Progressive Groups Want Doug Jones To Throw Caution To The Wind

Through a unique confluence of events, Democrat Doug Jones managed to defy the deeply Republican leanings of Alabama and win a special election on Tuesday to represent the state in the Senate. But without an alleged child predator like Republican Roy Moore on the ticket in 2020, Jones will almost certainly have an uphill climb to re-election.

Sen. Collins takes huge leap of faith with tax bill. Critics say she’s getting played

As GOP tax legislation nears final passage on Capitol Hill, Sen. Susan Collins is approaching the moment for a mighty leap of faith. The Maine Republican extracted key concessions in exchange for her support for the bill, including commitments from the Trump administration and Senate leaders to back two pieces of legislation pumping money into the health care system.

Judge temporarily blocks new Trump rules on birth control

A federal judge in Philadelphia on Friday ordered the Trump administration not to enforce new rules that could significantly reduce women's access to free birth control. Judge Wendy Beetlestone issued the injunction, temporarily stopping the government from enforcing the policy change to former President Barack Obama's health care law.

Tax bill guts unpopular ‘Obamacare’ insurance mandate

Republicans didn't get their wish to repeal former President Barack Obama's health care law, but the tax bill barreling toward a final vote in Congress guts its most unpopular provision, the requirement that virtually all Americans carry health insurance. Politically, the move is a winner for Republicans, who otherwise would have little to show for all their rhetoric about "Obamacare."

Highlights of GOP compromise bill to overhaul tax code

Republicans in Congress have blended separate tax bills passed by the House and Senate into compromise legislation that seeks to achieve a sweeping overhaul of the nation's tax code. GOP leaders are looking toward passage of the final package by the House and Senate next week, with the aim of sending the measure to President Donald Trump to sign before Christmas.

The aftermath of Alabama

Quin Hillyer, a conservative columnist who once had a stint at the D-G, offers a tough post mortem in the New York Times: Donald Trump and Steve Bannon are politically impotent. The president and his former grand strategist threw considerable weight behind Roy Moore, the polarizing Republican Senate candidate in Alabama.

U.S. judge questions Trump administration on birth control rules

A U.S. judge questioned on Tuesday whether the federal government properly formulated new rules that undermine an Obamacare requirement for employers to provide insurance that covers women's birth control. New rules from the Department of Health and Human Services announced in October let businesses or non-profit organizations lodge religious or moral objections to obtain an exemption from the Obamacare law's mandate that most employers provide contraceptives coverage in health insurance with no co-payment.

Republicans considering bumping corporate rate to 21 percent in tax plan as deal nears

House Speaker Paul Ryan arrives at a news conference regarding tax legislation, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Dec. 12, 2017. Ryan here praised a one-page study released Monday by the Treasury Department showing the tax plan more than paying for itself, but only if high growth forecasts are met and if other Trump administration economic policies proposals are enacted.

Trump to make case for GOP tax overhaul

President Trump will deliver a closing argument for the proposed Republican tax overhaul in a speech Wednesday, the same day that House and Senate conferees are to begin work on a blended bill. The president will deliver the speech in Washington, according to a person familiar with the plan who wasn't authorized to speak about it publicly.

Health | Weiss: Medicare Takes a Blow Under GOP’s Major Tax Plan Fix

In early December, the GOP-controlled Senate passed by a partisan vote of 51 to 49 its sweeping tax rewrite , sending the $1.4 trillion tax package, detailed in a 492 page bill, to the Conference Committee to iron out the differences between the Senate and House bill, Tax Cuts and Jobs Act , that was passed by a 227-to-205 vote on November 16, 2017. While Democrats are technically part of the conference committee, Republicans are yet again hashing out the details behind closed doors on a purely partisan basis.

Markey: Tax plan an assault on Bay Staters

U.S. Sen. Edward J. Markey is slamming the Republican tax plan as a measure that would disproportionately hurt Bay State residents and is sounding off on calls to go after entitlement programs next year. "This Republican tax plan is a direct assault on Massachusetts families and their way of life," Markey said.

Aide tries to refocus tax debate after Trump’s corporate rate remark

President Donald Trump's weekend remark about a scaled-back tax cut for corporations sparked behind-the-scenes debate in the U.S. Congress, with a White House aide trying on Thursday to minimize the impact of the president's comment. The US Capitol Building is seen from the Congressional Visitors Center in Washington, U.S., December 6, 2017.

Trump warns of government shutdown threat ahead of meeting with lawmakers

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday said the federal government could shut down after funding runs out on Friday, casting blame on Democrats for congressional gridlock on the budget and disagreements on immigration issues. U.S. President Donald Trump, flanked by Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan and Defense Secretary James Mattis , speaks to reporters before he holds a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, U.S. December 6, 2017.