Budget office to gauge health bill effect on coverage, cost

Congressional Republicans are about to learn more about whether their drive to dismantle President Barack Obama's health care law has been worth the political pain they've been experiencing. The Congressional Budget Office planned to release its estimate Wednesday of what impact the GOP's House-passed health care overhaul would have on coverage and premiums.

Cabinet members head to Capitol Hill to defend Trump budget

Top officials in President Donald Trump 's Cabinet are heading to Capitol Hill to defend his plans to cut domestic programs and parry Democratic criticism of his tax proposals. Budget Director Mick Mulvaney appears Wednesday before the House Budget panel while Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin will testify at the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee .

Firebrand conservative Rep. Jim Jordan to forgo bid for House Oversight chairmanship

Rep. Jim Jordan doesn't usually shy away from a fight, but the conservative Ohio Republican has decided to forgo a bid for chairman of a powerful House committee. Firebrand conservative Rep. Jim Jordan to forgo bid for House Oversight chairmanship Rep. Jim Jordan doesn't usually shy away from a fight, but the conservative Ohio Republican has decided to forgo a bid for chairman of a powerful House committee.

With big spending cuts, Trump’s budget highlights clash of values

To the Trump team, the president's budget proposal is rooted in unassailable values: respect for the people "who are actually paying the taxes," as White House budget director Mick Mulvaney puts it. In President Trump's $4.1 trillion fiscal 2018 budget plan, released Tuesday, that approach translates into deep cuts in social safety-net programs that Mr. Mulvaney suggests discourage work and hinder economic growth.

The Latest: Many in GOP cool to Trump’s budget plan

Another senior Republican lawmaker, Fred Upton of Michigan, questioned inclusion of money for Trump's border wall, remarking: "I thought Mexico was going to pay for the wall, why is this in our budget?" House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin dismissed such criticism as typical rhetoric and praised the budget because it balances over 10 years. Independent economists say the budget relies on unrealistic projections of economic growth, but Ryan sidestepped that question, saying faster growth would "help so many of our problems."

‘We’re in a full-fledged feeding frenzy’: Trump just had 2…

House Speaker Paul Ryan just successfully pushed the American Health Care Act the chamber. And though the bill still needed to be handled by the Senate, Trump and House Republicans took a victory lap of sorts after the much maligned legislation finally made it through its brutally tough initial battle.

Obamacare premiums could skyrocket in 2018 amid Affordable Care Act uncertainty

Early rate filings by Obamacare insurers suggest consumers will face significantly higher premiums for marketplace coverage next year due to regulatory and political uncertainty surrounding the Affordable Care Act. After significant premium hikes in 2017 corrected for underpricing by insurers the previous two years, most analysts expected rates to stabilize for marketplace coverage in 2018.

Planned Parenthood to close 4 Iowa clinics after funding cut

What was supposed to be a joyous homecoming for a Colorado man whose 98-year prison term was cut short turned to heartache when he was detained by immigration officials just as he was set to be released. Planned Parenthood says it's closing four of its 12 clinics in Iowa after the Republican-led Legislature cut its state funding.

Republicans worry Trump scandals may doom legislative agenda

Scandals enveloping U.S. President Donald Trump have left Republican lawmakers and lobbyists increasingly gloomy about the prospects for passing sweeping tax cuts, a rollback of Obamacare and an ambitious infrastructure program. With the White House and both chambers of the U.S. Congress under Republican control, party leaders and their allies in the business community had expected to get quick traction on their plans, with corporate tax cuts among the top priorities.

Special counsel Robert Mueller named to probe Trump-Russia ties

The US Justice Department has appointed former FBI director Robert Mueller as a special counsel to oversee the federal investigation into allegations that Russia and Donald Trump's campaign collaborated to influence the 2016 presidential election. The US Justice Department has appointed former FBI director Robert Mueller as a special counsel to oversee the federal investigation into allegations that Russia and Donald Trump's campaign collaborated to influence the 2016 presidential election.

Surprise, relief dominate Capitol Hill after special counsel named

Some Republicans joined Democrats in breathing a sigh of relief Wednesday at news that deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein had appointed a special counsel to lead the investigation into whether Trump's campaign had any ties to Russia. While many members said they were caught off-guard, a bipartisan array of lawmakers applauded the selection of former FBI Director Robert Mueller to lead the investigation.