Not Every Grant Is the Right Grant: 5 Questions to Ask Before You Apply

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 […]

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 […]