Page 57 - Us Government

Pelosi, Hoyer get evicted from prime capitol space after McCarthy ousted

Sometimes these rooms are given nicknames that have changed over the years

Running low on money to replace weapons sent to Ukraine, warns Pentagon

The Pentagon is warning Congress that it is running low on money to replace weapons the US has sent to Ukraine and has already been forced to slow down resupplying some troops, according to a letter sent to congressional leaders. The letter, obtained by The Associated Press, urges Congress to replenish funding for Ukraine. Congress averted a government shutdown by passing a short-term funding bill over the weekend, but the measure dropped all assistance for Ukraine in the battle against Russia. Pentagon Comptroller Michael McCord told House and Senate leaders there is $1.6 billion left of the $25.9 billion Congress provided to replenish US military stocks that have been flowing to Ukraine. The weapons include millions of rounds of artillery, rockets and missiles critical to Ukraine's counteroffensive aimed at taking back territory gained by Russia in the war. In addition, the US has about $5.4 billion left to provide weapons and equipment from its stockpiles. The US would have alrea

Ukraine aid left out of funding package, raises questions about US support

Congressional supporters of Ukraine say they won't give up after a bill to keep the federal government open excluded President Joe Biden's request to provide more security assistance to the war-torn nation. Still, many lawmakers acknowledge that winning approval for Ukraine assistance in Congress is growing more difficult as the war between Russia and Ukraine grinds on. Republican resistance to the aid has been gaining momentum in the halls of Congress. Voting in the House this past week pointed to the potential trouble ahead. Nearly half of House Republicans voted to strip USD 300 million from a defence spending bill to train Ukrainian soldiers and purchase weapons. The money later was approved separately, but opponents of Ukraine support celebrated their growing numbers. Then, on Saturday, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy omitted additional Ukraine aid from a measure to keep the government running until Nov. 17. In doing so, he closed the door on a Senate package that would have ...

Last-ditch plan to keep US govt open collapses, shutdown almost certain

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's last-ditch plan to keep the federal government temporarily open collapsed on Friday as hard-right holdouts rejected the package, making a shutdown almost certain. McCarthy's right-flank Republicans refused to support the bill despite its steep spending cuts of nearly 30 per cent to many agencies and severe border security provisions, calling it insufficient. The White House and Democrats rejected the Republican approach as too extreme. The bill's failure a day before Saturday's deadline to fund the government leaves few options left to prevent a shutdown that will furlough federal workers, keep the military working without pay and disrupt programmes and services for millions of Americans. The outcome puts McCarthy's speakership in serious jeopardy with almost no political leverage to lead the House at a critical moment that has pushed the government into crisis. Ahead of voting, the Republican speaker all but dared his hold-out colleagues to oppose t

China's top diplomat calls on US to host 'cooperative' APEC summit

China's foreign minister called on the US on Tuesday to do what it can to host a cooperative meeting of Asia-Pacific leaders in November, criticising those who seek to play up a confrontation between democracy and authoritarianism. Wang Yi said the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco in November should promote cooperation rather than provoke confrontation, and said the U.S. should show fairness and inclusiveness to create better conditions for a smooth meeting. We should ... oppose advocating for democracy versus authoritarianism' and imposing our own values and models on others, he said at the launch of a government report on its proposals for what it calls a global community of shared future. US President Joe Biden has sought to create alliances and partnerships with other democratic countries to build a more unified response to China's growing geopolitical influence. China is a one-party state that has been ruled by the Communist Party for more than 70 ...

Tata Power's Tamil Nadu solar cell unit gets $425 mn from US govt agency

Investment by Development Finance Corporation will supporting India in its clean energy transition, says Tata Power

India's Covid vax rate falls 75% since Apr as US, UK ready for another shot

In recent weeks, over 70 per cent of India's current vaccinations have been adminis­tered to people in the age group of 45-60 years

H-1B Visa denied, 70 Indians take legal action against US government

The agency violated the Administrative Procedure Act by exceeding its authority and deeming the plaintiffs as inadmissible without a full record of the evidence, according to the lawsuit

US govt urged to make priority dates current for Indian Green Card seekers

A group of US lawmakers has urged the Biden administration to take executive action to make priority dates current for Green Card applicants from India to reduce the 195-year-long wait period which has left them in a constant state of limbo. Led by Congressmen Raja Krishnamoorthi and Larry Bucshon, the bipartisan group of 56 lawmakers sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas requesting the administration take executive action to provide relief to high-skilled employment-based visa holders. In their letter, the US lawmakers also appealed to the administration to mark all dates for filing of employment-based visa applications in the Bureau of Consular Affairs' published Employment-Based Visa Bulletin as "current". A Green Card, known officially as a Permanent Resident Card, is a document issued to immigrants to the US as evidence that the bearer has been granted the privilege of residing permanently. The curre

US, India welcome growing energy cooperation in SCEP ministerial meeting

The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said that the two sides also recognised the importance of producing green hydrogen as a critical energy source

Judge blocks US govt from working with social media cos on protected speech

A judge on Tuesday prohibited several federal agencies and officials of the Biden administration from working with social media companies about protected speech, a decision called a blow to censorship by one of the Republican officials whose lawsuit prompted the ruling. U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty of Louisiana granted the injunction in response to a 2022 lawsuit brought by attorneys general in Louisiana and Missouri. Their lawsuit alleged that the federal government overstepped in its efforts to convince social media companies to address postings that could result in vaccine hesitancy during the COVID-19 pandemic or affect elections. Doughty cited substantial evidence of a far-reaching censorship campaign. He wrote that the evidence produced thus far depicts an almost dystopian scenario. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a period perhaps best characterised by widespread doubt and uncertainty, the United States Government seems to have assumed a role similar to an Orwellian Ministry

Biden denies US, Nato's role in Russia mutiny, calls it struggle in system

President Joe Biden declared Monday that the United States and NATO played no part in the Wagner mercenary group's short-lived insurrection in Russia, calling the uprising and the longer-term challenges it poses for President Vladimir Putin's power a struggle within the Russian system. Biden and U.S. allies supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russia's invasion emphasized their intent to be seen as staying out of the mercenaries' stunning insurgency, the biggest threat to Putin in his two decades leading Russia. They are concerned that Putin could use accusations of Western involvement to rally Russians to his defense. Biden and administration officials declined an immediate assessment of what the 22-hour uprising by the Wagner Group might mean for Russia's war in Ukraine, for mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin or for Russia itself. We're going to keep assessing the fallout of this weekend's events and the implications from Russia and Ukraine, Biden said. But it's still too early

US-India defence cooperation: Fighter jet engines to ship repairs

HAL-GE's India plant could eventually produce close to a 1,000 F414 engines

'It's the Modi phenomenon': Diaspora ahead of PM Narendra Modi's visit

Senators and Congressmen are having a tough time deciding whom to give their one ticket to watch the speech of the prime minister from the visitor's gallery

US share in India's merchandise exports up despite diversification move

Between FY12 and FY23, the US share in India's import basket rose from 4.8 per cent to 7 per cent

Debt limit deal in place but budget deficit still a challenge for US govt

Even with the new spending restraints in the debt limit deal that cut borrowing by USD 1.5 trillion, the US government's deficits are still on course to keep climbing to record levels over the next few decades. The projections are a sign that the two-year truce between President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., might be only a pause before a far more wrenching set of showdowns over the federal budget. The Congressional Budget Office said Tuesday that the agreement would reduce spending by USD 1.3 trillion and interest payments by USD 188 billion over 10 years. But that sum is too modest to fully offset the growing costs of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Both Biden and McCarthy ruled out any cuts to Social Security and Medicare, two programs that benefit older voters, before their teams even began their budget talks. That omission reflects the politics around two popular programs as Democrats and Republicans prepare for next year's presidential ...

US announces criminal cases involving flow of information to Russia, China

The Justice Department announced a series of criminal cases Tuesday tracing the illegal flow of sensitive technology, including Apple's software code for self-driving cars and materials used for missiles, to foreign adversaries like Russia, China and Iran. Some of the alleged theft highlighted by the department dates back several years, but U.S. officials are drawing attention to the collection of cases now to highlight the work of a task force created this year to disrupt the transfer of goods to foreign countries. We are committed to doing all we can to prevent these advanced tools from falling into the hands of adversaries who wield them in a way that threatens not only our national security but democratic values everywhere, said Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen, who heads the Justice Department's national security division. One of the cases, unsealed Tuesday in federal court in Los Angeles, accuses a former software engineer from Apple of taking proprietary data related

Government rejects US report criticising India on religious freedom

India on Tuesday trashed as "motivated" and "biased" a report by the US State Department on religious freedom that criticised the country for alleged attacks on minorities. External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said such reports continue to be based on "misinformation and flawed understanding". The annual report listed alleged attacks on religious minorities in India and expressed concerns over such incidents. "We are aware of the release of the US State Department 2022 Report on International Religious Freedom. Regrettably, such reports continue to be based on misinformation and flawed understanding," Bagchi said. "Motivated and biased commentary by some US officials only serves to undermine further the credibility of these reports," he said. Bagchi was responding to media queries on the report. "We value our partnership with the US and will continue to have frank exchanges on issues of concern to us," he said. The report that documents the status of religious f

US govt working on new regulations for airline cancellations, delays

The Biden administration is working on new regulations that would require airlines to compensate passengers and cover their meals and hotel rooms if they are stranded for reasons within the airline's control. The White House said President Joe Biden and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg would announce the start of the rulemaking process Monday. The rulemaking pledge continues a push by the Democratic administration to require airlines to improve customer service, and it comes just weeks before the start of the peak summer travel season. The aim of the rules would be, for the first time, to require airlines to pay compensation beyond a ticket refund and to cover expenses that consumers incur, including rebooking on another flight, if the airline causes a cancellation or significant delay. When an airline causes a flight cancellation or delay, passengers should not foot the bill, Buttigieg said in a statement. Currently, when an airline cancels a flight for any reason, consume

US probes how companies use AI to monitor and manage workers

White House is probing how companies use artificial intelligence to monitor and manage workers, practices the Biden Administration says are increasingly prevalent and can inflict significant harm