$600,000 USDA conservation grant awarded to MOFGA

The USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service announced that it will award a $600,000 Conservation Innovation Grant to the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association . This award will help promote natural resources protection through the development of specialized loans to farmers, and pilot the use of a new web-based natural resources assessment tool.

Remember Trump’s Promise Not to Touch Social Security? It’s Gone Now

Yesterday, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said something of potentially very high significance that received no attention whatsoever. At a House subcommittee hearing, Mnuchin very casually walked away from Donald Trump's long-standing promise never to touch Social Security benefits.

The Latest: Trump says new health care law will be ‘kind’

From left are, Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, Sen.... . Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa listen at right as President Donald Trump speaks in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, June 13, 2017, before having lunch with Republican Senators.

The Latest: Schiff says firing Mueller would echo Watergate

The top Democrat on the House Intelligence committee says Congress would not sit still if President Donald Trump decided to fire the special counsel leading the investigation into Russian interference in the U.S. election and possible collusion with Trump's campaign. Rep. Adam Schiff , a California Democrat, says such a move would "be the last straw" for many in Congress and would have "echoes of Watergate," when President Richard Nixon dismissed special prosecutor Archibald Cox over Cox's subpoenas for White House tapes.

Illinois Rep. introduces a COVFEFEa bill to archive Trump tweets

An Illinois lawmaker is looking to transform "covfefe" - a mysterious term born out of a now-deleted tweet from President Donald Trump - into a federal law. Rep. Mike Quigley introduced the Communications Over Various Feeds Electronically for Engagement Act on Monday, which aims to amend the Presidential Records Act to make sure that social media posts, including deleted tweets, are archived and classified as "documentary material," according to the bill.

Whaley Wants To Revive Partnership Between State Of Ohio And Its Families And Communities

Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley is running for governor in Ohio in 2018 with a focus on bringing back partnerships between the state of Ohio and its cities and families. Whaley, a Democrat, was elected mayor of Dayton in 2013 and before that served on the Dayton City Commission.

Trump to push Obamacare repeal in lunch with senators

Facing a do-or-die moment to pass health care reform through the Senate, President Donald Trump will have lunch with 13 consequential Republican senators on Tuesday to push repealing Obamacare, according to a White House official. In recent weeks, Trump has stressed the need for Republicans to come together to repeal the Affordable Care Act, President Barack Obama's sweeping health care law.

Trump touts investment and jobs in infrastructure push

House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis. center and Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn R-Texas right listen to President Donald Trump left speak during Trump's meeting with House and Senate Leadership in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington Although infrastructure was initially seen as a policy priority on which Republican and Democrats could work together, Democrats have balked at Trump's plans for financing improvements, arguing they would result in taxpayer-funded corporate profits and cause costs to be offloaded onto consumers.

US’ Mattis: Qatar blockade ‘very complex situation’

The blockade against Qatar by Gulf states was a "very complex situation" and an area where common ground had to be found, Mattis spoke on Monday ahead of talks between the US and Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Adel Al Jubeir in Washington, DC, as the Gulf crisis entered its second week. The former general told the House Armed Services Committee that Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani had inherited a difficult situation and was moving in the right direction.

Defense chief ‘shocked’ by poor state of US combat readiness

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis declared Monday that he was "shocked" upon his return to the Pentagon by the poor state of the U.S. military's readiness for combat. He put most of the blame on Congress for its inability to approve budgets on time or repeal a law that strictly limits defense spending.

Mattis Describes Qatar Situation as ‘Difficult’

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis described the diplomatic spat between Qatar and several other American allies in the Middle East as a "complex situation" that the United States needed to help solve. "I believe that Prince Thani inherited a difficult, very tough situation, and he's trying to turn the society in the right direction," Mattis told lawmakers at a House Armed Services Committee hearing late Monday.

Senate Republicans and Democrats agree on new sanctions against Russia

Senate Republicans and Democrats reached agreement late Monday on a new package of sanctions on Russia amid the firestorm over Russia's meddling in the presidential election and investigations into Moscow's possible collusion with members of President Donald Trump's campaign. Top lawmakers on two committees - Banking and Foreign Relations - announced the deal, which would require a congressional review if a president attempts to ease or end current penalties.

Treasury’s Mnuchin: We can pay our bills till September

The Trump administration has a backup plan to keep the government from defaulting on its financial obligations even if Congress misses an August deadline to raise the debt limit, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told a congressional panel Monday. Mnuchin had previously set an August deadline for the federal government to avoid a catastrophic default.

Mayor Emanuel Unveils Vision Zero Action Plan Designed to Eliminate…

Mayor Emanuel today announced the City of Chicago is intensifying its efforts at saving lives and preventing serious injuries through a three-year Vision Zero Chicago Action Plan. The data-driven, multi-agency approach looks at traffic safety as a public health challenge and is designed to improve traffic safety for all road users.

Hundreds gather to grill US Sen. Jerry Moran on health care

Republican U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran has told a sometimes raucous crowd of hundreds that he would have voted against a House-passed bill that would repeal and replace the Obama-era federal health care overhaul law. The Kansas City Star reports that Moran spoke Monday at a conference center in Johnson County, which President Donald Trump won by fewer than 3 percentage point.

House Democrats Introduce FAA Reform Bill to Counter Air Traffic Control Privatization Plan

While Republicans in Congress craft a bill to move the Federal Aviation Administration's air traffic control services into a private nonprofit organization, Democrats on the House Transportation Committee have already introduced their own measure to reform the agency. The Aviation Funding Stability Act has goals similar to those laid out in a statement of principles signed by President Trump last week : upgrade air traffic control technology faster and stabilize the FAA's funding.