Trump budget will hike defense spending by $54 billion

The White House says President Donald Trump's upcoming budget will propose a whopping $54 billion increase in defense spending and impose corresponding cuts to domestic programs and foreign aid. The result is that Trump's initial budget wouldn't dent budget deficits projected to run about $500 billion.

Expect ‘something special’ to replace Obamacare, Trump tells health insurers

Trump, Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, and congressional leaders are trying to figure out how to fulfill their pledge of repealing the law President Donald Trump attends a meeting with health insurance company executives Monday to discuss Obamacare. Leaders are trying to figure out how to fulfill their pledge of repealing the law and creating a replacement.

School budget set, reflects 6.3% increase in state funding

Rep. Wendy Horman, R-Idaho Falls, led a group of legislative budget writers who crafted the public school budget that won approval in the Idaho Legislature's joint budget committee on Monday morning, Feb. 27, 2017, With no disagreement on the final divisions of the public school budget, the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee has now set the public schools budget for next year at $2.041 billion, a 6.3 percent increase in state general funds. Gov. Butch Otter had called for a 6.4 percent increase.

GOP tax plans could eliminate popular tax breaks

A report is warning that the changes under consideration by the GOP-led House would reduce significantly federal dollars for Medicaid and subsidized private insurance. A report is warning that the changes under consideration by the GOP-led House would reduce significantly federal dollars for Medicaid and subsidized private insurance.

AP sources: White House to propose boosting defense spending

The White House will propose boosting defense spending and slashing funding for longtime Republican targets like the Environmental Protection Agency in a set of marching orders to agencies as it prepares its budget for the upcoming fiscal year. President Donald Trump's proposal for the 2018 budget year, which will be sent to agencies Monday, won't make significant changes to Social Security or Medicare, according to an administration official.

Trump toasts nation’s governors

President Donald Trump toasted the nation's governors Sunday night, welcoming state leaders to a black-tie ball at the White House ahead of discussions about his plans to repeal and replace the so-called Obamacare law. Trump welcomed 46 governors and their spouses to the annual Governors' Ball at the White House, the first major social event of his administration.

Two Views: Supreme Court Nomination – Gorsuch could make it harder to address climate change

Judge Neil Gorsuch was not on President Donald Trump's first list of potential Supreme Court nominees. Judge Gorsuch did, however, appear on a revised list just weeks after he wrote a controversial manifesto arguing that it should be easier for corporations and individuals suing federal agencies to have courts strike down regulations and overrule decisions by experts at agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency.

The Latest: Trump to order review of Obama rule on waterways

President Donald Trump will sign an executive order Tuesday mandating a review of an Obama-era rule aimed at protecting small streams and wetlands from development and pollution. A senior White House official says the order will instruct the Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers to review a rule that redefined "waters of the United States" protected under the Clean Water Act to include smaller creeks and wetlands.

AP sources: White House to propose slashing agency budgets

The White House is moving to propose slashing cuts to longtime Republican targets like the Environmental Protection Agency in a set of marching orders to agencies as it prepares its budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Capitol Hill aides say the White House budget office on Monday will send agencies proposed levels for the 2018 budget year.

Thomas Perez – Mostly False: New DNC chair Tom Perez says Donald…

Democrats elected former Labor Secretary Tom Perez as their new national chairman on Feb. 25, 2017, over Rep. Keith Ellison, a liberal Minnesota congressman, after a divisive campaign that reflected the depths of the party's electoral failures. New DNC chairman Thomas Perez talks about the future of the Democratic Party with "Meet the Press" moderator Chuck Todd on Feb. 26, 2017.

Sessions’ tough on crime talk could lead to fuller prisons

The federal prison population is on the decline, but a new attorney general who talks tough on drugs and crime and already has indicated a looming need for private prison cells seems poised to usher in a reversal of that trend. Jeff Sessions, a former federal prosecutor sworn in this month as the country's chief law enforcement officer, signalled at his confirmation hearing - and during private meetings in his first days on the job - that he sees a central role for the federal government in combating drug addiction and violence as well as in strict enforcement of immigration laws.

Sessionsa tough on crime talk could lead to fuller prisons

The federal prison population is on the decline, but a new attorney general who talks tough on drugs and crime and already has indicated a looming need for private prison cells seems poised to usher in a reversal of that trend. Jeff Sessions, a former federal prosecutor sworn in this month as the country's chief law enforcement officer, signaled at his confirmation hearing - and during private meetings in his first days on the job - that he sees a central role for the federal government in combating drug addiction and violence as well as in strict enforcement of immigration laws.

Big Pharma Quietly Enlists Leading Professors to Justify $1,000-Per-Day Drugs

Over the last three years, pharmaceutical companies have mounted a public relations blitz to tout new cures for the hepatitis C virus and persuade insurers, including government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, to cover the costs. That isn't an easy sell, because the price of the treatments ranges from $40,000 to $94,000 - or, because the treatments take three months, as much as $1,000 per day.

Advocates rally to preserve Affordable Care Act

A crowd of doctors, health care executives, and other supporters of the Affordable Care Act gathered in front of the State House on Saturday to condemn President Trump's vow to dismantle the nation's landmark health care law. Some protesters wore white doctor's coats, and others held signs reading, "Patients Over Politics," and "Hands off our ACA.

Millions May Lose Coverage in Obamacare Repeal, Governors Told

Policies supported by Republican congressional leaders to repeal and replace Obamacare could lead millions of people to lose their health coverage, according to a presentation given to state governors meeting Saturday in Washington. The presentation, a copy of which was obtained by Bloomberg News, estimates that the number of people covered by Obamacare through the individual insurance market could be slashed by as much as 51 percent in states that chose not to expand Medicaid coverage under Obamacare and by 30 percent in those that did expand the federal-state health program for the poor.

In Trump’s First Speech to Congress, Will Decorum Hold?

The House sergeant-at-arms will stand at the rear of the House of Representatives on Tuesday night and announce the arrival of Donald Trump before a joint session of Congress by intoning: "Mister Speaker, the President of the United States" just like always. Trump will stride down the center aisle to lusty cheers and hearty handshakes from his Republican supporters.