Senate set to vote on $36.5B disaster relief bill

The Senate likely will vote Tuesday on a $36.5 billion bill to aid communities affected by recent natural disasters, a measure that could bring relief to hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico, the majority of which is still without power. "The Senate remains committed to doing its part to support the ongoing hurricane relief efforts," Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said.

GAO: Climate change already costing US billions in losses

A non-partisan federal watchdog says climate change is already costing U.S. taxpayers billions of dollars each year, with those costs expected to rise as devastating storms, floods, wildfires and droughts become more frequent in the coming decades. A Government Accountability Office report released Monday said the federal government has spent more than $350 billion over the last decade on disaster assistance programs and losses from flood and crop insurance.

DHS says British financier Browder cleared for US travel

The Homeland Security Department said Monday wealthy financier William Browder, a British citizen who lobbied for a law targeting Russian officials over human rights, was cleared for travel to the United States on Oct. 18, four days before he says he was denied entry into the U.S. Browder tweeted on Sunday that Russian President Vladimir Putin placed him on an Interpol travel list and the U.S. had simultaneously revoked his visa. His comments drew outrage from congressional Republicans and Democrats who immediately demanded answers from American officials.

Soldiers in Niger fight were alone for 2 hours

The U.S. Special Forces team caught in a deadly ambush three weeks ago in Niger did not request help from nearby French forces for about an hour after the firefight began near a village the Americans had visited during a reconnaissance mission several hours prior, the Pentagon's top general said Monday.

Schumer, Cuomo call for rejection of SALT deduction removal in tax plan

Speaking in Albany County Monday, U.S. Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo called on the state's Republican delegation in the House of Representatives to reject the repeal of state and local tax deductions proposed in the GOP tax reform plan. The senator and the governor said eliminating the SALT deduction could be devastating to the state, and especially harmful to the north country, as it would drive from the region residents and businesses that rely on the tax deductions to make a living.

Senators were shocked to learn the US has 1,000 troops in Africa -…

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has committed to redoubling communication efforts between the Pentagon and Congress on military matters. The Pentagon has announced that the US has over 6,000 soldiers stationed throughout Africa, even though several senators had previously been surprised to learn that there are even 1,000 American soldiers on the continent.

California Senate plans outside investigation on harassment

The California Senate announced Monday that it has hired a law firm to investigate sexual harassment allegations as pressure builds for lawmakers to deal more aggressively with what hundreds of women working in and around the Capitol describe as a culture of sexual intimidation. No male lawmakers have been accused by name of sexual harassment or assault.

This isn’t the first time Warren spoke about that office incident

When Senator Elizabeth Warren on Sunday told a national television audience a personal story of sexual harassment from her days as a young law professor, she described a harrowing incident that left her shaken. She said that she wondered if she'd done something to deserve it and that she told no one but a close friend.

Green Berets in Niger waited an hour for air support

The U.S. Special Forces team caught in a deadly ambush three weeks ago in Niger did not request help from nearby French forces for about an hour after the firefight began near a village the Americans had visited during a reconnaissance mission several hours prior, the Pentagon's top general said Monday. It then took the French another hour to get fighter jets over the American troops, according to a new timeline provided by Gen.

Missile defense and political unification

These days it is hard to keep track of who is fighting against whom in Washington, D.C. President Trump is taking jabs at the press, Congressional Republicans are fighting Congressional Democrats as well as Steve Bannon and insurgent GOP primary challengers, President Trump is fighting against everyone all the time, including the former GOP candidate for president and Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. John McCain. While much of the "inside-the-beltway" fighting is simply background noise, the level of animosity between some Republican senators such as Sens. McCain and Flake and the president, has risen to a very worrisome level.

Sen. John Thune: Why the GOP-Trump Tax Plan Works

'For low-income families who won't pay income tax under our plan, up to $1,000 of this new, larger child tax credit will be refundable' The American people have had a rough time over the past few years. Fifty percent of Americans consider themselves to be living paycheck to paycheck , while almost a third of voters say they are just $400 dollars away from a financial crisis.

Trump shoots down retirement limit to pay for GOP tax cuts

Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., takes the escalator down as he returns to his office after appearing on the Senate floor with Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., to defend their bipartisan proposal for resuming federal subsidies to health insurers that President Donald Trump has blocked, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Oct. 19, 2017. FILE - In this Tuesday, Sept.

Trump says popular retirement program will be unscathed in tax plan

President Donald Trump on Monday dismissed the possibility of curbing a popular tax-deferred U.S. retirement savings program to help pay for his sweeping tax cuts, and voiced doubts about adding another top bracket targeting the wealthiest Americans. U.S. President Donald Trump welcomes United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres for a meeting in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S., October 20, 2017.