Ed Felker

Aug 12, 2024 | rollcall.com | Ed Felker

The nation’s disaster agency is being stretched to the limit by a spate of storms and wildfires so far in 2024, and the busiest time of year for the Federal Emergency Management Agency is just beginning. FEMA issued 100 disaster and emergency declarations — for 58 severe storms and flooding events and 42 fires — through the first week of August, according to the agency’s database.

Nov 5, 2023 | rollcall.com | Valerie Yurk |Ed Felker

The Biden administration announced $16.4 billion in funding for 25 passenger rail projects along Amtrak’s busy Northeast Corridor, with roughly half going to two major rail bottlenecks that President Joe Biden visited at the beginning of the year. Biden plans to highlight the Amtrak funding Monday during a visit to New Castle County in Delaware.

Oct 10, 2023 | rollcall.com | Ed Felker |Caroline Coudriet

President Joe Biden on Tuesday said his administration would ask Congress to fund security assistance for Israel, days after the start of a bloody conflict that has already claimed more than 1,000 lives. “When Congress returns, we’re going to ask them to take urgent action to fund the national security requirements of our critical partners,” he said. “This is not about party or politics.

Sep 25, 2023 | rollcall.com | Peter Cohn |Ed Felker

Why is this shutdown, if one occurs, not like the others in recent history? U.S. military servicemembers, who have to report for duty anyway due to the critical nature of their jobs, wouldn’t get paid. During the prolonged partial government shutdowns in late 1995-early 1996, 2013 and late 2018-early 2019 — the longest in modern history at 21, 16 and 34 days, respectively — active-duty military and reservists received their salaries during the funding lapses.

Sep 19, 2023 | rollcall.com | Briana Reilly |Ed Felker

House Republicans fell short in their effort to muster the votes Tuesday to begin consideration of the fiscal 2024 Defense appropriations bill, leaving the chamber in limbo over next year’s spending plans as the funding deadline looms. Five GOP lawmakers joined with Democrats to tank adoption of the rule tied to the $826.4 billion Pentagon bill amid ongoing conservative opposition to issues unrelated to military funding. The Republican no-votes were Reps.