GOP Muscling Tax Bill Through House; Hits Senator Roadblock

Republicans are muscling their massive tax bill through the House, with President Donald Trump urging them on to a critically needed legislative victory and GOP House leaders exuding confidence they have the votes. But the tax overhaul hit a roadblock Wednesday as Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin became the first Republican senator to say he opposes his party's politically must-do tax legislation.

House Republicans await audience with Trump on tax overhaul

Republicans are muscling their massive tax bill through the House, with President Donald Trump urging them on to a critically needed legislative victory and GOP House leaders exuding confidence they have the votes. But the tax overhaul hit a roadblock Wednesday as Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin became the first Republican senator to say he opposes his party's politically must-do tax legislation.

Tax bill thrown into uncertainty as first GOP senator comes out against it

Uncertainty gripped the Senate on Wednesday over efforts to pass a sweeping $1.5 trillion tax cut after a Wisconsin Republican became the first senator in his party to declare that he could not vote for the tax bill as written, and other senators expressed serious misgivings over the cost and effect on the middle class. The House is set Thursday to pass its own version of the tax bill, which would cut taxes by more than $1.4 trillion over 10 years and broadly rewrite the business tax code.

The Latest: Senate bill adds tax break for family leave

A new tax break for businesses that give their workers paid family leave has been put into the Senate Republican tax bill now moving toward approval. The proposal by Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., was included in a late revision to the bill written by Sen. Orrin Hatch, chair of the Senate Finance Committee.

The GOP Has Its First Casualty In Tax Reform Push

Well, the smooth road to tax reform just it a bump with Sen. Ron Johnson signaling that he will be a "no" vote on the legislation. The Wisconsin Republican is the first to definitively say he will be against the bill, as he feels it gives too much to corporations at the expense of other businesses.

1st GOP senator opposes tax bill in early sign of problems

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, R-Wis., points to boxes of petitions supporting the Republican tax reform bill that is set for a vote later this week as he arrives for a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tue... WASHINGTON - Wisconsin's Ron Johnson on Wednesday became the first Republican senator to say he opposes his party's tax bill, signaling potential problems for GOP leaders. Passage of a similar package seemed certain Thursday in the House, where a handful of dissidents conceded they expected to be steamrolled by a GOP frantic to claim its first major legislative victory of the year.

Congress Considers Mandating Sexual Harassment Training

Lawmakers are reviewing rules changes to mandate sexual harassment training for all employees on Capitol Hill. Liam James Doyle/NPR hide caption Usually it takes a scandal that rocks the Capitol to change the way it runs, but this time lawmakers aren't waiting for one before they beginning taking steps to enhance safeguards against sexual harassment in Congress.

Other Views: Wisconsin judicial pick violated fair process

Michael Brennan's nomination for a lifetime appointment as a judge on a federal appellate court whose jurisdiction includes Wisconsin is tainted in ways that should make Wisconsinites wary. The U.S. Constitution grants the president power to nominate federal judges "by and with the advice and consent of the Senate."

Republicans are starting to notice another big problem with…

The issue comes in defining what is - and what is not - a business, for the purposes of a major new business tax break. I've written before about problems with the provision of the Republican tax framework that President Donald Trump touts as good for small businesses.

Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., speaks to reporters as he heads to…

A bipartisan proposal to calm churning health insurance markets gained momentum Thursday when enough lawmakers rallied behind it to give it potentially unstoppable Senate support. But its fate remained unclear as some Republicans sought changes that could threaten Democratic backing.

Trump’s Fluid Views on Policy Drive Headaches in Senate

President Donald Trump, seen here Monday at the White House Rose Garden with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, has rankled senators with his shifting policy views. Sens. Lamar Alexander  and Patty Murray  went to bed Tuesday evening thinking they had hit a home run.

Trump Expected to Sign Order Side-Stepping Obamacare Rules

President Donald Trump was expected to sign an executive order on Thursday that would make it easier for Americans to buy bare-bones health insurance plans and circumvent rules put in place by Obamacare, though such an order could face legal challenges. Stymied in Congress by the failure of Senate Republicans to roll back former President Barack Obama's 2010 healthcare law, Trump's executive order would represent his administration's latest effort to undermine the law without legislation.