Category: Republican

PENCE: ‘The Obamacare nightmare is about to end!’

Vice President Mike Pence delivered a strong endorsement Saturday morning of the GOP’s replacement bill for the Affordable Care Act, which was introduced earlier in the week by House Republican leadership and supported by President Donald Trump. Pence, who spoke to constitutents in Kentucky, highlighted some of the pitfalls of Obamacare, including rising premiums and a lack of carrier options.

House panel wants any evidence Trump’s phones were tapped

President Donald Trump, back center, meets, Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Shulkin, second from left, with his wife Merle Bari, left clockwise, Trump, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross and his wife Hilary Geary, right, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and his fiancee Scottish actress Louise Linton, together with other members of his cabinet and the White House staff, Saturday, March 11, 2017, at the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Va.

How healthy are you? GOP bill would help employers find out

A bill in Congress could make it harder for workers to keep employers from getting access to their personal medical and genetic information and raise the financial penalties for those who opt out of workplace wellness programs. House Republicans are proposing legislation aimed at making it easier for companies to gather genetic data from workers and their families, including their children, when they collect it as part of a voluntary wellness program.

Treasury calls on Congress to raise debt limit, begins steps to delay default

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Thursday began taking “extraordinary measures” to delay the U.S. government from defaulting on its obligations, as he called on House Speaker Paul Ryan to lift the debt ceiling “at its first opportunity.” Mnuchin, in a letter to Ryan , said Treasury was now suspending the sale of certain state and local securities, a practice the federal government normally performs to assist with tax policies.

Congress looks to overturn Obama internet privacy rules

PanARMENIAN.Net – Republicans in the U.S. Congress are moving to repeal regulations adopted by the Obama administration in October that would have subjected internet service providers to stricter scrutiny than websites to protect customers’ private data , Reuters reports. Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona introduced a resolution on Tuesday, March 7 backed by 34 other senators to undo the regulations under a provision that allows Congress to repeal recently approved federal regulations.

Congress May Overturn Obama-Era Rules on Internet Privacy

Republicans in the U.S. Congress are moving to repeal regulations adopted by the Obama administration in October that would have subjected internet service providers to stricter scrutiny than websites to protect customers' Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona introduced a resolution on Tuesday backed by 34 other senators to undo the regulations under a provision that allows Congress to repeal recently approved federal regulations. Representative Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, who chairs a House panel on telecommunications, introduced a companion measure on Wednesday.

6 changes the FCC has made in just six weeks

Check out this story on USATODAY.com: http://usat.ly/2mI3xq2 One of the FCC’s moves under the new administration was the removal from the agenda an order that would require pay-TV providers make free apps so subscribers could watch programming without a set-top box. In just six weeks under the Trump administration, the Federal Communications Commission has quickly made its mark on issues such as Net neutrality and online privacy.

‘Disingenuous and absurd’: White House slams resurfaced…

The White House on Tuesday shot down resurfaced reports suggesting President Donald Trump met with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak in April, calling the accounts “disingenuous and absurd.” As revisited Tuesday by the liberal-leaning AmericaBlog , a report in the Wall Street Journal last May said Trump and Kislyak interacted at a reception that preceded a foreign-policy speech the then-Republican frontrunner gave at a Washington, DC, hotel.

Congress Takes Sledgehammer to Broadband Privacy Rules Through Congressional Review Act

Today Senator Jeff Flake introduced a resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act to repeal the broadband privacy rules enacted by the Federal Communications Commission last October. The rules protect consumer privacy by requiring ISPs to seek affirmative consent before using or disclosing their customers’ sensitive information, including web browsing and app usage history, for marketing purposes.

WikiLeaks Says It Has CIA Spy Tools as McCain Cites Dangers

The Central Intelligence Agency’s hackers have developed tools letting them break into devices to monitor conversations and messages, according to documents released by WikiLeaks that — if true — could expose U.S. operations in countries from North Korea to Iran. “If they can hack into the CIA they can hack into anyone,” Republican Senator John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said of WikiLeaks.

Conservative Republicans just ripped into the GOP’s…

Republican members of Congress held a press conference on Tuesday to denounce their party leadership’s American Health Care Act and said they would introduce their own Obamacare-repeal plan on Wednesday. Members of the House Freedom Caucus and Republican senators suggested the proposed legislation did not go far enough in repealing all the taxes and entitlements in the Affordable Care Act.

House, Senate Conservative Republicans Plan Own Obamacare Repeal Bill

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., criticizes the House Republican healthcare reform plan as “Obamacare light” during a television interview on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, March 7, 2017. ( Conservative Republicans in Congress said on Tuesday they oppose aspects of the Republican leadership’s healthcare bill and they plan to introduce their own legislation on Wednesday to repeal Obamacare.

If Jason Chaffetz wants to compare healthcare to iPhones, let’s do it the right way

Interpretation of the news based on evidence, including data, as well as anticipating how events might unfold based on past events Speaking this morning on CNN in defense of House Republicans’ Obamacare replacement plan , Utah Republican Jason Chaffetz said that rather than “getting that new iPhone that they just love,” low-income Americans should take they money they would have spent on it and “invest it in their own health care.” Host Alisyn Camerota started the exchange by pointing out that “access for lower-income Americans doesn’t equal coverage.”

European Stocks Called Higher As Markets Get Boost From U.S. Government Focus

European stocks are expected to open higher Tuesday as investors take a Republican party plan to repeal ‘Obamacare’ as a sign the administration is shifting focus towards firmer policy objectives. European stocks are expected to open higher Tuesday, following a solid session in Asia, as investors take a Republican party plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act as a sign that the administration is shifting focus towards firmer policy objectives.

House GOP Finally Puts Out Repeal Plan

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., plans to send the bill to the House floor for a vote and then forward it to the Senate by the beginning of April. Employers would no longer face a tax for offering high-value “Cadillac” health plans under the latest House Republican plan to repeal and replace Obamacare.

4 Trump plans piecemeal budget release, obscurring broader fiscal picture

The Trump administration’s first budget proposal this month will not include any specific changes to the tax code or big programs like Medicare and Social Security, an administration official said, A focusing instead on boosting A defense spending and cutting other programs that are annually authorized by Congress. This budget proposal is expected to be released around March 16. Other budget proposals will come at a later date, the Office of Management and Budget spokesperson official said.

GOP Needs Trump’s Salesmanship to Advance New Obamacare Plan

Republicans in Congress hope a new draft bill released Monday night will jump-start their stalled Obamacare repeal effort, though the most important factor may be how hard President Donald Trump works to sell it to lawmakers. Two House committees released long-awaited draft measures that House Speaker Paul Ryan and GOP leaders negotiated with the White House, and made expedited plans to take up the measures Wednesday.

Pai to Lay Out Plans for FCC on Wednesday

Ajit Pai, the new chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, promised to return the U.S. to ‘the light-touch approach’ of regulating broadband. New Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai will get a chance to clue in lawmakers about his plans for net neutrality, wrapping up the broadcast spectrum auction and rewriting media ownership rules when he and fellow FCC members appear before panels on both sides of Capitol Hill Wednesday, March 8. Both the Senate Commerce Committee as well as the communications subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee will hold oversight hearings examining the FCC’s operations Wednesday.

Fmr. Federal Prosecutor Robert Ray: Trump Russia Probe Does Not Need Special Counsel

Former federal prosecutor Robert Ray said Sunday there is no need for special counsel to look into possible ties between the 2016 Trump presidential campaign and Russian officials. Ray, in an exclusive interview with Maria Bartiromo on “Sunday Morning Futures,” weighed in on the continuing debate, days after Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from investigations into the matter over two conversations he had with a Russian diplomat during the campaign, when Sessions was an Alabama senator.

Questions for Muslim students

Three Muslim students who tried to visit an Oklahoma lawmaker Thursday at the State Capitol in Oklahoma City were surprised when they were instead handed a questionnaire at his office. They would have to fill out the survey first, an office assistant told them, before they could make an appointment to see state Rep. John Bennett.

White House fight on import tax puts Congress in limbo

A major split among senior White House officials over whether to effectively create a new tax on imported goods has stalled the broader tax overhaul effort on Capitol Hill, with Republicans looking to the Trump administration for leadership on an issue that has drawn fierce resistance, according to several officials with direct knowledge of the matter. White House chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon, senior adviser Stephen Miller and National Trade Council director Peter Navarro have all voiced internal support for the creation of a border adjustment tax or something like it.

Overnight Tech: FCC votes in favor of stay on data security |…

FCC VOTES TO HALT INTERNET PRIVACY RULE: The Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday voted 2-1 along party lines to prevent a new internet privacy rule from taking effect. The provision was part of a larger set of broadband privacy rules passed by the FCC in October under the Obama administration and set to go into effect on Thursday.

Trump Doubles Down on Controversial Pledge to Leave Social Security, Medicare Untouched

President Trump delivered his first speech Tuesday night to a joint session of Congress, discussing his budget blueprint for the coming fiscal year which includes a $54 billion increase in defense spending, a large cut in funding for the Environmental Protection Agency– and “no changes” to Social Security and Medicare. As of January, 66 million Americans were receiving Social Security, Supplemental Security Income payments, or both, according to the program’s website.

Internet privacy rules headed for showdown

In a showdown over Internet privacy, the newly conservative Federal Communications Commission and the Republican-led Congress are trying to block tough Obama administration rules that limit how broadband Internet providers use their customers’ personal information. At stake is the way Internet service providers such as Comcast Corp., AT&T Inc., and Verizon Communications Inc. use and store the sensitive data they collect, including customers’ locations, their financial information, Social Security numbers, and Internet browsing habits.

Father of Navy SEAL killed in Yemen raid to Trump…

The father of William “Ryan” Owens, the Navy SEAL Team 6 member who was the first US combat death during US President Donald Trump’s presidency in January, urged the Trump administration to not “hide behind my son’s death” and provide answers. In an interview with the Miami Herald , Bill Owens, also a Navy veteran, called for an investigation into the raid that left his son, an eight-year-old girl, and as many as 29 civilians dead.

The Trump team may have gone even further to knock down news…

White House officials allegedly sought to recruit congressional lawmakers and the US intelligence community to help throw cold water on stories about communications between Russia and people in President Donald Trump’s inner circle. According to a Washington Post report published Friday evening, some of those lawmakers were asked by the White House to talk to reporters and refute stories from The New York Times and CNN that alleged frequent communication between Trump allies and the Kremlin before the election.

Kansas governor to wield veto pen on tax bill

Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback, speaks of the tax bill he was sent last week at the Kansas Chamber annual dinner in Topeka, Kan., Tuesday night, Feb. 21, 2017. Brownback said Tuesday that he will veto a bipartisan bill that would roll back personal income tax cuts he’s championed to help balance the state budget.

Senators Want Sessions to Review AT&T, Time Warner Deal

The planned $85 billion merger between AT&T and Time Warner could be facing further scrutiny as top senators on the Judiciary Committee are urging the DOJ to look into the deal further, due to antitrust concerns. Subcommittee chair Sen. Mike Lee and Amy Klobuchar sent a letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions highlighting parts of the deal they find concerning, The Hill reports.