SEATTLE -- Members of Congress are back in Washington, D.C., after their summer recess and novel coronavirus relief is the biggest looming issue in front of them.

Because of COVID-19's hit to the economy, the situation for Washingtonians is dire: 445,000 households do not have enough food, impacting more than 260,000 children, according to a report from the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities.

Misha Werschkul, executive director of the Washington State Budget and Policy Center, said the lack of federal relief is making the crisis worse.

"Congress needs to act as soon as possible to get a significant relief package that addresses a number of different areas," said Werschkul, "including unemployment insurance, assistance for states and local governments, and food assistance."

House Democrats passed the $3 trillion HEROES Act in May.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said she would be willing to negotiate down to $2.2 trillion. Senate Republicans are aiming for relief costing closer to $1 trillion.

At the same time, communities of color are bearing the brunt of the pandemic in Washington state. Werschkul said Latino and Black Washingtonians have experienced COVID-19 at higher rates than their white peers.

"There's a link between the structural inequities that existed prior to this pandemic," said Werschkul, "and then what happens when you layer in such a significant public health crisis with a failing government response."

Werschkul sees federal aid to state and local governments as an important piece of relief from Congress. She said Washington state will have to change its response if aid doesn't come in.

"We'll see a lot more talk of state leaders having to make these kinds of knee-jerk cuts that we know would have a devastating individual and household impact," said Werschkul, "would harm our ability to respond to the pandemic and would slow our economic recovery."

Gov. Jay Inslee has resisted calling Washington state lawmakers to a special session to address budget concerns from COVID-19 so far. He said he's waiting for this month's state revenue forecast and to learn what aid might be coming from the federal government.


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SEATTLE -- The infrastructure bill recently passed by Congress is a boon not just for people. It also could help wildlife such as endangered salmon in the Northwest.

Members of the Washington state delegation ensured the legislation contained $1 billion dollars to remove, fix and replace culverts, a critical piece of infrastructure carrying streams beneath roads and bridges.

Ashlee Abrantes, Ph.D. candidate in environmental science and policy at the University of Washington, said by state estimates, there are more than 20,000 culverts in need of repair.

"And the number that has been repaired or replaced in the last decade is not even registering as a percent of the number; like a single 1% of the number that need to be repaired," Abrantes reported. "So the overall status is not fantastic."

Salmon in the Northwest travel out to the Pacific Ocean and then back to the stream where they were born to spawn. Abrantes explained the fish have to pass through thousands of culverts along the way but cannot, if those passageways are in disrepair. Many populations of salmon in the Northwest are considered threatened or endangered.

Abrantes emphasized the federal government is likely to start by repairing the culverts it's responsible for. She noted as the law currently reads, local governments will then get to vie for funding.

"So hopefully cities, counties and tribal officials will be able to pursue some of that funding to look at some of the culvert issues on a smaller scale than just statewide," Abrantes stressed.

The state of Washington has an obligation to ensure safe passage for salmon and other fish through culverts on treaty lands in the western part of the state. A 2018 U.S. Supreme Court decision let a district court ruling stand giving the state a 2030 deadline to fix nearly 500 of the most precarious culverts.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Numerous government positions remain unfilled, and experts say overdue nominations and a Senate backlog highlight the need for an overhaul of the Federal Vacancies Reform Act.

The 1998 law allows a new administration to use acting officials for up to 300 days, to give the new president time to nominate individuals for government positions.

Tory Cribb, director of policy for the Partnership for Public Service, said the law has complicated matters since the Senate confirmation process for nominees has become increasingly arduous, lengthy and partisan.

"The reality, though, is that no president since passage of the 1998 law has come even close to meeting this mark," Cribb observed. "Because the over 1,200 positions requiring confirmation is really just simply too much for the Senate's process to handle."

President Joe Biden recently announced Memphis litigator Andre B. Mathis as his nominee for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. If confirmed, Mathis would become the first Black man to sit on the Sixth Circuit from Tennessee.

Cribb pointed out the number of Senate-confirmed positions has ballooned by 59% in the last six decades. She pointed to the Executive Branch as an example of the current backlog.

"So as of this week, the Senate has only confirmed 179 of 419 nominees submitted by President Biden for these executive branch positions," Cribb noted.

According to a report by the Partnership for Public Service, the average Senate confirmation process now takes about twice as long as it did in the 1980s. During the Obama and Trump administrations, it took an average of 112 and 117 days to confirm presidential nominations, compared with 56 for the Reagan administration. Experts say Biden is on track to top those numbers.

CONCORD, N.H. -- As cold weather moves in, Granite Staters are being urged to apply for fuel assistance, if they think they might need some help heating their homes through the winter.

The federal Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program is designed to help renters and homeowners, and in New Hampshire, households making at or below 60% of the state median income are eligible. For a family of four, it equates to just over $72,000 a year.

Eileen Smiglowski, water/fuel assistance program administrator for the New Hampshire Department of Energy, said the income threshold is higher than many people may think, because it is important to ensure people stay warm.

"With New Hampshire being obviously in one of the colder parts of the country, it's just really important that that money is there and available to help people with large energy bills that just don't have the capacity to pay them," Smiglowski explained.

Yesterday, the Department of Energy announced a 60% increase in benefits, which equates to a range of $250 to $2,500. The range last year was $160 to $1,575. The jump is intended to accommodate increased energy costs, as the price of natural gas has nearly doubled in the last year.

New Hampshire is the ninth-coldest state in the nation. In January, temperatures often range from -4 degrees to +15 degrees Fahrenheit.

Smiglowski urged eligible residents to contact their local Community Action Agency to apply. If you are unsure which is your local agency, you can search online at CAPNH.org/cap-lookup, or call 2-1-1.

"Hopefully, we can get a lot of people who might be struggling -- especially this year, as fuel prices are going to be going up, potentially quite a bit -- that we can at least help them get some of that burden off their back," Smiglowski emphasized.

Utility companies said it is also important to make sure your heating system is upgraded and working as efficiently as possible to keep bills down. They suggested checking filters and vents are clean; working to caulk, weatherstrip and seal drafty doors and windows; and to open blinds and curtains during the day to take advantage of the natural heat from sunlight.