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 and Congress Playing High-Stakes Poker over War Funding

By Eric Pianin and Martin Matishak

In a move steeped in election year politics and growing concern about upheaval and warfare in the Middle East, many Senate Democrats joined with their Republican colleague to pass a $612 billion...
Why Is This Lawmaker Worried About a New Sex Scandal in Congress?

By Rob Garver

The nearly 6-year long tenure of Speaker of the House John Boehner has been free of the taint of personal scandal. But among some in the House Republican conference, the fate of the GOP Speakers who...
Here’s Why the Odds of a U.S. Debt Default Just Increased

By Martin Matishak

Outgoing House Speaker John Boehner has ripped up the script for how Congress will tackle the next debt ceiling deadline.
Help Wanted: Speaker of the House--No Experience Necessary

By Rob Garver

Going back a generation, to legendary Democratic Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill, the average speaker has come to the job with more than 21 years in the House. Right now, the three candidates...
More Turbulence Ahead as Congress Seeks a Speaker

By Martin Matishak

Kevin McCarthy’s bid to be the next Speaker of the House has been hamstrung by gaffes and unresolved tensions between moderates and conservatives within the House Republican conference. This week isn...

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