Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are racing against the clock to avert a catastrophic debt default. The Senate is taking up a debt limit fast-track plan Thursday before the Dec. 15 deadline to avoid the default, which both Republicans and Democrats say would trigger financial disaster. At least 10 Republican senators need to vote with Democrats to advance the bill.
The Senate voted Wednesday to block President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate for the private sector. Two Democrats joined Republicans to pass the resolution. They challenged the measure under the Congressional Review Act, which allows them to overturn new regulations by federal offices such as OSHA. Two Democrats broke party ranks: Sens Joe Manchin and Jon Tester. This comes as the FDA asked a judge to give it 75 years to release hundreds of thousands of documents about the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. The FDA says one of its centers keeps the records sought by the plaintiff but it only has 10 staff members. The federal agency also says their proposed 75-year schedule will allow them to respond to other information requests.
