The Latest on the Government Shutdown

The tax reform debate has officially begun in earnest, as the Senate has closed the door on a September vote on ACA ‘repeal and replace’ and the group of Republican leaders known as the “Big Six” released the most detailed look yet at the party’s plan to overhaul the nation's tax code. The tax plan is […]

The last-ditch effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA) led by Republican Sens. Lindsay Graham (R-SC) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) will take center-stage this week as Republican leaders try to beat the expiration of the 2017 fiscal year reconciliation instructions that allow for a bill to pass in the Senate on a […]

The Week in Review In a shortened week in Washington, the most noteworthy development was the growing sense of momentum for the newest Republican repeal and replace bill introduced by Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC). While the whip count is still in flux, the bill (H.R. 1628) is expected to be called […]

Our Take This past week the President appeared to cut a deal with Democrats on DACA, walk back his commitment to pull-out of the Paris Climate Agreement and announced his intention to wade into a nasty election in Alabama.   Whether this is part of some calculated political agenda, or just because he “really likes” Senator […]

With the House in recess for the week, Beltway-watchers will be focused on the upper chamber where lawmakers will return today to continue consideration of the FY18 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) (H.R. 2810). A final cloture and up-or-down vote on the bill is expected this evening, after the chamber adopts a substitute amendment from […]

The Week in Review The week started on a somber note as the nation marked the 16th anniversary of the September 11th terror attacks and assessed the damage from Hurricane Irma’s landfall on the Florida coast. That latter event delayed the House’s return to Washington, although lawmakers were able to return on Tuesday to work […]

Our Take This past week the President Trump that all Democrats had hoped for – the one who favors the art of the deal over ideology – finally made an appearance.  Depending on your media consumption this was either the greatest thing or the end of days.   As is often the case, the media hype […]

Last Week in Review The natural disaster in southeast Texas, and preparations for the now-arrived storm in Florida, forced a busy week from Congress in its return from the August recess as the body was forced to reckon with government funding and the debt ceiling weeks ahead of previously anticipated deadlines at the end of […]

This morning's "Morning Money" piece from Politico featured “hat tip” to comments made by Thorn Run’s Jason Rosenstock, who offered his take on the current state of play between both parties on the debt limit earlier this summer. “Democrats whose history under the Gephardt Rule shows they never wanted to make this a public issue, and who are tired […]

The Week in Review With Texas still reeling from the effects of Hurricane Harvey, lawmakers began to discuss the recovery process last week, which may have a significant impact on government funding negotiations this month. Harvey is expected to be one of the most, if not the most, expensive natural disasters in American history, necessitating […]

The Week in Review While Congress continued their congressional recess, last week brought several news-worthy developments that will shape the political debate when lawmakers return in September. Tropical Storm Harvey battered the coast of Texas over the weekend, with total rainfall expected to reach 50 inches, causing significant damage in Houston and surrounding areas. Some […]

The Week in Review At the end of a chaotic week for the Trump Administration, the White House announced on Friday that Chief Strategist Steve Bannon had resigned from his post. Bannon is considered one of the primary architects of Trump’s rise to power and is likely to remain an influential voice through his position […]