The Latest on the Government Shutdown

Despite last week’s failed vote on the “skinny” repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the Senate will go forward with its plans to stay in session for two weeks into its traditional August recess. Although the exact schedule remains unclear, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is reportedly hoping to use the time to […]

Once again, the fierce negotiations on the Republican plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA) are scheduled to come to a head this week with Senate floor consideration of the House-passed American Health Care Act (AHCA). While every weekly preview for the past month has seemingly promised that event, Senate Majority Leader […]

With the Republican ‘repeal and replace’ effort on life support, lawmakers are headed back to the drawing board on health care and Senate Democrats are reaching out to encourage the majority part to engage in bipartisan conversations. It is unclear how Republican leadership intends to move forward, but it is evident that other priorities are […]

Lawmakers return to Washington this week facing a critical three-week period before the August recess. Without any major legislative achievements so far this year, Republicans will be focused on the tense Senate negotiations on legislation to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA). An agreement has yet to be reached on the legislative text […]

Congress has left for the July 4 recess, and will return to Washington the week of July 10. Awaiting lawmakers is a daunting agenda of major policy initiatives and must-pass items, with a limited calendar in which to pass them. Of course, chief among those items is the stalled effort to repeal and replace the […]

This week has the potential to be the most important of the year in healthcare, as the Senate could vote as early as Thursday evening on their version of a bill to repeal and replace major provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) will likely bring the bill to the […]

As the summer churns along, Republican leaders are hoping to break the stalemate on their major priorities, namely health care legislation, tax reform, and the appropriations process for the 2018 fiscal year. All three appear to be deadlocked at the moment, with health care reform at the front of the queue. According to a report […]

A big day in Washington will be marked by the highly-anticipated Senate Intelligence Committee hearing this morning featuring remarks from former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) James Comey. Comey has been asked to testify on his interactions with the President, particularly those related to the Bureau’s investigation of ties between the Trump campaign and Russian […]

Both the House and Senate have completed their legislative business for the week and neither chamber is expected to convene again until after the Memorial Day recess. When the lower chamber returns, they will be joined by their newest member, Greg Gianforte, who won a special election for Montana’s at-large congressional seat last night. The […]

Jet fumes are in the air as lawmakers hope to finish their legislative business today and leave Washington tomorrow for a weeklong recess in honor of Memorial Day. The House will consider two measures pursuant to a rule today, both related to this week’s theme of protecting children from exploitation. One measure (H.R. 1973) would […]

It’s budget day in Washington as the White House is expected to release its full spending proposal for the 2018 fiscal year. Many details of the budget have already leaked, outlining significant cuts to the Medicaid program, agriculture subsidies, and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), while continuing to increase the budget for defense and homeland […]

President Trump is on his first overseas trip this week – visiting the nations of Saudi Arabia, Israel, Vatican City, and Belgium – but the White House will still make domestic headlines with the expected release of its complete budget proposal for the 2018 fiscal year. The initial “skinny budget” outlined in March detailed significant […]