Trump’s budget chief says money for border wall a must

Money for the wall President Donald Trump wants to build along the U.S. border with Mexico must be part of the massive spending bill Congress is preparing, the White House budget director says. Additional funding also must be included to hire more immigration agents, Mick Mulvaney told The Associated Press in an interview in which he laid out the top priorities of the president.

Congress returns as Trump pressures Democrats ahead of funding deadline

With a deadline looming this week to avert a U.S. government shutdown, Congress returns to work on Monday as President Donald Trump leans on Democrats to include funding for his promised border wall with Mexico in spending legislation. The Republican president took to Twitter on Sunday to warn Democrats that the Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare, could soon lose essential funding without Democratic support for a congressional spending plan to keep the government running.

National Rural Electric Cooperative Association EPA’s Pruitt, Co-op…

National Rural Electric Cooperative Association CEO Jim Matheson released the following statement after meeting with EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt at the Thomas Hill Energy Center. "Affordable and reliable power is fundamental to a successful economy, and I look forward to building on today's productive conversations," Matheson said.

U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander calls Foothills Parkway ‘one of the prettiest drives in America’

Some of those who attended an update on the Foothills Parkway tour one of the corridor's newly finished bridges on Thursday. U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, of Maryville, addresses the crowd at a ceremony Thursday celebrating the beginning of the final project for the completion of the "missing link" of the Foothills Parkway from Walland to Wears Valley.

Alexander honors Maryville Scholars, praises school, nation

Maryville High School senior Taylor Drake speaks after receiving the $25,000 Lamar Alexander Scholarship from Sen. Lamar Alexander Wednesday during the 2017 Maryville Scholars Banquet. Maryville High School senior Preston Robinette receives the $15,000 Lamar Alexander Scholarship from U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander as the executive director of the Maryville City Schools Foundation, Barbara Jenkins, looks on.

Getting out was Jason Chaffetz’s only good option

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz announced Wednesday that he will not run for reelection to his House seat in 2018. The Utah Republican said he won't seek any political office in 2018, stirring speculation that he may run for governor in 2020.

Bill O’Reilly Had A Better 4/20 Than You

Like what you read below? Sign up for HUFFPOST HILL and get a cheeky dose of political news every evening! , just another day on the calendar in which Americans try to forget about reality. Bill O'Reilly is receiving a -- an amount typically reserved for more noble undertakings like selling out to a lobbying firm, ruining the Yankees' playoff chances or running an investment bank into the ground.

Is Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy getting ready to resign?

President Donald Trump, left, Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, center, and Justice Neil Gorsuch participate in a public swearing-in ceremony for Gorsuch in the Rose Garden of the White House White House in Washington, Monday, April 10, 2017. U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, , told an Iowa newspaper that he expects a Supreme Court justice will resign this year, opening up a seat that President Donald Trump will be able to nominate someone to fill.

Commissioner Adam H. Putnam to Host Media Availability on Florida Wildfires

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.-Nearly 80,000 acres within state fire jurisdiction have burned due to wildfires in 2017, a more than fourfold increase from the same timeframe in 2016. Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam and State Forester Jim Karels will hold a media availability today to discuss these wildfires and forecasted wildfire conditions.

Why Isn’t Jason Chaffetz Running For Reelection? The Move Raises Questions

"I have long advocated public service should be for a limited time and not a lifetime or full career", Chaffetz said in a statement , as The New York Times reports . Chaffetz's decision is likely bad news for Allen and the Democrats, as the district is normally not a competitive opportunity.

GOP crafting new health care plan for retired unionized miners

Coal companies say a new Republican plan to extend retiree health benefits is fair, but unionized miners worry it will siphon federal resources they believe should be used for their pensions . The measure, which hasn't yet been introduced, shifts the cost of retiree health insurance from coal companies to the federal government.

US reverses itself on status of deported Mexican

A Georgia congressional election in a historically conservative district is headed to a runoff that raises the stakes in an early measure for President Donald Trump and both major parties ahead of the 2018 midterm... A Georgia congressional election in a historically conservative district is headed to a runoff that raises the stakes in an early measure for President Donald Trump and both major parties ahead of the 2018 midterm elections. A planned appearance by provocative author Ann Coulter at the University of California, Berkeley next week has been called off because of safety and security concerns.