U.S. House of Representatives

I talked with Alabama's newest member of Congress about the possible future impact on the state from Donald Trump's so called Big, beautiful Bill. Democratic U.S. House member Shomari Figures is the first person elected to Alabama's newly redrawn district two the US Supreme Court ordered the new voting map to better represent African Americans.

The Alabama Public Radio news team is known for its major journalism investigations. We've been doing them for over a decade. Our most recent national award winning effort was an eight month investigation into Alabama's new U.S. House seat in the rural Black Belt region of the state. The new voting map was ordered by the U.S. Supreme Court so Alabama would be more fair to black residents. Now, anybody who follows the news might reasonably be thinking— okay? The same high court that overturned Roe versus Wade and ended affirmative action in the nation's universities told Alabama that they needed to treat black voters better. Even the plaintiffs in the legal case of Allen versus Milligan told APR news they were gobsmacked they won. The goal after that legal victory was to make sure the new minority congressional district works. The point there was to keep conservative opponents from having the excuse to try to flip the voting map back to the GOP. And that's a moving target that could change at any moment, even as we speak. The job of managing all of these issues now falls to Congressman Shomari Figures.

Senate Republicans hauled President Donald Trump's big tax breaks and spending cuts bill to passage on the narrowest of votes, pushing past opposition from Democrats and their own GOP ranks after a turbulent overnight session. Vice President JD Vance broke a 50-50 tie to push it over the top. The outcome capped an unusually tense weekend of work at the Capitol, the president's signature legislative priority teetering on the edge of approval, or collapse.

Work continues in the U.S. Senate on what Donald Trump calls his big beautiful budget bill. Critics are concerned about possible cuts to Medicaid and the SNAP nutrition program. Alabama Medicaid says about a quarter of state residents gets health coverage this way. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities says three quarters of a million Alabamians use SNAP

An Alabama U.S. House seat APR spotlighted in a eight-month investigation apparently got support from a three-judge federal panel. Their ruling states the Alabama legislature pushed an alternative voting map that intentionally discriminated against black voters. The U.S. Supreme Court ordered the state to redraw its voting districts to better represent African Americans.

GOP majority in the U.S. House is considering a budget that could negatively impact over one million Alabamians. Republican lawmakers may make cuts to Medicaid. The Kaiser Family Foundation says over a million Alabamians use this health insurance plan for the poor. The GOP-controlled Congress is eyeing work requirements for Medicaid and considering paying a shrunken, fixed rate to states.

Alabama's congressional map is at stake in a federal trial beginning Monday to decide if the state will keep the new court-created district that led to the election of a second Black representative. The new minority majority U.S. House seat was at the heart of Alabama Public Radio’s eight-month investigation titled “…a new U.S. House seat, if you can keep it.”

The House has passed a bill to require the detainment of unauthorized migrants accused of theft and violent crimes. It marks the first legislation that President Donald Trump can sign as Congress, with some bipartisan support, swiftly moved in line with his plans to crackdown on illegal immigration.

The process of swearing in the next commander in chief involves parts of the Capitol that seem to get less time in the spotlight, that is, unless you go yourself. An estimated 10,000 people visit the US Capitol every day.

After one of the most chaotic and least productive U.S. House sessions in modern history, voters made a surprising choice in elections — they overwhelmingly stuck with the status quo. Republicans will hold onto a thin majority in the House. Democrat Shomari Figures win in Alabama’s new District 2 in the state’s black belt, and a new minority majority seat in Louisiana may help keep the balance of power tighter.