Author

Robin Bravender

Robin Bravender

Robin Bravender was the States Newsroom Washington Bureau Chief from January 2019 until June 2020. She coordinated the network’s national coverage and reported on states’ congressional delegations, federal agencies, the White House and the federal courts. Prior to that, Robin was an editor and reporter at E&E News, a reporter at Politico, and a freelance producer for Reuters TV.

Trump won’t ‘even consider’ push to rename bases honoring Confederates

By: - June 12, 2020

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee this week adopted an amendment to require the Defense Department to rename U.S. military facilities named in honor of Confederates. The amendment from Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, was adopted during a closed-door vote on annual defense policy legislation. The language was approved by a voice […]

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 10: Philonise Floyd (L), the brother of George Floyd, and his lawyer Benjamin Crump make brief statements during a break in a House Judiciary Committee hearing about police and law enforcement accountability in the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center June 10, 2020 in Washington, DC. An unarmed African-American man killed last month while in the custody of the Minneapolis police, George Floyd's death has sparked ongoing protest and outrage across the country. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

George Floyd’s brother: ‘Make sure that he is more than another face on a t-shirt’ 

By: - June 10, 2020

WASHINGTON — George Floyd’s younger brother, Philonise Floyd, pleaded with lawmakers on Capitol Hill Wednesday to ensure that his brother didn’t die in vain.  “I can’t tell you the kind of pain you feel when you watch something like that. When you watch your big brother, who you looked up to your whole entire life […]

Protesters marching and gathering in Milwaukee during the first day of demonstrations. Riot police were a few meters away. (Photo by Isiah Holmes)

Congressional Dems lay out expansive police reform plans

By: - June 9, 2020

WASHINGTON — Congressional Democrats outlined their vision for sweeping police reforms on Capitol Hill Monday, following weeks of nationwide protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd in Minnesota. “Never again should the world be subjected to witnessing what we saw on the streets of Minneapolis: the slow murder of an individual by a uniformed […]

Military aircraft fly over the National Mall as President Donald J. Trump, addresses his remarks at the Salute to America event Thursday, July 4, 2019, at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. (Official White House Photo by Tia Dufour)

Trump plans July 4 celebration despite pandemic

By: - May 29, 2020

WASHINGTON — The COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t upended President Donald Trump’s plans to hold a Fourth of July celebration in the nation’s capital this summer.  The White House told the Associated Press this week that Trump intends to move ahead with a scaled-back version of last year’s massive “Salute to America” event on the National Mall. […]

Sen. Tammy Baldwin speaks during a virtual meeting of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. (Screenshot by Robin Bravender)

Baldwin: Should White House testing standards apply to other workers? 

By: and - May 12, 2020

WASHINGTON — Sen. Tammy Baldwin pressed a top Trump administration health official Tuesday on whether other “essential” workplaces should have the same testing protocols that are being used in the White House.  At a U.S. Senate hearing, the Wisconsin Democratic lawmaker asked Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, if […]

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 08: U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh attends his ceremonial swearing in in the East Room of the White House October 08, 2018 in Washington, DC. Kavanaugh was confirmed in the Senate 50-48 after a contentious process that included several women accusing Kavanaugh of sexual assault. Kavanaugh has denied the allegations. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

U.S. Supreme Court tosses gun case as Kavanaugh urges future debate

By: - April 27, 2020

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday avoided issuing a landmark Second Amendment ruling in a closely watched gun rights case, but set the stage for future legal battles.  A divided court ruled that a challenge to New York City gun restrictions was moot because the city had later changed its regulations.  The case […]

CAMBRIDGE, WI - APRIL 25: Tina Hinchley milks cows on the family farm she shares with her husband Duane on April 25, 2017 near Cambridge, Wisconsin. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Wisconsin farmers dump milk as people go hungry. Will Washington help? 

By: - April 16, 2020

WASHINGTON — April and May are known as the “spring flush” in the dairy world.  “It has a lot to do with Mother Nature. When the sun starts shining more, cows start to become more productive, just like human beings,” said Darin Von Ruden, president of the Wisconsin Farmers Union Board of Directors and a […]

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) speaks to the media at the Capitol Building September 24, 2019 in Washington, DC. Pelosi announced a formal impeachment inquiry today after allegations that President Donald Trump sought to pressure the president of Ukraine to investigate leading Democratic presidential contender, former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, which was the subject of a reported whistle-blower complaint that the Trump administration has withheld from Congress.

New congressional panel to police COVID-19 relief spending

By: - April 2, 2020

WASHINGTON — U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced plans Thursday to form a new committee charged with overseeing the more than $2 trillion the federal government is spending in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.  The House Select Committee on the Coronavirus Crisis will consist of lawmakers from both sides of the aisle, Pelosi said, […]

U.S. Capitol | Susan J. Demas, Michigan Advance

Behemoth $2T COVID-19 response bill clears U.S. House, heads to Trump

By: - March 27, 2020

WASHINGTON — A $2 trillion bill to aid workers, health care providers and businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic is poised to become law following its passage in the U.S. House on Friday. Many House members reconvened in Washington to approve the 880-page measure, which stands to be the largest economic aid package in U.S. history. The […]

Interior Inspector General Earl Devaney speaking at Office of the Inspector General awards. (Photo by Tami Heilemann/U.S. National Archives)

Obama stimulus watchdog: ‘Bad guys’ will make play for COVID-19 relief cash

By: - March 26, 2020

  WASHINGTON — Earl Devaney is feeling déjà vu. Devaney, a former longtime federal watchdog, was hired in 2009 to police the distribution of $840 billion in federal stimulus spending for the Obama administration. He had previously worked for the U.S. Secret Service, the U.S. EPA’s environmental enforcement division and as the Interior Department’s inspector general. Now […]

U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. | Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead via Flickr Public Domain

Pandemic spurs U.S. Senate to pass historic aid package

By: - March 25, 2020

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate late Wednesday night approved a $2 trillion spending bill that aims to provide economic relief for workers and businesses and to aid hospitals and states reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic.  The chamber voted 96-0 to pass the bill in an unusual display of bipartisanship. Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin called it, […]

US Capitol pictured at dusk

U.S. Senate vows ‘big help, quick help’ with $2T coronavirus bill

By: - March 25, 2020

WASHINGTON — Lawmakers announced the framework for a bipartisan deal on a $2 trillion spending package early Wednesday morning, but specifics of a final bill and a timeline for enactment remain uncertain. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said that he expected the chamber to pass the legislation on Wednesday. He said the bill isn’t a […]