WASHINGTON — Vice President Pence cast a tie-breaking Senate vote Thursday to pass legislation that will allow states to withhold federal funds from Planned Parenthood and other health care providers that perform abortions. The measure, which now goes to President Trump for his signature, dismisses an Obama-era rule banning states from denying federal funds to such […]
Tag: Congress
GOP Reveals Obamacare Replacement
House Republicans released draft legislation Monday to replace former president Barack Obama’s signature health care law, proposing to phase out the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion and change the law’s subsidies for private insurance. The bill’s details released Monday do not say how many people would have coverage compared with Obamacare. But federal support would be […]
More Than 60 Democrats To Boycott Inauguration
A growing group of Democratic lawmakers will boycott President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration Friday to protest what they described as his alarming and divisive policies, foreign interference in his election and his criticism of civil rights icon John Lewis, a congressman from Georgia. There are now more than 60 House Democrats — 65, at last count […]
DAPL Supporter Named Chairman Of Indian Affairs
Hoeven — a former North Dakota governor and vocal supporter of both the Keystone XL and Dakota Access oil pipelines — was elected to lead the committee on Tuesday. “I am honored to serve as the chairman … and look forward to working with [newly elected] Vice Chairman [Sen. Tom] Udall [D-NM] and members of […]
Bernie Reveals Giant Trump Tweet On Senate Floor
Bernie Sanders spoke on the Senate floor on Wednesday to urge Donald Trump to veto any cuts to Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid—and used one of the President-elect’s own tweets to prove his point. As lawmakers debated the repeal of Obamacare, Sanders pointed out that Trump had previously said he would not cut the services […]
House Reverses Course On Gutting Ethics Office
WASHINGTON — After public denunciations from watchdogs and criticism from President-elect Donald Trump, House Republicans on Tuesday reversed course and dropped plans to gut an independent agency that polices potential ethical wrongdoing by lawmakers. The controversy over GOP plans to sharply curtail the powers of the Office of Congressional Ethics overshadowed the opening day of Congress, […]
Congress Puts Band-Aid On Farm Loan Crisis
The budget patch gives the Agriculture Department’s Farm Service Agency authority to meet the spike in loan demand by using future funding, according to U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, a Kansas Republican who chairs an agricultural appropriations panel. There is no limit to how much the USDA can lend through April 28 – a victory for […]
House GOP Shuts Door On Flint Water Investigation
WASHINGTON — Congressional Republicans quietly closed a year-long investigation into Flint, Michigan’s crisis over lead in its drinking water, faulting both state officials and the Environmental Protection Agency for contamination that has affected nearly 100,000 residents. In letters to fellow Republicans, the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee said Friday that Michigan […]
Top Republicans Unveil Plan To Drastically Cut Social Security And Medicare
WASHINGTON ― President-elect Donald Trump distinguished himself on the campaign trail as the rare Republican candidate promising not to cut Social Security and Medicare. But Republicans in Congress have other plans for the two popular social insurance programs ― and they are wasting no time rolling them out. Rep. Sam Johnson (R-Texas), chairman of the House […]