Congress

One More Try? Why Obamacare Repeal Is on the Horizon Again

By Rob Garver

The effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, which many assumed was dead or at least in a state of suspended animation for the foreseeable future, may be showing some stirring of life...
Trump Takes on a Powerful Leader, but This Time It’s on Capitol Hill

By Rob Garver

President Trump was obviously angry. The target of his ire was a man who has been aggravating him for a long time by ignoring his demands, refusing to work through the president’s chosen...
Heads Up: Health Care Is Still in Trouble

By Rob Garver

The issue of the US health insurance system was taken off the front burner with the evident failure of the Republican effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. But while it may not be in...
Here’s How Trump Could Get Democrats’ Help on Tax Reform

By Rob Garver

The Trump administration has been reaching out to ‘Blue Dog’ Democrats to talk about possible areas of agreement on tax reform.
Congress Is Constructing a Wall, All Right. But It’s Built Around Trump

By Rob Garver

Like a body’s immune system trying to wall off an abscess, the institutions of the federal government seem to be coming together to block, or at least limit, the influence of the president on the...

The US Spends Billions on Cybersecurity — but No One Is Sure Exactly How Much

By Eric Pianin

There is no universally accepted definition of what cybersecurity actually means. Moreover, the public and even lawmakers don’t have a clue as to how much the government is actually spending overall...
How Could the VA Make $5.5 Billion in Improper Payments Last Year?

By Eric Pianin

Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri has been on a tear recently in going after government fraud and waste. The ranking Democrat on the Senate’s chief oversight committee and a former state auditor in...
Congress Just Handed Trump Bragging Rights on Expanded GI Education Benefits

By Eric Pianin

For a chief executive preparing to leave town on a 17-day summer vacation after suffering a humiliating setback on health care reform, President Trump will be able to claim some bragging rights when...
Top GOP Conservative: We Won’t Play Around With the Debt Ceiling

By Rob Garver

When it comes to the perennial fight to raise the federal debt ceiling, it’s usually best to assume that the struggle to give the Treasury Department clearance to actually pay the debts that the...
Why Republicans Are Going It Alone on Tax Cuts

By Eric Pianin

Republicans made it clear on Tuesday that despite their debacle in pressing for health care reform without any Democratic assistance, they would again go their own way in drafting and passing major...

Boehner Wins Despite Warning Shots from Far Right

By Eric Pianin

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) was reelected to his top post on Tuesday, but the roll call of members revealed surprisingly widespread opposition within his own party from more than two-dozen Tea...
Governors Join Obama in Infrastructure Spending Plea

By Eric Pianin

The nation’s governors on Tuesday joined President Obama in urging Congress to boost spending this year on highway, bridges, power grids and other infrastructure to meet the growing demand and help...
Keystone Could Prove the Power of Obama’s Veto Pen

By Eric Pianin

President Obama warned recently he wouldn’t hesitate to veto Republican-inspired bills that conflict with his legislative agenda – and in the Keystone XL Pipeline, he may get his first test soon.
Why Two Republicans Want to End Boehner’s House Party

By Eric Pianin

There’s little doubt that House Speaker John Boehner will win a third term as speaker on Tuesday, and his office is treating the challenge as a far-right fantasy. But unlike the last election in...
$Pumpjacks taken out of production temporarily stand idle at a Hess site while new wells are fracked near Williston, North Dakota November 12, 2014. REUTERS/Andrew Cullen$

Low Oil Prices Pave the Way for New Carbon Taxes

By Rob Garver

A former Treasury Secretary argues that low gas prices and continued declines in the cost of oil make this the ideal time to introduce a tax on carbon emissions.

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