Congress deals pair of blows to ‘Obamacare’

Two Republican senators abandoned their fight Wednesday for legislation this year to help contain premium costs by resuming federal subsidies to insurers, as Congress dealt a pair of blows to President Barack Obama's health care law. Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Tennessee's Lamar Alexander ran into opposition from both parties to inserting the language into a must-pass bill preventing a weekend federal shutdown.

Ap Fact Check: Trump’s truth-warp on taxes; Dems drift, too

President Donald Trump speaks during a bill passage event on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2017, to acknowledge the final passage of tax cut legislation by Congress. President Donald Trump speaks during a bill passage event on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2017, to acknowledge the final passage of tax cut legislation by Congress.

DOJ drops appeal to prevent two minor immigrants from having abortion

Jane Roe was being housed in a federally-funded shelter due to lack of authorization and was initially refused her abortion services through the Office of Refugee Resettlement [official website]. At some point between Monday and Tuesday, Jane Roe was transferred to US Customs and Immigration Enforcement , which is controlled by the Department of Homeland Security [official websites].

Manchin says tax plan is “not a responsible way;” Capito, Mooney disagree

For the first in more than 30 years, major changes to the U.S. tax code are on track to become law as early as the New Year. A final vote in the U.S. House on the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.

House and Senate approve Trump’s massive tax overhaul, but last-minute glitch delays final passage

The House and Senate approved the most significant overhaul of the tax code in three decades, but Republicans will have to clear one more legislative hurdle before they can claim their first major legislative win and deliver the $1.5 trillion package to President Trump before Christmas, as he requested. The GOP's sweeping tax measure hit a glitch late Tuesday afternoon in the Senate when the parliamentarian ruled that three minor provisions included in the House-passed bill did not comply with the Senate's strict budget rules.

NY Times Mounts Sexist Attacks Against Sen. Susan Collins For Her Tax Bill Support

On Tuesday, Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins bitterly attacked the press's coverage of her ultimate decision to support the GOP's tax bill. Though Collins didn't name a media outlet in her criticism, the New York Times was primary purveyor of now-popular leftist memes, which Collins characterized as "unbelievably sexist," that she was "duped" by party leadership, and that she was so hard-hearted that she wasn't "brought to tears" by protesting Mainers who met with her last week.

Analysis: GOPa s tea party promises dashed in tax cut embrace

WASHINGTON >> The tea party class of 2010 vowed to usher in a new era for the Republican Party, one where conservatives clamoring for fiscal discipline would roll back government spending to rein in trillion-plus budget deficits. Republicans are returning to their Ronald Reagan-era roots - tax cuts first, followed by vague promises of cutting spending down the road.

Giddy Republicans celebrate major tax victory ahead of vote

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady, R-Texas, steward of the GOP tax bill, smiles he as he arrives for a closed-door meeting as the Republican majority in Congress prepares to vote on the biggest reshaping of the U.S. tax code in three decades, on Capitol Hill, in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2017. Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., left, and Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, R-Wis., leave a closed-door Republican Conference meeting as Congress prepares to vote on the biggest reshaping of the U.S. tax code in three decades, on Capitol Hill, in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2017.

What Sen. Marco Rubio got for his tax vote – Tue, 19 Dec 2017 PST

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., threw the Republican tax bill into chaos last week when he threatened to vote against it if it didn't include a more robust tax credit for working families. But by mid-Thursday, GOP leaders had increased the credit by enough to secure Rubio's vote for the bill.

GOP set to roll $1.5T final tax bill through House, Senate

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., accompanied at right by Secretary for the Majority Laura Dove, walks to his office from the chamber as Republicans in the House and Senate plan to pass the sweeping $1.5 trillion GOP tax bill on party-line votes, at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, Dec. 18, 2017. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., accompanied at right by Secretary for the Majority Laura Dove, walks to the chamber as Republicans in the House and Senate plan to pass the sweeping $1.5 trillion GOP tax bill on party-line votes, at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, Dec. 18, 2017.

Want To Help The Opioid Crisis? Pass Tax Reform

The United States is experiencing a drug epidemic the likes of which have not been seen here before. Beginning in the 1990s, doctors began widely prescribing a class of highly addictive pain medications called opioids for patients with mild to moderate pain.

McConnell unveils wish list to attach to spending bill

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., accompanied at right by Secretary for the Majority Laura Dove, walks to the chamber as Republicans in the House and Senate plan to pass the sweeping $1.5 trillion GOP tax bill on party-line votes, at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, Dec. 18, 2017. less Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., accompanied at right by Secretary for the Majority Laura Dove, walks to the chamber as Republicans in the House and Senate plan to pass the sweeping $1.5 trillion ... more WASHINGTON - The Senate's top Republican Monday announced a lengthy wish list that he hopes to attach to a must-do spending bill this week, but there's no agreement with the chamber's Democrats and little time to waste.

Sanders calls GOP tax bill a “massive attack” on middle class

"At the end of the day what you had is people like [Treasury Secretary Steven] Mnuchin, who himself is worth $300 or $400 million dollars, or the president of the United States who is worth several billion dollars, as you mentioned, some 4,000 to 5,000 lobbyists doing everything that they could to write a bill which significantly benefits the wealthiest people in this country and the largest corporations," Sanders said on CBS News' "Face the Nation" on Sunday. Sanders said that Republicans will turn to cutting "Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid" to offset upwards of $1 trillion in lost revenue, a scenario he said was "grossly unfair" to middle class families.

Texas Sen. John Cornyn faults Democrats griping about tax bill for refusing participate in process

Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn pushed back Sunday against Democrats griping about the tax reform bill, saying they have refused to participate despite being invited to do so by Republicans. "Our Democratic colleagues simply refused to participate in the process," Mr. Cornyn, Texas Republican, said on ABC's "This Week."