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...

The Outrageous Farm Bill That’s Packed with Pork

By Liz Peek

The scorching summer – and consequent crop damage – is prompting frantic calls to pass a new farm bill. A version of the every-five-years legislation, which will replace the existing law due to...
Why the Election Can Swing on Defense Budget Cuts

By Eric Pianin

The defense industry and its allies are stepping up a campaign to block or blunt deep Pentagon spending cuts early next year under sequestration. Whether as a political tactic or simply compliance...
After the Massacre: Guns Win, Theaters Lose

By Suzanne McGee, The Fiscal Times

While the rest of the economy struggled to add jobs and grow, employment within the firearms and ammunition industry exploded by 30.6 percent between 2008 and 2011. The industry's federal tax...
The Pentagon Mantra: Cut Defense, Slaughter Jobs

By Eric Pianin

Studies prepared by defense industry analysts and the Bipartisan Policy Center conclude that the budget deal reached at the 11th hour last year by Congress could cost the economy between one million...
The Coming Debt Ceiling Battle Could Cost Billions

By Eric Pianin and Josh Boak

The bitter battle between President Obama and congressional Republicans last summer over raising the debt ceiling added at least $1.3 billion to the Treasury’s borrowing costs. What will happen this...

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