This week President Joe Biden released his budget proposal it now marks the start of a clash with Republicans over the federal budget.
His proposals include new taxes on wealthy Americans, a reduction in the federal deficit and increased funding for the Pentagon.
In Congress, Republicans have yet to release their own budget, but House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., blasted Biden’s proposal as “complete nonsense.”
Senate Republicans are also operating without their top member after Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., suffered a drop this week that landed him in the hospital with a concussion. The 81-year-old is expected to stay in hospital for a few days.
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What happened this week in politics?
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Biden released his budget proposal, which includes raising taxes on the wealthiest Americans and businesses with the goal of expanding the government’s social safety net and improving the economy. His proposal is already facing pushback in the Republican-controlled House.
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McConnell fell at a hotel on Wednesday and has been hospitalized for a concussion. His spokesman said the Kentucky lawmaker tripped and is expected to remain in the hospital for a few days.
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A USA TODAY/Ipsos poll found that a majority of Americans view the term “woke” as positive and mean “being informed, educated about and aware of social injustices.”
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Former President Donald Trump was invited to testify before a Manhattan grand jury in a criminal investigation that centers on sending hush money payments to a former porn star. Trump called the district attorney’s action “simply crazy.”
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Fox News host Tucker Carlson broadcast footage from the attack on the Capitol on January 6, releasing over 41,000 hours of video from the riot. His decision to release the footage caused a split between McCarthy and McConnell, who disagreed over whether Carlson was misrepresenting what happened that day.
Takeaways from Biden’s budget
Biden published its budget proposalwhich reveals his priorities amid a battle with Republicans over the nation’s debt.
His $6.9 trillion budget is an 8% increase over this year’s budget and includes proposals to increase funding for the Department of Defense, increase non-defense discretionary spending and an increase in mandatory spending for programs like Medicare and Social Security.
It also includes proposals to fund national paid family leave and subsidize child care and free community college for many low-income students.
More: There is no date yet on the GOP budget
McConnell hospitalized for concussion
McConnell is expected to remain hospitalized after stumbling upon a dinner event at a hotel in Washington DC and suffers a concussion. Details of his fall are unknown.
The top Republican leader, who is 81, is the longest-serving party leader in Senate history. In 2019, he has tripped and fell in his Louisville homebreaks a shoulder.
Biden said he spoke with McConnell’s family and said, “I think he’s going to be fine.”
More: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell will remain hospitalized after suffering a concussion
More: Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell hospitalized for concussion after fall, spokesman says
The majority of Americans like the term “woke”
A new one USA TODAY/Ipsos Poll released this week found that a majority of Americans surveyed tend to view the word “woke” as a positive attribute, not a negative one.
Of those surveyed, 56% say the term means “being informed, educated about and aware of social injustices.” Overall, 39% of respondents identified the word “woke” as “being excessively politically correct and policing other people’s words.”
The survey follows last week’s Conservative Political Action Conference, where several speakers referred to “woke” ideology in their speeches to conservative activists.
More: A GOP War on ‘Wake’? Most Americans see the term as a positive, USA TODAY/Ipsos Poll finds
Trump invited to testify before Manhattan grand jury
New York prosecutors offered Trump a chance to testify before a Manhattan grand jury in the criminal investigation involving a give money to a former porn star.
Lawyers for the former president did not immediately respond to inquiries, but Trump said the district attorney’s action was “simply insane.”
“For the past five years, the DA’s office has been on a witch hunt, investigating every aspect of President Trump’s life and coming up empty every time — and now this,” his campaign said in a statement. “The fact that the DA, after their intensive investigation, is even considering a new political attack is a clear exoneration of President Trump on all fronts.”
More: Donald Trump invited to testify before Manhattan grand jury, lawyer says
More: President Trump, Michael Cohen, will not enforce the hysh-money contract with Stormy Daniels
Fox News’ Tucker Carlson will release footage on January 6
Fox News host Tucker Carlson released over 41,000 hours of surveillance video from the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol.
McCarthy Carlson gave exclusive access to the footage and said the decision was an act of “transparency”. But the move received criticism from both Democrats and Republicans as well as former Capitol Police officers who say Carlson misrepresented the events of that day.
Thomas Manger, Capitol police chief, said Carlson “cherry-picked” video from moments of the riot and Biden said he hopes so “Republicans are ashamed of what was done to undermine our law enforcement.”
More: Tucker Carlson and the January 6 tapes deepen Trump’s divide between McConnell and McCarthy
More: McCarthy defends the Jan. 6 ‘exclusive’ video he gave FOX News host Tucker Carlson
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: This week in politics: Joe Biden budget, Mitch McConnell hospitalized
