White House and Congress hit by outbreak of Covid infections – US Politics Live | US News

Julie chung, the Acting Assistant Secretary of state departmentfrom the Western Hemisphere Affairs Office, just posted a series of tweets on how the United States will handle the situation in Cuba.

After years of latent tensions, Cubans have taken to the streets to protest against food shortages, high prices and the Communist regime. At least 140 were reported missing or detained, and one was killed during the protests.

“AT President Biden“The United States is actively pursuing measures that will both support the Cuban people and hold the Cuban regime to account,” Chung tweeted.

Chung echoed what the White House press secretary Jen psaki during yesterday’s press conference, including the establishment of a remittances working group to ensure that remittances – the practice of Americans transferring money to their Cuban relatives – ends up in the hands of the Cuban people, not the regime.

But in addition to increasing Embassy staff in Cuba and speeding up requests for humanitarian or medical supplies, Chung spoke of holding Cuban officials accountable.

“We will focus on the application severe penalties at regime officials responsible for the brutal crackdown, ”Chung tweeted. “Cuban officials responsible for violence, repression and human rights violations against peaceful protesters in Cuba must be held accountable. “

More Infrastructure new, Senate minority leader Mitch mcconnell spoke to Punchbowl News about the debt ceiling, what he thinks Democrats should include in the reconciliation package.

A two-year debt ceiling suspension will expire in late July, but McConnell has said he “can’t imagine” any Republican vote to raise it in the current “environment” of American parliament.

“I can’t imagine a single Republican in this environment we are in now – this free on all taxes and spending – voting to raise the debt ceiling,” McConnell told Punchbowl News. “I think the answer is they have to put it in the reconciliation invoice. “

Axios reports that in an effort to counter Republican attacks, Senate majority leader Chuck schumer will publish a report today from Moody’s Chief Economist Marc Zandi who argues that the bipartisan infrastructure deal and social spending program would help the economy.

Some key points from the report, according to Axios:

• Failure to pass the legislation “would certainly reduce the prospects for the economy,” Zandi wrote.
• Inflation the concerns are “exaggerated”.
• “Greater investments in public infrastructure and social programs will lift productivity and meworkforce growth, and attention to climate change will help prevent its increasingly corrosive economic effects, ”Zandi wrote.

Today is the day of the closing vote on the bipartite infrastructure agreement.

Members of the bipartisan group that negotiated the deal – and are still smoothing out the latest to pay for who have Republicans unhappy that they are being rushed into a procedural vote – seem optimistic that they have the general idea, but not the text.

Recall, however, that several Republicans were reluctant to go ahead with a vote to open the debate in the room on a bill without a text, when they had already done so on endless border bill in May and AAPI Hate Crimes Bill earlier this year.

A little recap because it’s wobbly and messy: there are two infrastructure bills that Democrats want to pass, the bipartisan bill on road infrastructure, bridges, public transport and broadband that was negotiated with the Republicans and Joe biden and would have been settled last month – and an ambitious $ 3.5 billion reconciliation invoice which focuses on ‘human infrastructure’ such as social services and environmental measures and has drawn comparisons with New offer.

Most Republicans are against the reconciliation bill because of its size, and believe that after negotiating for so long on the bipartisan framework, Democrats have incorporated the reconciliation bill as a comprehensive deal. The push of the majority leader Chuck schumer a closing vote today would move things forward on the bipartisan bill so Democrats can focus on the reconciliation bill.

Either way, Republicans are very opposed to Schumer rushing. Cloture requires 60 votes to pass, and while not getting the votes today doesn’t mean the end of the bipartisan deal as we know it, it would send an important message regarding Democrats’ ability to do so.

What’s up, liveblog readers. Good Wednesday. You are halfway there.

We learned yesterday that a White House official tested positive for Covid-19 after coming into contact with a member of the House speaker staff Nancy Pelosi who tested positive after escorting some Texas Democrats who tested positive this weekend.

All parties involved had been vaccinated. These are called breakthrough infections or breakthrough case: When a person who has completed all of the recommended doses of a vaccine is positive.

White House press secretary Jen psaki later revealed that there had been other cases of breakthroughs among White House staff, but did not have the exact number. A note from the attending physician United States Capitol also revealed that “several members of Congress staff vaccinated“and”a member of CongressHave tested positive.

News of these groundbreaking cases in Washington comes as the highly communicable Delta variant of the coronavirus is tearing apart in the rest of the country. The Delta variant represents 83% of all sequenced cases in the United States, according to Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Experts and officials say these groundbreaking cases underscore the importance of vaccinations: Anyone who tested positive in Washington has either mild symptoms or no symptoms, meaning there will be less running on the beds hospitals and medical services if more people get vaccinated against the virus.

Infection rates are currently highest where vaccination rates are lowest. Maya yang has more on the Delta variant here: