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

U.S. government shutdown days away as Congress struggles on Ukraine aid, COVID-19 relief

BY: - March 7, 2022

WASHINGTON — With just five days left before government funding expires, Democrats and Republicans are trying to reach agreement on $1.5 trillion in federal spending as well as billions more in assistance to Ukraine and COVID-19 relief.  U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Monday afternoon that both political parties were “very close” to reaching […]

White House allows Ukrainian nationals to stay in the U.S. without fear of deportation

BY: - March 7, 2022

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is granting Temporary Protected Status that will shield Ukrainian nationals living in the United States from deportation, following pressure from members of Congress. “Russia’s premeditated and unprovoked attack on Ukraine has resulted in an ongoing war, senseless violence, and Ukrainians forced to seek refuge in other countries,” […]

A year after Jan. 6, attack on the U.S. Capitol lives on in hundreds of court cases

BY: - March 4, 2022

On the afternoon of Jan. 6, 2021, four men affiliated with the Kansas City chapter of the right-wing Proud Boys gathered on the west side of the U.S. Capitol, along with thousands of others urged on by then-President Donald Trump. The crowd pushed ahead and overwhelmed the few Capitol Police officers guarding the entrance, toppling […]

‘A crisis that is hiding in plain sight’: Missing and murdered women of color

BY: - March 4, 2022

WASHINGTON — Parents at a Thursday congressional hearing about missing and murdered women of color detailed their frustrating attempts to get the attention of law enforcement and adequate media coverage.  “This is a crisis that is hiding in plain sight,” said Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Democrat and chair of the U.S. House Oversight Subcommittee […]

White House wants $10 billion for Ukraine aid, $22.5 billion for more COVID help

BY: - March 3, 2022

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is asking Congress to provide $10 billion in assistance to Ukraine and $22.5 billion in COVID-19 funding on a fast timeline — within the next week.  White House acting budget director Shalanda Young wrote in a letter to lawmakers that this likely won’t be the last emergency funding request for […]

Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson meets with top members of U.S. Senate

BY: - March 2, 2022

WASHINGTON — U.S. Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson began the arduous Senate confirmation process Wednesday, meeting on Capitol Hill with four key senators.  Jackson, who would become the first Black woman on the court if confirmed, started her morning with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat. Schumer said he expects Republicans […]

Voting snafus in Texas primary show what may be on the way for other states

BY: - March 2, 2022

HOUSTON — Standing outside a polling location in the historically Black neighborhood of Kashmere Gardens on Election Day, lieutenant governor candidate Carla Brailey predicted that Texas’ performance in 2022’s first primary would gain national attention — no matter the outcome. Texas is already a model for other Republican-controlled states for its new law that makes […]

Biden in State of the Union urges ‘unmistakable’ support for democracy in Ukraine

BY: and - March 2, 2022

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden used his first State of the Union address on Tuesday night to reassert America as a leading global voice for democracy and condemn Russian President Vladimir Putin for starting an “unprovoked” war in Ukraine.  “Throughout our history we’ve learned this lesson – when dictators do not pay a price for […]

Biden OKs release of 30 million barrels of oil from Strategic Petroleum Reserve

BY: - March 1, 2022

President Joe Biden authorized on Tuesday the release of 30 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, part of an international boost to the global oil supply that has been disrupted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The reserve is a complex of four sites with deep underground storage caverns in salt domes along […]

Marjorie Taylor Greene spoke at an event led by a white nationalist and has no regrets

BY: - March 1, 2022

WASHINGTON — Georgia Republican U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is doubling down on her decision to give a speech at a far-right conference with ties to white supremacists over the weekend.  In a statement released Sunday night, Greene argued that she went to talk to audience members about “America First” policies. “We’re going to focus […]

White House builds on Russia sanctions, OKs more military aid for Ukraine

BY: - March 1, 2022

Tensions between the Biden administration and Russian leaders ratcheted up yet again Monday as Russia continued its unrelenting assault on Ukraine. President Joe Biden authorized an additional $350 million of security assistance to Ukraine over the weekend, bringing the total aid over the past year to $1 billion, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said […]

Here’s what you will hear Biden talk about in his debut State of the Union

BY: - February 28, 2022

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s first State of the Union address is set to focus significantly on the economy, with the former member of the U.S. Senate calling on Congress to pass much of the agenda stalled in the so-called Build Back Better bill.  During the Tuesday night speech, which begins at 9 p.m. ET, […]