U.S. Congress
Atop 2017 losses, a sobering challenge for Democrats aiming at Trump next year
Democrats have hoped that President Trump’s deep unpopularity would propel them to gains in next year’s midterm election as they fight to take control of the House and improve their position in the Senate.<p>But last year’s contests and this year’s special elections suggest a complication: Trump is so …
ElectionsGOP Health Bill Breaks Trump’s Promise to Lower Deductibles
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump may not have the most detailed knowledge of health care policy, but he knows what people hate: High deductibles.<p>Trump has made these complaints about Obamacare, which are shared by many insurance customers and critics of the bill alike, a centerpiece of his …
ObamaCareSenate Republicans skeptical Obamacare repeal can pass this week
Senate GOP leaders face problems from seemingly every corner of the conference.<p>Senate Republicans are casting doubt on their leaders’ plans to vote this week on repealing Obamacare, with lawmakers from all wings of the party so far withholding support from the massive reshaping of the health care …
PoliticsKey Republican Collins has 'serious concerns' on healthcare bill
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine said on Sunday she has extreme reservations about the U.S. Senate's healthcare overhaul and does not think it will be able to pass this week.<p>Collins, a moderate Republican who has not taken a formal stance on the bill, said she was …
PoliticsDemocrats are fielding a glut of House candidates in 2018 but remain divided on how to win
DALLAS — The largest number of Democratic congressional candidates in decades are putting into play dozens of House districts across the country, raising the possibility of a bitterly contested midterm election cycle next year as the party and its activists try to take advantage of President …
ElectionsTom Price promises GOP won't pull 'rug out' on health care
<b>Washington (CNN) —</b> Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price defended the GOP health care plan Sunday from Republicans opposing the bill.<p>Price said on CNN's "State of the Union" that Nevada Sen. Dean Heller and Gov. Brian Sandoval might misunderstand the full intentions of the party on health …
Health CareTrey Gowdy, new Oversight Committee chair, plans to deemphasize Russia investigation
WASHINGTON — Trey Gowdy, the new head of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, says he plans to turn the committee away from its investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 election, a departure from his predecessor's aggressive approach.<p>The South Carolina Republican and former …
U.S. PoliticsTrump’s lack of black outreach
Rev. Al is joined by CBC Congressman Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY) to discuss President Trump’s complicated relationship with the congressional black …
Congressional Black CaucusWhite House blames Obama for failing to stop Russia collusion
The White House blamed the Obama administration Sunday for failing to tackle possible Russian collusion in the 2016 presidential election, sticking with a new strategy to fault President Trump's predecessor for an issue currently facing the president himself as part of a widening FBI …
Paul RyanThe Untold Story of How Gary Cohn Fell for Donald Trump
As Goldman Sachs’s long-suffering No 2., Cohn approached his board about his future. He didn’t get the answer he wanted. And then Jared Kushner swooped in. This is how Goldman Sachs took over the White House.<p>One photograph makes it abundantly clear just how present a small group of Goldman Sachs …
U.S. House of RepresentativesForget Obamacare and Trumpcare: Boeing, GE, and Other Companies Are Reforming Healthcare on Their Own
How several of America's biggest companies are reforming healthcare regardless of what the federal government does.<p>Obamacare is struggling. Trumpcare …
U.S. House of RepresentativesHHS Secretary: The Congressional Budget Office Is ‘Not Accurate’
Tom Price questioned the ability of the agency to estimate the number of people who would lose health insurance under Congress’s Obamacare repeal-and-replace plan.<p>“We’re not pulling the rug out from under anybody,” said Tom Price, the Secretary of Health and Human Services. The goal of the House’s …
Health CareWhy Washington should continue billions in health care subsidies
<b>(CNN) —</b> It's not every day that hospitals and insurers see eye to eye, but there is one thing we agree on -- the government must continue to help lower the cost of health care that millions of lower-income Americans receive.<p>The Cost Sharing Reduction (CSR) payments, which have been paid on a …
Congressional CommitteesHow Mitch McConnell Kicks Obamacare Repeal Down The Road
Look no further than Senate Republicans’ Better Care Reconciliation Act to see how Mitch McConnell has abandoned his idea to repeal Obamacare “root and branch” as he has said repeatedly for more than four years.<p>The Republican Senate Majority leader is going back on his promise and the GOP’s to …
ObamaCareCBC declines White House meeting with Trump
Congressional Black Caucus Chairman, Rep. Cedric Richmond, joins Joy Reid to discuss why the CBC turned down the invitation to meet with the …
Congressional Black CaucusKoch brothers' political network says Senate GOP healthcare bill is insufficiently conservative
Chief lieutenants in the Koch brothers' political network lashed out at the Senate Republican healthcare bill on Saturday, becoming a powerful outside critic as party leaders try to rally support for their plan among rank-and-file Republicans.<p>“This Senate bill needs to get better,” said Tim …
PoliticsHealth bill fakery: drafters left room to accommodate holdouts
There's a bit of fakery going on with the Senate healthcare bill that's due for a vote this week.<p>You might ask a barista to "leave room" for a splash …
PoliticsFreedom Caucus holds fire on Senate Obamacare repeal bill
The House hard-liners may be open to compromise if it means gutting the health law.<p>The most hard-line conservatives in the House are taking an unusually cautious approach to the Senate's Obamacare replacement, promising to keep an open mind about whatever their colleagues across the Capitol send …
PoliticsKellyanne Conway on Senate health bill: ‘These are not cuts to Medicaid’
Presidential counselor Kellyanne Conway asserted Sunday in an interview on “This Week" with ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos that the GOP …
Health CareHow Democrats Gerrymandered Their Way to Victory in Maryland
New documents show how when given the opportunity, the Democratic Party was as ruthless as their GOP counterparts in trying to redistrict their rivals out of existence.<p>In spring 2011, the six Democratic members of Maryland’s congressional delegations tasked Eric Hawkins with two key jobs: Draw new …
GovernmentWhy did Democrats Ossoff and Parnell lose their congressional races in Georgia and South Carolina?
Low turnout among black voters likely sealed their fate<p>Democrats around the country were hopeful that they could win two special elections Tuesday in what had long been “safe” Republican districts in Georgia and South Carolina. Instead, both Democratic candidates — Jon Ossoff and Archie Parnell — …
ElectionsLouisiana congressional district lines don't favor GOP, analysis shows
A Democrat occupies only one of Louisiana's six seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, but that's a fairly accurate reflection of the state's …
U.S. House of RepresentativesPresident Trump Thinks the Senate Health Care Bill 'Mean'
President Donald Trump confirmed Sunday that he had characterized the Senate's version of the Obamacare repeal bill as "mean," but gave no indication …
Health CareTrump & Congressional Republicans Now Own The Federal Deficit
I’ve been saying since early 2017 (see here, here, here, here and here for example) that the Trump White House and congressional Republicans are not going to let budget laws, precedents, past rulings, officials, basic mathematics, the laws of economics or a big increase in the federal deficit and …
American Health Care ActWill Trump Fill These Key Social Security Positions?
Vacancies in Social Security leadership have existed for years, but the new president could fill in the gaps.<p>Social Security plays a vital role in …
Senate Finance CommitteeWhy Republicans are struggling mightily to overhaul tax code
WASHINGTON (AP) — Why are Republicans struggling mightily to reach a consensus on how to overhaul the nation's tax system?<p>The GOP is supposed to be really good at cutting taxes. President George W. Bush cut taxes. So did President Ronald Reagan, though he also raised them.<p>Why is President Donald …
News (U.S.)Ted Cruz masterfully trolls Nancy Pelosi with witty tweet mocking Democrats’ election losses
Amid continued election losses for the Democratic Party, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has come under fire by many on the left who say that she is part of the problem with the Democratic Party and why it keeps losing elections.<p>After losing the White House to Republicans and Donald …
ElectionsThe Twin Authoritarians Who Are Endangering American Democracy
Ever since Donald Trump launched his presidential campaign in 2015, critics worried about his authoritarian tendencies. He’s done much to justify …
DemocracyRep. Bass: "Reactionary" drug policies "moving dial backwards"
Congresswoman Karen Bass, D-CA, discusses recent tension between the Congressional Black Caucus and President Trump. The CBC is accusing Trump of …
Congressional Black CaucusPotential Pelosi replacement compares ‘tough cookie’ Dem to ‘Caesar’
Rep. Joe Crowley whose name has been floated as a challenger to Nancy Pelosi lauded the embattled House Democratic leader on Sunday as a “tough …
Elections