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.

New DNC Chair Tom Perez Pledges to Repair and Unite Democratic Party

Newly elected Democratic national chairman Tom Perez pledged on Sunday to unite a fractured party, rebuild at all levels from "school board to the Senate" and reach out to chunks of rural America left feeling forgotten in the 2016 election. Speaking in television interviews, Perez indicated that an important first step was joining with vanquished rival Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison, who agreed at Perez's invitation to serve as the Democratic National Committee's deputy chairman.

New Dem Party chairman Perez pledges to repair, unite party

Newly elected Democratic national chairman Tom Perez pledged on Sunday to unite a fractured party, rebuild at all levels from "school board to the Senate" and reach out to chunks of rural America left feeling forgotten in the 2016 election. Speaking in television interviews, Perez indicated that an important first step was joining with vanquished rival Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison, who agreed at Perez's invitation to serve as the Democratic National Committee's deputy chairman.

California’s Secure Choice program is neither secure nor a choice

California's "Secure Choice" program sounds harmless enough: A voluntary program - at least for now - that would enroll private sector employees who currently don't have a retirement plan into a state-run retirement savings account. When the initial program was announced in 2012 with authorizing legislation, taxpayers were skeptical.

Another Major Democratic Email Scandal the News Media Is Ignoring

In the midst of allegations of Russian ties to the Trump administration and in the aftermath of the hacking of Clinton campaign and Democratic National Committee emails, there is a new email scandal involving Democratic House members that could amount to a covert effort by foreign actors to penetrate the House of Representatives' computer system. According to the Daily Caller , three brothers who managed information technology for Democratic House members - Abid, Imran, and Jamal Awan - were suspended on February 2, 2017 for serious misconduct, including accessing the computer accounts of House members without their knowledge and stealing equipment from Congress.

Financial institutions see relief potential relief from rules

In a divided Washington, where few issues generate bipartisan support, relief from financial regulations for smaller banks seems to be a singular exception. As President Trump, Republican members of Congress, and bank lobbyists look to overhaul banking rules put in place after the 2008 financial crisis, some regulatory advocates agree that targeted changes for smaller institutions are needed.

gers of the Week: Sanctuary Churches, Havens for Undocumented Immigrants

Since President Trump took office less than one month ago, fears of increased deportations at the hands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement have spread across the nation. While many local governments have made headlines for pledging to remain " sanctuary cities " for undocumented immigrants, religious institutions have begun to open their doors as well.

Trump’s Fla. visits put small airport in tailspin

Jonathan Miller, Chief Executive Officer of Stellar Aviation Group, talks to a reporter at Lantana Airport in Lantana, Fla. Miller says everyone agrees the president needs to be kept safe but hopes that some kind of compromise can be found to keep the facility open during Trump's visits.

Turnbull government ‘looking closely’ at British-style rent-to-buy scheme

The Turnbull government is looking "closely" at a rent-to-buy scheme for first home buyers similar to that used in Britain, Fairfax Media has confirmed, as MPs rush to fill the void on housing affordability with their own ideas. Nationals MP Andrew Broad on Friday floated a proposal to allow renters to buy a home without paying a deposit, if the money they normally spent on rent was commensurate with the mortgage repayments.

Former wrestling executive Linda McMahon on track to SBA

In this Jan. 24, 2017, file photo, Small Business Administration Administrator-nominee,former wrestling entertainment executive, Linda McMahon testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington,at her confirmation hearing. McMahon is on track to secure Senate confirmation to be the next leader of the Small Business Administration.

Young immigrants on edge as Trump administration ramps up deportations

For many immigration activists, the Wednesday deportation of Guadalupe GarcA a de Rayos - a Mexican-born mother of two American children who was convicted of using a fake Social Security number in 2008 - is a worrying sign. GarcA a de Rayos, who had been living in America for more than 20 years, wasn't considered a priority for deportation under the Obama administration, given the nature of her conviction.

The folks packing Republican town halls

These days, Deborah Johnson is on edge. She says she's worried she won't qualify for Social Security disability benefits, anxious about her middle son's recovery from a car accident last year, and feeling the pervasive effects of her complex post-traumatic stress disorder that dates back to an abusive childhood.

Community banks hopeful as lawmakers target financial rules

Community banks and small businesses are optimistic about changes the Trump administration and Congress have promised to laws that tightened supervision of the banking industry after the 2008 financial crisis. The number of small, local banks has declined since the Great Recession, a change that advocates feel was intensified by the paperwork the increased oversight entails.

Sanders to Trump: Tell GOP you’ll veto entitlement cuts

"The American people are ... still waiting for that one tweet which says: I will keep my promise. I will not cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid and if Republicans give me legislation to do that, I will veto that legislation," Sanders said from the Senate floor on Thursday night.

Phoenix immigrant deported to Mexico amid protests

The deportation of an immigrant mother in Phoenix who was granted leniency during the Obama administration provides an early example of how President Donald Trump plans to carry through on his vow to crack down on illegal immigration. The case of Guadalupe Garcia de Rayos became a rallying cry Thursday for immigrant groups who believe Trump's approach to immigration unfairly tears apart families.