Learning About Presidents Day
Each year on the third Monday in February, the United States celebrates Presidents’ Day. This holiday’s history began in 1885. That’s when Congress established February 22 as a day off for all federal government workers to honor George Washington’s birthday. The Holiday’s History This was the first federal holiday created to honor an individual’s birth […]
YOU DECIDE: Should Congress Raise the Debt Ceiling?
In 1917, Congress created the “debt ceiling,” which is the maximum amount of money that the U.S. Treasury can borrow to pay for government programs and activities. Since 1959, lawmakers of both political parties have raised the debt ceiling 89 times. Most recently, in 2021, President Biden signed legislation increasing the debt ceiling to $31.4 […]
YOU DECIDE: Should Members of Congress Be Allowed to Trade Stock?
In April 2012, Congress passed the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act by a large majority of both Republicans and Democrats. The STOCK Act required members of Congress and their spouses and dependent children to publicly (and promptly) reveal when they have bought or sold shares of stock in a company. Recently, however, some […]
House Votes to Remove Confederate Statues
In August 2017, the city leaders of Charlottesville, Virginia, decided to remove a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee from a public park. In response, hundreds of white nationalists showed up for a “Unite the Right” protest. They were met by a group of counter-protestors. One of the counter protestors named Heather Heyer was […]
Congressional Republicans and Democrats Present Plans for Police Reform
George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis began a wave of protests that have swept the nation for the past month. Public outrage over instances of police violence and racial inequality have led many activists and legislators to call for police reform. But Republicans and Democrats differ on what that reform should look like. Here, btw takes […]
Stuff YOU Should Know
Children in Spain Return Outdoors No doubt about it, shelter-in-place and social distancing orders are challenging. Many of us miss our friends, classmates, and participating in the activities we once loved and perhaps took for granted. But in many other places in the world, you’d face even harsher restrictions than you do in the United […]
Congress Discusses Another Payout
This week’s story update on Election Central explains how Congress is strategizing to address the economic problems caused by COVID-19.. The coronavirus pandemic has left millions of people out of work. But what about those who still have to report to their jobs every day: the nation’s “essential workforce,” who must, with every shift, potentially […]
Stuff YOU Should Know
A Nation at War? Congress Wants a Say Last week, btw brought you a closer look at the escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran. Now, Congress is trying to dial back that tension and avoid war by putting a limit on some of the president’s war-related powers. Introduced by Virginia Senator Tim Kaine, the […]
Mueller Testifies Before Congress
On July 24, Special Counsel Robert Mueller testified before Congress about his investigation into the Trump campaign’s role in the Russian tampering in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Across the nation, Democrats and Republicans alike tuned into the televised testimony from Capitol Hill to learn what new information might come to light. Republicans hoped that […]
Government Shutdown: The Sequel
This week’s story update on the Election Central Web site explains the latest funding disagreement that almost led to another shutdown of the federal government. Just three weeks after the federal government shut down for five days, it shut down again. This time, though, you may have missed it: it shut down at 12:01am last […]