The Latest on the Government Shutdown

Congress narrowly avoided a partial shutdown of the Homeland Security Department last Friday night after the Senate approved a one-week extension (H.R. 240) of the agency’s funding and the House followed suit just hours before a midnight deadline. The House vote was 357-60, sending the bill to President Obama for his expected signature. Support for […]

We have consistently said that this year’s Congress will be driven in large part by the various deadlines of significant programs and policies.  Last week we saw how one of the first of these played out, as Congress struggled to pass a bill to keep the Department of Homeland Security from shutting down.  In order […]

The House and Senate were out last week for the Presidents Day recess. In Affordable Care Act (ACA) implementation news, the Obama Administration moved up next year’s healthcare enrollment period by three weeks, designating Jan. 31 as the last day to sign up. HHS officials said 2016 enrollment would begin Nov. 1, instead of Nov. […]

Looking Ahead   Near Term  The House and Senate are in recess this week.  When they return the Senate has teed up the 4th cloture vote on H.R. 240, the Homeland Security funding bill.  Unless Congress does something, funding for DHS will run out on Feb 27th.

Last week saw more political jockeying over a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding bill (H.R. 240), but little progress in advancing the measure. Republicans had hoped to use the bill to reverse President Obama’s immigration policies, but their effort has been blocked by Senate Democrats. The impasse could jeopardize funding for the DHS, which […]

Last Monday, President Obama sent his fiscal 2016 budget request to Congress, and Cabinet officials spent the week explaining the details to House and Senate committees. HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell appeared before the Senate Finance Committee last Wednesday to take questions about the Administration’s funding proposal and the implementation of the Affordable Care Act […]

Last week, President Obama sent his fiscal 2016 budget request to Congress, and Cabinet officials spent the week explaining the details to relevant House and Senate committees. The Administration’s nearly $4 trillion budget called for a spending increase for both domestic programs and the military, including $74 billion in additional discretionary spending – about 7 […]

Last week we once again witnessed an annual rite of passage in Washington.  The President also released his budget, and although the recent budget battles have been more akin to the film classic Groundhog Day than your classic legislative process, last week’s release of the budget on Groundhog Day offered some constructive steps towards a […]

Looking Ahead  The White House is expected to release its budget today.  According to reports, the President’s 2016 budget proposal will have $74 billion, or about 7%  more, above the levels permitted by sequestration.  The SEC is one of the agencies prioritized under the budget, with the Obama Administration asking Congress to fund the SEC […]

Last Thursday, the Senate voted 62-36 to build the Keystone XL pipeline, delivering Republicans the first legislative victory of their new majority. Nine Democrats joined with Republicans in voting to approve the $8 billion project, five votes short of the two-thirds majority that would be needed to override a promised veto from President Obama. The […]

Last week President Obama delivered his State of the Union.  Depending on your political leanings it was either (a) the populist mantra you’ve been waiting for, or (b) the populist mantra you’ve been expecting.  While it was noted that the President chose not to acknowledge the new Republican majorities, he did indicate that one take […]

Last week, attention in Washington centered on President Obama’s State of the Union address. The President made economic growth a central theme of his remarks to Congress, highlighting proposals to make community colleges tuition-free, increase the minimum wage and guarantee paid sick leave. The President also proposed new tax breaks aimed at working families, which […]