In the News
WASHINGTON — Tucked into the folds of the federal government's latest $1.5 trillion spending bill lies more than $280 million to fund initiatives for Texans. Those projects range from expanding the San Antonio police department's mental health unit and improving flood mitigation in coastal counties to planting a sustainable community garden at a high school and building a Gandhi museum in Houston.
The money comes from a federal budgeting practice known as earmarking, in which members of Congress request direct funding to their local districts. The practice was banned by Republicans after they won control of Congress during the 2010 midterm election, citing fiscal responsibility, but this past year, Democrats brought the practice back with some additional safeguards in place.
Tucked into the folds of the federal government's latest $1.5 trillion spending bill lies more than $280 million to fund initiatives for Texans. Those projects range from expanding the San Antonio police department's mental health unit and improving flood mitigation in coastal counties to planting a sustainable community garden at a high school and building a Gandhi museum in Houston.
The money comes from a federal budgeting practice known as earmarking, in which members of Congress request direct funding to their local districts. The practice was banned by Republicans after they won control of Congress during the 2010 midterm election, citing fiscal responsibility, but this past year, Democrats brought the practice back with some additional safeguards in place.
TEXAS — Families are fleeing home to protect their children. These aren't refugees from war-torn countries, they're Texans. Since the Texas Legislature passed numerous laws restricting trans rights, families have considered moving out of state.
Spectrum News 1 has learned after Gov. Greg Abbott's directive to investigate gender-affirming care for trans children as child abuse, even more families are planning to say goodbye to their home state.
We've spoken to nonprofit groups and transgender community members who connected us to families that are considering moving, in the process of moving or have already moved. From what we've heard, those numbers are in the dozens, but most likely include more. And depending on what happens next, it could get much worse.
Baylor College of Medicine hosted U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia (TX-29) for a check presentation from the Congressional Community Project Funding program that will support Baylor and Harris Health's long-COVID care clinics. The funding is part of the Bipartisan Omnibus Appropriations Bill.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Texas Democratic delegation in Congress want President Biden to intervene to stop Gov. Greg Abbott's decision to impede commercial truck traffic heading north out of Mexico.
Abbott told Texas Department of Public Safety troopers to inspect all northbound trucks as soon as they had crossed commercial land ports in Texas. He said this was to improve border security and check the safety of the trucks. The trucks have already been inspected by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
In their letter, the Democratic members of Congress describe Abbott's policy directive as a "political stunt."
Baylor College of Medicine on Wednesday was awarded $1.1 million from the federal government to open a new long-COVID clinic in the Houston area.
Baylor already operates a Post COVID Care Clinic at the McNair campus in the Texas Medical Center. The funds will help the medical school expand services to uninsured patients at Harris Health System's Strawberry Clinic, located in East Harris County.
Public health experts predict long COVID will be one of most apparent remnants of the pandemic, even as virus transmission dwindles. It encompasses a wide range of new, returning or ongoing health problems that people may experience more than four weeks after their initial COVID infection, according to the American Medical Association. Brain fog, muscle fatigue, loss of taste, chest pain, heart problems and, in some cases, depression have been linked to the diagnosis.
In reaction to US sanctions against State Duma members, Russia blacklisted 398 members of the US House of Representatives. This was reported on the Russian Foreign Ministry's website on Wednesday, April 13.
"In response to the next" wave "of anti-Russian sanctions imposed by the Administration of George Biden on March 24 this year against 328 deputies of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, which, taking into account the Russian parliamentarians previously blacklisted, makes up almost its entire composition, "mirror" sanctions restrictions are being introduced against 398 members of the House of Representatives of the US Congress," the agency said in a statement.
A new funding project that's a part of the Bipartisan Omnibus Appropriations Bill doled out over $10 million to health care institutions — and a Houston initiative is cashing in on a chunk of that funding.
Baylor College of Medicine and Harris Health's long-COVID care clinics received $1.1 million from the the Congressional Community Project Funding program. U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia (TX-29) attended the check presentation of the funding, as did Harris Health CEO Dr. Esmaeil Porsa, BCM President, CEO, and Executive Dean Dr. Paul Klotman, and Regional Director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Sima Ladjevardian.
EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — El Paso Representative Veronica Escobar sent a letter to President Biden urging him to address Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's commercial vehicle inspection policy at the border.
The letter, which was co-signed by the entire Texas Democratic Congressional Delegation, comes on the heels of Governor Abbott's recent directive to increase inspections of commercial vehicles at land ports of entry.
WASHINGTON, D.C., USA — A bus carrying migrants from Texas arrived in Washington, D.C. this morning and a second bus is on the way, according to Gov. Greg Abbott.
The governor said the bus was filled with migrants from the countries of Colombia, Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua. It came from Del Rio, Texas, according to reports. There are men, women and children seeking asylum in the U.S.
Some of the migrants told WUSA, our sister station in D.C., that they had plenty of food and water during the more than 30-hour trip. Some already had secondary stops planned out.
A second bus arrived in D.C. at about 3:30 a.m. Thursday.