Policy + Politics

Factbox: What happens in a U.S. government shutdown?

By Richard Cowan and Susan Cornwell and Amanda Becker and Richard Cowan and Susan Cornwell and Amanda Becker, Reuters

In shutdowns, nonessential government employees are furloughed, or placed on temporary unpaid leave. Workers deemed essential, including those dealing with public safety and national security, keep...
Delaware Sues Opioid Manufacturers, Distributors Over Epidemic

By Nate Raymond, Reuters

(Reuters) - Delaware on Friday became the latest state to file a lawsuit accusing corporations of helping fuel the national opioid epidemic, suing a wide range of companies involved in making,...
Trump Vows to Campaign Intensively for Republicans, May Avoid Primaries

By James Oliphant, Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he plans to devote much of his time this year to helping Republicans maintain control of the U.S. Congress, but suggested he may...
Trump Tries to Sell Tax Reform to Democrats

By David Morgan, Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump intensified his efforts to sell Democrats on his tax reform plan on Wednesday even as Senate Republicans edged closer to passing a budget measure that...
Trump's drug czar nominee withdraws from consideration

By Sarah N. Lynch and Makini Brice, Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. lawmaker who was President Donald Trump's pick for drug czar withdrew on Tuesday after a report he spearheaded a bill that hurt the government's ability to crack down...

Senate Republicans Gain Crucial Support for Budget Vital to Tax Reform

By David Morgan, Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Republicans on Monday gained crucial support for a vote on a budget resolution that is vital to President Donald Trump's hopes of signing sweeping tax reform...
U.S. consumer finance agency expected to punish Equifax: lawyers

By Reuters and Patrick Rucker

By Lisa Lambert and Patrick Rucker WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. consumer finance watchdog agency is expected to punish Equifax for its cyber breach with the wide-ranging powers it has used with...
U.S. incomes, poverty rate bounce back to pre-recession levels in 2016

By Reuters

By Susan Heavey WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. poverty rate fell for the second straight year in 2016 while median income rose to an all-time high of $59,000 as the economy made up ground lost...
No Talk of Ousting Speaker Ryan, Key Conservative Says

By Reuters

Many Republicans are unhappy with the deal President Donald Trump reached last week with Democratic leaders to raise the government's debt ceiling and allow it to continue financing federal spending...
Congress sends Trump disaster aid, debt limit increase

By Richard Cowan and Amanda Becker, Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill to provide disaster aid, extend the debt ceiling and fund the federal government for three months on Friday, delivering on...

How Tax Reform Could ‘Water Down’ the Mortgage Interest Deduction

By Diana Olick, CNBC

The mortgage interest tax deduction has long been considered politically untouchable — until now, that is. The hands-down favorite of taxpayers is back on the negotiating table as tax reform kicks...
How Immigration Can Help Save Social Security

By Yuval Rosenberg

A new white paper details one crucial twist to the ongoing immigration debate: immigration can help boost the solvency of the Social Security Trust Fund.
A Growing List of Bipartisan Ideas for Fixing Obamacare

By Michael Rainey

The failure of the most recent Republican attempt to repeal and replace the Affordable Care means that Obamacare will likely be with us for the foreseeable future. This political reality has given a...
Tax Reform Consensus Taking Shape — but Can It Last?

By Yuval Rosenberg

The “Big Six” members of Congress and the Trump administration negotiating a tax reform package are making progress. The group has reached a “broad consensus” on the key question of how to pay for...
Paul Ryan: Tax Reform Will Be ‘Far Easier’ Than Health Care

By Yuval Rosenberg

In his CNN town hall from Racine, Wisconsin, last night, House Speaker Paul Ryan reiterated that he thinks getting tax reform done this year will be “far easier” than the GOP’s effort to repeal and...