The Latest on the Government Shutdown

News out of the Senate came fast and furiously yesterday, led by the announcement from Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) that he would not seek re-election in 2018. In a stirring speech on the Senate floor, Sen. Flake said that his beliefs in limited government, free trade, and immigration reform presented a “narrower and narrower path […]

The House returns today after a week in recess, and both chambers are looking at a hefty legislative agenda this week. The lower chamber starts with six suspension bills to consider today, including a bill (H.R. 2141) to authorize $9 million for Customs and Border Protection to prevent unlawful importation of fentanyl and certain other […]

The Week in Review With the House out of town, the Senate used most of the week’s floor time to approve a budget resolution (H. Con. Res. 71) for the 2018 fiscal year that would provide reconciliation instructions for tax reform legislation that could circumvent a possible Democratic filibuster. The vote was by a 51-49 […]

The Senate is prepping for a vote-a-rama today on proposed amendments to the 2018 budget resolution (H. Con. Res. 71) that includes reconciliation instructions to facilitate a tax reform package. The process may keep the Senate in session late into the night, with a final up-or-down vote on the underlying resolution expected before the upper […]

Our Take With just under a month of scheduled legislative days remaining before funding for the Federal Government runs out, we are now fully ensconced in the high drama of the calendar.  Loyal readers may recall that we initially encouraged people to look at this year as a play in four parts.   Perhaps a soap […]

The Senate returns to Washington today while the House is out for an in-district work period until Oct. 23. The primary agenda item for Senate lawmakers will be mirroring their House counterparts in advancing a FY2018 budget resolution that includes reconciliation instructions to be used for a Republican-backed tax reform package. Given the partisan nature […]

The Week in Review The Senate had the week off from Washington, leaving the House to conduct a modest slate of legislative business. Most notably, House lawmakers advanced a $36.5 billion disaster relief package in a 353-69 vote under suspension of the rules. The bill represents the second installment of aid since a series of […]

Looking Ahead Near Term The Senate is in recess this week while the House will have an abbreviated week for the Columbus Day holiday.  The House will be in recess next week. The House Financial Services Committee will hold a marathon mark-up of 23 bills starting on Wednesday and likely concluding with votes on Friday.  […]

The Week in Review House lawmakers approved their version of a budget resolution (H. Con. Res. 71) for the 2018 fiscal year, taking the first legislative step towards creating a comprehensive tax reform package through the budget reconciliation process. The next step will be for the Senate to do the same, which should happen in […]

As details from Sunday night’s mass shooting in Las Vegas continue to emerge, the gun control debate has reignited in Washington along predictable lines. A bipartisan pair of legislators — Rep. Pete King (R-NY) and Mike Thompson (D-CA) — are reportedly preparing to reintroduce legislation to require background checks on all commercial firearm sales, while […]

The Week in Review While the Graham-Cassidy ‘repeal and replace’ bill was once expected to headline the week on Capitol Hill, the bill’s swift demise ultimately set the stage for other legislative business —  as well as the resignation of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tom Price. The embattled cabinet official had already lost […]

Before leaving Washington for the week, lawmakers in both chambers voted yesterday on a bill (H.R. 3823) to extend federal aviation programs before a Saturday deadline and provide tax relief for people affected by recent hurricanes. The six-month reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) (H.R. 3823) also includes provisions to extend a few expiring […]