch" off their initial coronavirus relief offer from earlier this year.

April 7, 2021

IMF report finds public debt hits 97% of world’s economy

Average public debt hit an "unprecedented" 97% of the world's economy in 2020, driven largely by the U.S., which had the worst fiscal balance among Western advanced economies, according to an International Monetary Fund report released Wednesday.

April 7, 2021

Joe Biden caves on huge corporate tax increase in infrastructure plan

President Biden said Wednesday he's willing to scale back a proposed corporate tax increase in his massive infrastructure plan amid resistance from a key Senate Democrat and a new study that said the plan would sap wages and economic growth in the long run.

April 7, 2021

Joe Biden defends $2.25 trillion package: ‘The idea of infrastructure has always evolved’

President Biden on Wednesday defended his $2.25 trillion infrastructure package as vital for America to compete with world superpowers such as China, saying that items like high-speed internet and clean energy should fall under an evolving definition of "infrastructure."

April 7, 2021

Biden’s infrastructure plan totals $2.7 trillion in spending, cuts GDP, debt long-term: study

President Biden's newly released infrastructure package would cost $2.7 trillion over a decade and reduce both GDP and debt in the long term, according to a study released on Wednesday.

April 7, 2021

State attorneys general challenge Janet Yellen over tax mandate in coronavirus relief package

Arizona is using Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen's own words against her in its legal challenge to President Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package.

April 6, 2021

Biden says he hasn’t spoken to Fed chairman Jerome Powell since taking office

President Biden said Tuesday he has not spoken to Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell since taking office, saying he wants the Fed to maintain its independence.

April 6, 2021

Biden’s infrastructure plan projected to create 2.7 million jobs, not 19 million: White House

The White House clarified Tuesday that one study projects that President Biden's $2.25 trillion infrastructure package will create roughly 2.7 million jobs -- not the 19 million jobs administration officials had touted over the weekend.

April 6, 2021

Border wall construction paused ‘to the extent permitted by law’: White House

The White House said Tuesday that construction on the U.S.-Mexico border wall is paused to the extent possible, while acknowledging that some funding for wall construction has already been authorized by Congress.

April 6, 2021

Biden assembles team to sell $2.25 trillion infrastructure plan at first in-person Cabinet meeting

President Biden on Thursday convened his first in-person Cabinet meeting since taking office, tapping a handful of his top officials to sell his newly announced $2.25 trillion infrastructure and climate package.

April 1, 2021

FBI gun checks in March break all-time record

There were nearly 4.7 million gun background checks run through the FBI's national instant check system in March -- the highest-ever monthly total in the more than 20 years since the system was set up.

April 1, 2021

Joe Biden: MLB should consider moving All-Star game out of Georgia over voting law

Ahead of MLB's Opening Day, President Biden on Wednesday said professional baseball should consider moving the league's All-Star game out of Georgia over the state's newly enacted election law, which Mr. Biden described as "Jim Crow on steroids."

March 31, 2021

Biden to convene first official Cabinet meeting Thursday

President Biden plans to convene his first official Cabinet meeting on Thursday, according to the White House.

March 31, 2021

Joe Biden rolls out $2.25 trillion spending plan for infrastructure, caregiving, manufacturing

President Biden on Wednesday laid out a sweeping $2.25 trillion infrastructure package and an array of corporate tax hikes to pay for the plan, touting his proposals as a "once-in-a-generation" investment in initiatives like roads, bridges, broadband and manufacturing.

March 31, 2021

Biden’s commitment to name Black woman to SCOTUS still in play: White House

The White House said Tuesday that President Biden's commitment during the campaign to nominate a Black woman for the U.S. Supreme Court is absolutely still on the table.

March 30, 2021

White House touts new funding, research efforts to combat anti-Asian ‘violence, xenophobia and bias’

The Biden administration on Tuesday announced a handful of new actions to protect Asian Americans from violence, including the Justice Department prioritizing prosecutions of anti-Asian hate crimes.

March 30, 2021