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...

Obama: ‘We’re Not a Deadbeat Nation’

By Zachary A Goldfarb and Philip Rucker, The Washington Post

President Obama vowed Monday that he would not negotiate with Republicans over the federal debt ceiling, warning that Social Security checks would be delayed and the nation could enter a new...
Defense Cuts Could Burst the D.C. Business Bubble

By Josh Boak and Eric Pianin, The Fiscal Times

For decades, the Washington area has flourished, and escaped the worst of the recession, thanks to government spending fueled by deficits. But the boom times are beginning to fade. The wars in...
Tax Reform Gets Green Light in GOP-Run States

By Nanette Byrnes, Reuters

Hopes for overhauling the federal tax system are fading in Washington, but in some state capitals, tax reform experiments are fast taking shape. Across the South and Midwest, Republicans have...
The Real Reason Medicare Costs Will Explode

By Yuval Rosenberg

Medicare costs may be under the microscope as Congress and President Obama gear up for a fight over spending cuts, but a new report from the Department of Health and Human Services shows that the...
House Goes Senate One Better with Pork Laden Sandy Bill

By Eric Pianin

House Republicans criticized Senate Democrats for filling the fiscal cliff deal with pet projects and pork barrel spending, but next week the House will vote on its version of $50.6 billion in...

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