The Latest: House passes $4.1T budget plan

The House has passed a $4.1 trillion budget plan that promises deep cuts to social programs and Cabinet agency budgets, but whose chief purpose is to set the stage for a comprehensive GOP overhaul of the U.S. tax code later this year. The plan calls for more than $5 trillion in spending cuts over the coming decade, including a plan to turn Medicare into a voucher-like program for future retirees, slash Medicaid, and repeal the "Obamacare" health law.

Mike Pence’s top aide threatens disloyal Republicans, and members fume

"If we're going to be in the minority again, we might as well have a minority who are with us as opposed to a minority who helped us become a minority," Ayers said. Republicans in Congress were seething Wednesday after a top aide to Vice President Mike Pence suggested to a gathering of GOP donors that the party's congressional majorities should be jettisoned in 2018 if that's what it takes to weed out members disloyal to President Trump.

GOP budgets to permit first steps on tax overhauls

Congressional Republicans on Wednesday kicked off debate on House and Senate budget plans that promise slashing cuts to social programs - but whose real purpose is to grease the skids for a sweeping overhaul of the U.S. tax code that would add up to $1.5 trillion to the nation's spiraling debt. The companion GOP budget measures differ in key respects but both rely on rosy estimates of economic growth and illusory spending cuts to promise to wrestle the federal budget back into surplus within a decade.

Almost 400,000 Texans’ Insurance At Risk After Congress Fails To Renew CHIP

Insurance coverage for more than 390,000 Texas children and pregnant women is in jeopardy after Congress failed to renew authorization for a federal program. Congressional authorization for the Children's Health Insurance Program, which provides low-cost health insurance for children from low- and middle-income families, expires Sept.

DOJ, Ombudsman asked to conduct probe for filing of charges vs Faeldon, others

The House committee on ways and means has asked the Department of Justice and Office of the Ombudsman to conduct an investigation for the filing of possible criminal and administrative charges against former Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon and 47 other Bureau of Customs men and private individuals. In an 82-page committee report, the House panel chaired by Quirino Rep. Dakila Carlo Cua has revealed that estimates have indicated that government lost P43.8 billion in revenues from July 2016 to July 2017, a period of just one year, due to massive graft and corrupt activities in the BOC.

Why Are NCAA Recruiting Violations a Crime–Let Alone a Federal One?

When I first heard the University of Louisville basketball program was involved in some recruiting scandal, I was shocked-shocked!-because an ethical cloud hangs around its coach Rick Pitino like Pig-Pen of Peanuts fame. Then I heard that the FBI had been investigating multiple schools for similar violations and I thought two things: I'm again shocked-shocked!-that shamateurism prevails in the NCAA, and why does any law enforcement agency care? Here's what allegedly happened: An executive at sportswear manufacturer Adidas named James Gatto funneled significant sums of money to high school basketball players who then committed to Louisville.

American Intellectual Property Law Association 2017 Annual Meeting to Draw Thousands

Intellectual Property practitioners from across the world will join together with their peers in the creative and legal communities at the American Intellectual Property Law Association's 2017 Annual Meeting. AIPLA's Annual Meeting, which gathers thought-leaders from all areas of patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret law, expects hundreds of attendees to descend upon Washington, DC this fall.

Op-Ed: Iowa Senators Should Regret Voting For EPA Administration Pruitt, Ethanol’s Decline

ED: IOWA SENATORS SHOULD REGRET VOTING FOR EPA ADMINISTRATION PRUITT, ETHANOL'S DECLINE Oct. 2, 2017 by the Quad City Times Editorial Board There's no doubt, Iowa's U.S. senators are regretting their votes in February to confirm Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt. Thing is, their massive error was obvious from the outset to anyone who wasn't solely interested in being a good partisan soldier.

How healthcare went from the GOP’s biggest priority after Trump’s election to a total debacle

On January 10, just days before his inauguration, President Donald Trump told The New York Times that Republicans would have Obamacare repealed "probably sometime next week." Now, as September comes to a close, Obamacare is still the law of the land and Republicans are no closer to overhauling their healthcare law than they were when Trump took office.