Despite setbacks, Republicans ‘still working’ on health care push

Despite Arizona Sen. John McCain's decision to oppose the latest Republican health care plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, the effort is still ongoing, GOP aides say -- at least for the moment. Multiple aides involved in the process say the focus on winning Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski's vote has continued into the weekend, with changes seen to benefit her state related to the state's funding formula in the bill and the timeline for implementation.

McCain gives thumbs down to health bill

Sen. John McCain declared his opposition Friday to the GOP's last-ditch effort to repeal and replace the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, just three months after the Arizona Republican helped scuttle another effort by his party to repeal the health law and fulfill a signature promise to voters. "I believe we could do better working together, Republicans and Democrats, and have not yet really tried," the 81-year-old McCain said of the bill, co-written by Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, his best friend in the Senate, and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana.

Graham-Cassidy: Not Technically Dead But Yeah

With John McCain's defection yesterday afternoon, Republicans are scrambling to try and salvage one of their most notable campaign promises: Getting rid of the Affordable Care Act. In an effort to make sense of what's been happening, here's the state of play for the Obamacare The bill has been rendered all but dead thanks to the efforts of Rand Paul and John McCain.

Latest GOP effort to dismantle Obamacare on the brink of failure after defections

The latest Republican effort to dismantle the Affordable Care Act stood on the brink of failure Friday after Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., announced his opposition to the proposal and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said she was leaning against it. The intensifying resistance dealt a potentially decisive blow to the renewed attempt to fulfill a seven-year-old GOP promise.

Pence targets Democratic Indiana senator with tax speech

In this file photo taken on Friday, Aug. 11, 2017, Vice President Mike Pence speaks during the Indianapolis Ten Point Coalition luncheon in Indianapolis. Vice President Pence will make the Republican case for a federal tax code overhaul during a speech Friday, Sept.

The Latest: Jimmy Kimmel tweets his thanks to McCain

19, 2017. . President Donald Trump talks with reporters about the Graham-Cassidy health care bill during a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi at the Palace Hotel during the United Nations General Assembly, Wednesday, Sept.

3 Critical Things We Don’t Know About the Health Care Bill That Could Pass Next Week

Like a reanimated corpse in the final frames of a horror film, the Republican effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act lurched back to life this week, giving the American public one last jump scare. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has promised the Senate will hold a vote on the new Graham-Cassidy bill before his window to repeal Obamacare with a simple majority closes next Friday.

‘You’ve got to go’: How the GOP convinced Trump to campaign in Alabama

Sen. Luther Strange, seen Feb. 9 in Washington, D.C., will be joined by President Donald Trump at a Friday rally, followed by Vice President Mike Pence heading down next Monday on the eve of Alabama's runoff election. Sen. Luther Strange, seen Feb. 9 in Washington, D.C., will be joined by President Donald Trump at a Friday rally, followed by Vice President Mike Pence heading down next Monday on the eve of Alabama's runoff election.

One last chance: GOP strains for Obamacare repeal votes

Time growing short, President Donald Trump and Republican Senate leaders dove into a frantic hunt for votes Tuesday in a last-ditch effort to repeal and replace "Obamacare." The pressure was intense, the outcome uncertain in a Capitol newly engulfed in drama over health care.

As clock ticks, Republicans try to move ahead on Obamacare repeal

The Trump administration and top U.S. Senate Republicans pushed on Tuesday for action on a bill to dismantle Obamacare, but time was running out and they were still hunting for the votes needed to pass their latest attempt to gut the 2010 healthcare law. Vice President Mike Pence lunched with Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill to urge them to approve the legislation introduced last week by Republican Senators Lindsey Graham and Bill Cassidy.

Senate leader praises revived GOP health law repeal drive – Tue, 19 Sep 2017 PST

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday praised the revived Republican effort to uproot former President Barack Obama's health care law, giving a public boost to a proposal that's given new life to a drive that seemed all but dead weeks ago. McConnell, R-Ky., said the bill would let states "implement better health care ideas by taking more decision-making power out of Washington" and letting local officials decide what "works better in their own particular states."

Trump privately tries to mend fences with Senate Republicans

Over the summer, Trump had a contentious phone call with Murkowski and also berated her on Twitter, accusing her of letting the country down for voting against GOP plans to gut Obamacare. But behind the scenes, Trump has since tried to make nice, inviting her to a private lunch earlier this month -- something that seems to have defused tensions, at least for now.

Trump’s voter fraud commission proves a magnet for controversy

As President Donald Trump's voter fraud commission prepared to convene in New Hampshire this week, it already faced questions about its seriousness of purpose and whether it was a hopelessly biased endeavor. An email surfaced in which the Heritage Foundation's Hans von Spakovsky, one of the commission's most conservative members, lamented that Trump was appointing Democrats and "mainstream" Republicans to the bipartisan panel.

Can resilience planning be disentangled from climate politics?

While discussion of climate change remains highly polarized, another topic is getting not just traction, but meaningful action across the political spectrum: resilience planning. Vice President Mike Pence answers a reporter's question on Sept.

Key Words: Manchin recalls Pence’s unfavorable comparison of tax code to Bible

Joe Manchin, one of the so-called red-state Democrats invited to a bipartisan White House dinner Tuesday billed as the kickoff of an effort to revamp the tax code, recalled Vice President Mike Pence's unfavorable comparison of the federal system of taxation with the Bible during a recent visit to West Virginia, Manchin's home state. Pence, Manchin recalled, observed that: Pence spoke about taxes in late August at a state chamber of commerce event at the Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, W. Va.

Trump election commission head lambasted for voter fraud claims

Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach took President Donald Trump's voting commission to New Hampshire on Tuesday for a meeting that was designed to justify fears of rampant voter fraud that he -- and the President -- claimed was responsible for Hillary Clinton's narrow win over Trump there last year. But Kobach was greeted with a tongue-lashing from New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner -- the nation's longest-serving elections official.

Resolve, tears and hope: US marks 9/11 anniversary

Americans commemorated 9/11 on Monday with tear-streaked tributes, a presidential warning to terrorists and appeals from victims' relatives for unity and hope 16 years after the deadliest terrorist attack on U.S. soil. Looking out at the solemn crowd at ground zero, Debra Epps said she views every day as time to do something to ensure that her brother, Christopher Epps, and thousands of others didn't die in vain.

Trump Agrees To Fund The Gov’t, Raise The Debt Ceiling

President Donald Trump agreed Wednesday afternoon to raise the debt limit and fund the federal government through mid-December, allowing members of Congress to deal with the federal budget in the coming months. "In the meeting, the President and Congressional leadership agreed to pass aid for Harvey , an extension of the debt limit, and a continuing resolution both to December 15, all together," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said in a statement Wednesday.