This Week in Research: August 21 - August 25

Highlights from the Week

1. On August 18, 2023, President Joe Biden hosted a summit at Camp David, which brought together the leaders of South Korea and Japan, with intention to heal damaged wounds and formulate a response to the increasing Southeast Asia military threats. The three leaders announced a trilateral agreement to deepen security and their economic commitments building into a new era of cooperation. To read the Official joint statement from the United States, Japan and South Korea, click here. To read a statement from Representative Andy Kim of New Jersey, click here. To read a statement from Representative Marcy Kaptur of Ohio, click here. To read a statement from Representative Michelle Steel of California, click here. Lastly, to read a statement from Representative Young Kim of California, click here.

2. On August 22, 2023, the Biden Administration announced a new plan to reduce student loan debt. Called the Saving on Valuable Education (SAVE) Plan, borrowers would have payments calculated based on income and family size and, according to the Department of Education, would “provide the lowest monthly payments of any IDR [Income-Driven Plan] available.” This plan comes on the heels of the Supreme Court case that struck down President Biden’s previous debt relief plan, which we covered in this blog post. To read more about how this plan might affect you, please read more here. To read a statement from Vice President Kamala Harris, click here. To read a statement from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, click here. To read a statement from Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, click here. To read a statement from Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa, click here. Lastly, to read a statement from Representative Mark Green of Tennessee, click here.

3. On August 23, 2023, eight candidates for the 2024 Republican nomination for president appeared in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for their first debate of the primary. To appear on the stage, candidates had to meet three requirements determined by the Republican National Committee (RNC): meeting a donor threshold of 40,000 unique donors; attaining at least 1% in three national polls or 1% in two of the early primary states; and signing a loyalty pledge to support the eventual Republican nominee. The frontrunner for the nomination, former President Donald Trump, chose not to attend, however the following candidates did attend: Former Vice President Mike Pence of Indiana, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy of Ohio, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley of South Carolina, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, and former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson. The debate focused on a wide range of issues, from the economy to climate change, the trials of Donald Trump to foreign policy and immigration, and finally to issues to education. To read a quote from Mr. Pence, click here. To read a statement from Governor DeSantis, click here. To read a statement from Senator Scott, click here. To read a statement from Mr. Ramaswamy, click here. To read a quote from Mr. Christie, click here. To read a quote from Governor Burgum, click here. Lastly, to read a quote from Mr. Hutchinson, click here.

Elections

By the Elections Research team: Nick, Zachary, Seth, and Caleb and Interns David and Nicholas

Biographies & Elections:

Want to learn more about the results of elections happening around the country? You can see the list of elections that happened this week here:

• New Hampshire State Legislative

Want to learn more about the candidates running for elections in Louisiana this year? You can see the full list here:

• Louisiana Gubernatorial Candidates

• Louisiana Statewide Candidates

• Louisiana State Legislative Candidates

Want to learn more about elected officials in your state? You can see the full list here:

• Congressional Officials

• Florida State Legislative Officials

• Washington State Legislative Officials

Want to learn more about the leadership in each state legislature? You can see the full leadership rosters here:

• Legislative Leadership

Want to learn more about which committees elected officials are a part of? You can see the full list of committees for each state here:

• State Legislative Committees

Officials

By the Officials Research team: Sam, Johanan, Neal, Thomas, Quinn, Max, and Jessica. Interns: Laura, Alexa, Henry, Margaret, Nicholas, Nicole and Jordan.

Public Statements: 295 statements were added this week. See highlights from the week for notable statements.

Key Votes:

States: 41 new votes were added.

• Missouri Governor signed SB 227 - Amends requirements relating to the culpable mental state necessary for a homicide offense

• Oregon Governor signed SB 615 - Establishes new penalties for street racing and gang activity

• Pennsylvania House passed HB 1018 - Authorizes extreme risk protection orders

• Virginia House passed SB 1492 - Exempts retired and off-duty police officers from the prohibition of firearms in the state capital

• Virginia Senate passed SB 888 - Prohibits the required imposition of mandatory consecutive sentences of imprisonment

• U.S. Congress: 0 new votes were added.

Special Interest Groups (SIGs)

• This year to date, the SIGs team has entered 24,263 ratings and 10,965 endorsements for candidates.

To read a transcript of the first Republican presidential candidate debate, click here.