Latest news with #Pettersen
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Congressman Jim Clyburn, 84, Steps In to Hold Colleague's 4-Month-Old Baby on Live TV: Watch the Buzzy Moment
South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn stepped in to hold the 4-month-old son of his congressional colleague during a press conference on June 10. Clyburn and Colorado Rep. Brittany Pettersen were advocating for longer background checks for firearms purchases. Pettersen, 43, has frequently brought her children to work with her, and has recently advocated for Congress to allow members to vote remotely during maternity Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn has been a member of Congress since 1993. But he's been a father even longer. Clyburn and his late wife, Emily, shared three daughters, four grandchildren and one great-grandchild. So it made sense that the 84-year-old congressman called on his paternal instincts on Tuesday, June 10, when he stepped in to hold the 4-month old son of his colleague, Colorado Rep. Brittany Pettersen. The pair were speaking to reporters as part of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, introducing the Bipartisan Background Checks Act and Enhanced Background Checks Act to establish universal background checks for firearms purchases. As Pettersen, 43, stepped up to answer questions with her son, Sam, in her arms, Clyburn quickly volunteered to help. 'I love that,' Pettersen said of the gesture after carefully handing her son over. 'I can't wait to tell him one day that Representative Clyburn was holding him.' Pettersen and her husband, Ian Silverii, welcomed Sam on Jan. 25. They also share a 5-year-old son, Davis. The congresswoman has frequently brought her children with her as she carries out her House duties. She and Davis sat in on a House Financial Services hearing in June 2023, and in April 2025, she brought Sam on the House floor as she advocated for Congress to allow members to vote remotely during maternity leave. The issue was a central part of the birth announcement Pettersen shared on her congressional website when Sam was born. 'Congress makes no accommodations for new parents, so while I'm recovering and taking care of my newborn at this critical time, it's incredibly unfair that my constituents will not have a voice in Congress until I am physically able to return to Washington,' she wrote. 'No Member should have to choose between caring for their newborn and representing their constituents," she continued. "I'm disappointed Speaker Johnson has still refused to move forward with my bipartisan proposal to allow Members to vote remotely while they take care of their newborns, but I won't stop fighting to bring this to the floor for a vote, even while recovering from childbirth.' Pettersen added: 'My two boys remind me of what's at stake, and I'm more committed than ever to making sure my constituents' voices are heard in Washington.' Clyburn, meanwhile, won reelection for his 17th term in the House of Representatives in November. He is a major power broker in Washington, a pivotal member of the Congressional Black Caucus and has previously served as the Democratic Party's House majority whip. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Clyburn and Pettersen, as well as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, advocated for longer background checks for gun purchases ahead of the 10th anniversary of the mass shooting at the Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C. The attack by then-21-year-old Dylann Roof on June 17, 2015, left nine dead — all of whom were constituents of Clyburn's district. 'He picked this church because of its history,' Clyburn told reporters. 'With the kind of background check we are talking about today, we would have prevented that because he would have never gotten a gun.' Read the original article on People
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Jim Clyburn wins hearts by holding Rep. Pettersen's baby at press conference: ‘So sweet'
During a press conference on combating gun violence, Democratic Rep. Jim Clyburn made a heartwarming gesture by offering to hold Colorado Representative Brittany Pettersen's infant son, freeing her hands to speak. A video of the moment has gone viral on social media. In the clip, Pettersen begins addressing the press while cradling her sleeping baby. Clyburn taps her shoulder and offers to take the child. Pettersen hands over her son, noting he is fast asleep. She then quips into the microphone, "I can't wait to tell him one day that Representative Clyburn held him at a press conference." As the clip went viral, many praised Clyburn's gesture. One person wrote, 'This is what AMERICA should look like!' Another wrote, 'Sometimes the smallest gestures speak the loudest.' A third person commented, 'That's very sweet of him.' Also Read: Mikie Sherrill wins New Jersey primary: All on Governor hopeful's husband, Jason Hedberg, and children Pettersen and her husband, Ian Silverii, welcomed their second child, Samuel Lee Silverii, on January 25, 2025. 'We are overjoyed to welcome our baby boy, Sam, to our family,' Rep. Pettersen said in a statement. 'Ian and I are deeply appreciative of the overwhelming love and support we have received from our community in Colorado and my colleagues in Congress. Davis couldn't be more excited to take on his new role as a big brother!" She added, 'Congress makes no accommodations for new parents, so while I'm recovering and taking care of my newborn at this critical time, it's incredibly unfair that my constituents will not have a voice in Congress until I am physically able to return to Washington. No Member should have to choose between caring for their newborn and representing their constituents. I'm disappointed Speaker Johnson has still refused to move forward with my bipartisan proposal to allow Members to vote remotely while they take care of their newborns, but I won't stop fighting to bring this to the floor for a vote, even while recovering from childbirth.'
CBS News
30-04-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Rep. Brittany Pettersen warns Republican budget proposal would "rip the rug out from under" vulnerable Coloradans
As President Trump marks his first 100 days in office, Rep. Brittany Pettersen is worried about more cuts to federal programs. Congress returned from its two-week spring recess Monday and Republicans are hoping to fast track a budget that extends 2017 tax cuts while reducing federal spending on programs like Medicaid by $1.5 trillion. Pettersen, a Democrat who represents Colorado's 7th Congressional District, says the budget will hurt the most vulnerable Coloradans. "I think the thing that is most heartbreaking for me is when I look at what's happening right now with the budget cuts -- what we're going to be facing with the reconciliation package -- and the impacts this is going to have on our kids, on people who are pregnant, families who are already struggling. We are going to rip the rug right out from underneath them," Pettersen said. Republican Rep. Steve Scalise, the House Majority Leader, accused Democrats of being obstructionists. "If Democrats are just going to block everything, if Democrats want a tax hike, if Democrats do not want secure borders, if Democrats want to make our country more dependent on foreign nations for our energy, that's why they lost the election. Those days are gone," Scalise said. More than 60% of those surveyed in a new CBS News poll say President Trump is too focused on tariffs and not enough on lowering prices.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Opinion - House smashes egg basket, scrambling last week's floor agenda
Don't put all your eggs in one basket, they say. That is especially true if eggs are running $13 a dozen. Last week the House Rules Committee ignored that advice and the House responded by smashing the basket, scrambling the floor agenda so badly it had to be scrapped for the rest of the week. Back in the old days, if the House Rules Committee had four bills before it seeking a special rule for floor consideration, the committee would grant one special rule for each. In modern times, the committee, in order to save on time and recorded floor votes, tends to bundle all the measures into a single rule. A special rule is a simple House resolution setting the terms of debate and amendment for each of the bills included. Special rules also give privileged consideration to measures that otherwise would not be in order due to their position on the calendar. In early January, Rep. Brittany Pettersen (D-Colo.) introduced the Proxy Voting for New Parents Resolution that would allow members who are fathers or mothers of infants, to cast their votes remotely through a designated member, in writing, for up to 12 weeks after birth. In late February, Rep. Laura Paulina Luna (R.-Fla.), introduced a resolution discharging the House Rules Committee from consideration of the Pettersen resolution. Under House rules, a discharge petition requires 218 signatures (a House majority) to allow the targeted measure to be called up on the floor as privileged. Last Monday, the Rules Committee had four measures before it: the No Rogue Rulings Act, prohibiting U.S. district courts from issuing nationwide injunctions; the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (SAVE), a bill requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections; and two resolutions disapproving regulations related to financial institutions. The Rules Committee recessed after the hearing. When it reconvened the next morning, one other procedural matter had been added to the special rule — a proviso that would automatically table the resolutions offered by Pettersen and Luna. On April 1, shortly after noon, after acquiring the requisite signatures, Luna announced to the House her intention to offer as privileged her motion to discharge the Petterson resolution. The speaker pro tempore informed her that under House rules the Speaker would announce a designated time for its consideration within two legislative days. Later that day, the Rules Committee called up its special rule that included a provision automatically adopting a motion to table both the Luna discharge resolution and Pettersen proxy measure. The GOP's opposition to proxy voting was led by Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.). He explained that he had long opposed proxy floor voting on grounds it was unconstitutional: Article I, section 5 requires that 'a majority of each House shall constitute a quorum to do business,' and it has long been held to mean a majority of members actually present. The Rules Committee has long been known as 'the Speaker's committee' because it is used primarily for facilitating the majority's floor scheduling. On April 1, the special rule for the four measures and proxy ban was defeated, 206-222, with all Democrats, along with nine defecting Republicans, opposing the rule. Johnson termed the result 'very disappointing' since 'a handful of Republicans joined with all Democrats to take down a rule … That's rarely done.' Johnson subsequently announced he was canceling legislative business for the rest of the week. Why? Most likely because the Luna discharge motion was ripe for consideration within the next two legislative days. Days without scheduled business don't count as legislative days. Meanwhile, the Speaker, working with other Republicans, struggled to find a compromise acceptable to Luna. On Sunday a compromise was struck by the Speaker with Luna in which she would support the alternative of 'live pair voting.' Under that process, any member unable to be present can finding someone on the other side of a vote who is willing to submit an amber 'present' card and announcing on the floor they are changing this vote from 'aye' (or 'no') to 'present,' in a pair with Rep. [name] of [state].' That compromise, sponsored by Luna, was included in a new special rule on Tuesday, along with the other four measures carried over from the previous week. The rule narrowly squeaked by on a vote of 213-211, with three Republicans and six Democrats not voting. The special rule also self-executed the tabling of Luna's original discharge rule. House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar (Calif.) vowed that House Democrats would not provide any live pair to bail out absent Republicans, which provoked Petterson's opposition to the compromise measure. During Tuesday's debate on the rule, she held her newborn son in her arms as she spoke. Don Wolfensberger is a 28-year congressional staff veteran culminating as chief-of-staff of the House Rules Committee in 1995. He is author of, 'Congress and the People: Deliberative Democracy on Trial' (2000), and, 'Changing Cultures in Congress: From Fair Play to Power Plays' (2018). Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
10-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
House smashes egg basket, scrambling last week's floor agenda
Don't put all your eggs in one basket, they say. That is especially true if eggs are running thirteen dollars a dozen. Last week the House Rules Committee ignored that advice and the House responded by smashing the basket, scrambling the floor agenda so badly it had to be scrapped for the rest of the week. Back in the old days, if the House Rules Committee had four bills before it seeking a special rule for floor consideration, the committee would grant one special rule for each. In modern times, the committee, in order to save on time and recorded floor votes, tends to bundle all the measures into a single rule. A special rule is a simple House resolution setting the terms of debate and amendment for each of the bills included. Special rules also give privileged consideration to measures that otherwise would not be in order due to their position on the calendar. In early January, Rep. Brittany Pettersen (D-Colo.) introduced the Proxy Voting for New Parents Resolution that would allow members who are fathers or mothers of infants, to cast their votes remotely through a designated member, in writing, for up to 12 weeks after birth. In late February, Rep. Laura Paulina Luna (R.-Fla.), introduced a resolution discharging the House Rules Committee from consideration of the Pettersen resolution. Under House rules, a discharge petition requires 218 signatures (a House majority) to allow the targeted measure to be called up on the floor as privileged. Last Monday, the Rules Committee had four measures before it: the No Rogue Rulings Act, prohibiting U.S. district courts from issuing nationwide injunctions; the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (SAVE), a bill requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections; and two resolutions disapproving regulations related to financial institutions. The Rules Committee recessed after the hearing. When it reconvened the next morning, one other procedural matter had been added to the special rule — a proviso that would automatically table the resolutions offered by Pettersen and Luna. On Apr. 1, shortly after noon, after acquiring the requisite signatures, Luna announced to the House her intention to offer as privileged her motion to discharge the Petterson resolution. The speaker pro tempore informed her that under House rules the Speaker would announce a designated time for its consideration within two legislative days. Later that day, the Rules Committee called up its special rule that included a provision automatically adopting a motion to table both the Luna discharge resolution and Pettersen proxy measure. The GOP's opposition to proxy voting was led by Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.). He explained that he had long opposed proxy floor voting on grounds it was unconstitutional: Article I, section 5 requires that 'a majority of each House shall constitute a quorum to do business,' and it has long been held to mean a majority of members actually present. The Rules Committee has long been known as 'the Speaker's committee' because it is used primarily for facilitating the majority's floor scheduling. On April 1, the special rule for the four measures and proxy ban was defeated, 206-222, with all Democrats, along with nine defecting Republicans, opposing the rule. Johnson termed the result ' very disappointing ' since 'a handful of Republicans joined with all Democrats to take down a rule…. That's rarely done.' Johnson subsequently announced he was cancelling legislative business for the rest of the week. Why? Most likely because the Luna discharge motion was ripe for consideration within the next two legislative days. Days without scheduled business don't count as legislative days. Meanwhile, the Speaker, working with other Republicans, struggled to find a compromise acceptable to Luna. On Sunday a compromise was struck by the Speaker with Luna in which she would support the alternative of 'live pair voting.' Under that process, any member unable to be present can finding someone on the other side of a vote who is willing to submit an amber 'present' card and announcing on the floor they are changing this vote from 'aye' (or 'no') to 'present,' in a pair with Rep. [name] of [state].' That compromise, sponsored by Luna, was included in a new special rule on Tuesday, along with the other four measures carried over from the previous week. The rule narrowly squeaked by on a vote of 213-211, with three Republicans and six Democrats not voting. The special rule also self-executed the tabling of Luna's original discharge rule. House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar (Calif.) vowed that House Democrats would not provide any live pair to bail out absent Republicans, which provoked Petterson's opposition to the compromise measure. During Tuesday's debate on the rule, she held her newborn son in her arms as she spoke. Don Wolfensberger is a 28-year congressional staff veteran culminating as chief-of-staff of the House Rules Committee in 1995. He is author of, 'Congress and the People: Deliberative Democracy on Trial' (2000), and, 'Changing Cultures in Congress: From Fair Play to Power Plays' (2018).
