Puerto Rico seeks $94B for Maria disaster relief
Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello unveiled a $94 billion disaster relief request to Congress on Monday to help the U.S. territory recover from Hurricane Maria.
Congress
Congress Heading for December Budget Showdown Over Defense Spending
Congress is heading toward a budget showdown next month after the two chambers agreed to a defense authorization plan for fiscal year 2018 that exceeds federal spending caps by roughly $85 billion.
CBO: Obamacare mandate repeal would cut deficit by $338 billion
Repealing Obamacare’s individual mandate would save the government $338 billion over a decade and result in 13 million more uninsured Americans in 2027, according to a new CBO score.
Pence: ‘Bureaucratic failures’ led to Texas church shooting, meets with victims’ relatives
Vice President Mike Pence, visiting the Texas church where a gunman killed 26 worshippers, said Wednesday that ‘bureaucratic failures’ contributed to the tragedy by allowing the murderer to purchase a weapon illegally.
For GOP, Virginia reveals dangers of Trump and a do-nothing Congress
The Democratic Party’s sweeping victory in Virginia on Tuesday put a major scare into Republicans in Congress and signaled the severe damage President Trump’s unpopularity could cause in 2018.
Comey draft statement on Clinton emails called her actions ‘grossly negligent,’ new memos show
Newly reported memos to Congress released Monday showed that language was softened between an early draft and the final copy of former FBI Director James Comey’s statement closing out the Hillary Clinton email case.
Trump wants $4 billion more for missile defense, citing North Korea
U.S. President Donald Trump asked Congress on Monday for $4 billion to support missile defense to counter the threat from North Korea, just ahead of his first visit to South Korea since taking office in January.
Egypt’s President Sisi Meets With US Evangelical Leaders for First Time in Cairo
For the first time ever, a delegation of evangelical leaders from the United States met with Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi for nearly three hours at the presidential palace in Cairo on Wednesday to talk about a series of issues including the persecution of Egyptian Christians by Islamic extremists.
Uranium One deal led to some exports to Europe, memos show
After the Obama administration approved the sale of a Canadian mining company with significant U.S. uranium reserves to a firm owned by Russia’s government, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission assured Congress and the public the new owners couldn’t export any raw nuclear fuel from America’s shores.
House passes bill to nix Obamacare panel
The House on Thursday passed a bill to repeal a panel created by Obamacare to cut Medicare if it spends too much.
House GOP Tax Bill Keeps 39.6% Rate for High Earners, Cuts Corporate Rate to 20%
House Republicans’ long-awaited tax overhaul bill will keep the top individual rate at 39.6 percent for high-income earners and will immediately and permanently cut the corporate rate to 20 percent.
GOP’s tax bill cancels $23 billion in credits claimed by illegal immigrants
The new GOP tax overhaul would strip illegal immigrants of the ability to claim several major tax credits, saving the government $23.1 billion over the next decade, according to the bill’s authors.
Trump calls for ending visa program after N.Y. attack, blasts Democrats
President Donald Trump on Wednesday seized on the deadly New York City truck attack to step up demands for stricter U.S. immigration laws, asking Congress to end a visa program that let the Uzbek suspect into the country and saying he might send him to Guantanamo Bay.
U.S. Pursuing Rigorous New Nuclear Inspection Regime in Iran
The United States is pursuing a rigorous new regime for international inspections of Iran’s nuclear program that includes access to off-limits military sites as well as increased transparency on the Islamic Republic’s often obfuscated enrichment of uranium, the key component in a nuclear bomb, according to U.S. officials and congressional leaders spearheading the new inspection effort.
Trump tax overhaul under intensifying fire as Congress readies bill
President Donald Trump’s plan for overhauling the U.S. tax system faced growing opposition from interest groups on Sunday, as Republicans prepare to unveil sweeping legislation that could eliminate some of the most popular tax breaks to help pay for lower taxes.
Ryan: FBI Finally Agrees to Provide Dossier-Related Documents Congress Has Been Asking For
The FBI has informed House Republicans that it intends to comply with a subpoena issued in August for documents related to the Trump dossier.
House backs $4T budget, faces challenges on Trump tax plan
Republicans powered a $4 trillion budget through the House on Thursday by a razor-thin margin, a close vote underscoring the difficulties that lie ahead in delivering President Donald Trump’s promise to cut taxes.
Minister: Israel willing to act militarily to stop Iran from getting nuclear arms
Israel is willing to resort to military action to ensure Iran never acquires nuclear weapons, Israel’s intelligence minister said on Thursday in Japan where he is drumming up support for U.S. President Donald Trump’s tougher line on Tehran.
FBI informant in Obama-era Russian nuclear bribery cleared to testify before Congress
The Justice Department on Wednesday night released a former FBI informant from a confidentiality agreement, allowing him to testify before Congress about what he witnessed undercover about the Russian nuclear industry’s efforts to win favorable decisions during the Obama administration.
China has launched another crackdown on the internet — but it’s different this time
Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a message for the world during his opening speech at the 19th Communist Party Congress: China supports an open economy, and it will further liberalize its markets to foreign investors.