House GOP blocks Dems on child taxes as Senate bill emerges

As the House's tax-writing committee feverishly sprints toward a completed bill by week's end, the Senate's tax bill is starting to take shape. That version is expected to completely repeal the federal deduction for state and local taxes but retain the medical expense deduction.

Bannona s forces may not like him, but Mitch McConnell is here to stay

Conservative activists eagerly hope the November 2018 election delivers a strong rebuke to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, whom they blame for stymieing President Donald Trump's agenda. When a new Senate convenes in January 2019, the Kentucky Republican will almost certainly remain in charge of Senate Republicans.

Republican Plan Would Raise Taxes on Millions

Nearly half of all middle-class families would pay more in taxes in 2026 than they would under current rules if the proposed House tax bill became law, and about one-third would pay more in 2018, according to a New York Times analysis, a striking finding for a bill promoted as a middle-class tax cut. President Trump and congressional Republicans have pitched the plan unveiled last week as a tax cut for most Americans.

Franken pushes for ‘resilient’ Puerto Rico rebuild

U.S. Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., is joining with other senators in making a bipartisan push to ensure that infrastructure in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands is rebuilt in a resilient and sustainable way that will reduce the threat of damage from future disasters. In a bipartisan letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-K.Y. and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., the senators said that Hurricanes Irma and Maria decimated the electric grids in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands with some communities projected to face many months without reliable power, according to a news release from Franken's office.

South Park Beats Washington at Moral Clarity

For a huge chunk of Americans, the venerable Comedy Central show South Park is more than simply a half hour of inspired, if crass, laughs: it is also a weathervane for America's political center. Sometimes, the show does everything in its power to avoid filling that role, as in the case of trippy episodes like its Imaginationland trilogy, but just as often, it leans in, deliberately tackling politically charged subjects with varying degrees of subtlety.

Trump readies opioid plan, but some worry it won’t be enough

President Donald Trump, escorted by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., arrives on Capitol Hill to have lunch with Senate Republicans and push for his tax reform agenda, in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2017. President Donald Trump waves to reporters after a lunch with Republican senator at the U.S. Capitol Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2017, in Washington.

Trump Urges GOP Senators to Push Tax-Cut Plan Hours After Corker Feud

President Donald Trump encouraged GOP senators to push ahead with their tax-cut plans Tuesday, hours after feuding publicly with fellow Republican Bob Corker. "I would say the attitude was very positive.

Senate set to vote on $36.5B disaster relief bill

The Senate likely will vote Tuesday on a $36.5 billion bill to aid communities affected by recent natural disasters, a measure that could bring relief to hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico, the majority of which is still without power. "The Senate remains committed to doing its part to support the ongoing hurricane relief efforts," Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said.

Trump shoots down retirement limit to pay for GOP tax cuts

Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., takes the escalator down as he returns to his office after appearing on the Senate floor with Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., to defend their bipartisan proposal for resuming federal subsidies to health insurers that President Donald Trump has blocked, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Oct. 19, 2017. FILE - In this Tuesday, Sept.

McConnell: Trump ‘getting a lot more done’ than he realizes

President Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell met October 16 and tried to erase reporting that they were not on the same page with the GOP legislative agenda and priorities. WASHINGTON - Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday that President Donald Trump is "getting a lot more done" than his criticism of the slow-moving Senate would suggest.

Mitch McConnell hits back at Steve Bannon faction: a Specialists in nominating people who losea

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell hit back at Steve Bannon and his anti-establishment faction on Sunday, saying the movement to run maverick congressional candidates in Republican primaries next cycle is being spearheaded by "specialists in nominating people who lose" elections. "Well let me just say with regard to the element that you're referring to here, they've been out there for a number of years," Mr. McConnell said on "Fox News Sunday."

Washington Post: A fair deal on Obamacare

Bipartisan negotiators announced Tuesday that they had struck a deal to temporarily stabilize Obamacare markets. Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander, Tenn., agreed to continue paying “cost-sharing reduction” payments that the government promised insurance companies, and Democratic Sen. Patty Murray, Wash., agreed to relax health-market regulations a bit.

Budget deficit hits $666 billion, an $80 billion spike for the year

In this Oct. 17, 2017, photo, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., flanked by Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., left, and Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, announces to reporters that the Senate is moving ahead on a Republican budget plan at the Capitol in Washington. Senate Republicans seem to be on cruise control to pass a $4 trillion budget plan that shelves GOP deficit concerns in favor of the partyA's drive to cut taxes.

The Latest: Fla. senator blocks nominee over disaster aid

President Donald Trump strongly rejected the claim Wednesday that was he was disrespectful to the grieving family of a slain Army sergeant. President Donald Trump strongly rejected the claim Wednesday that was he was disrespectful to the grieving family of a slain Army sergeant.

The Latest: Trump thinks GOP has votes for budget

A multistate manhunt that kept the Mid-Atlantic region on alert for more than 10 hours ended when officers on foot chased down a man they say shot six people, killing three, in two separate shootings. Missouri officials are proposing an innovation corridor between Kansas City and St. Louis for a new Amazon location instead of a single headquarters in one of the metropolitan areas.

Opinion: Working Around Trump on Issues That Matter

Sens. Charles E. Grassley and Richard J. Durbin sponsored a bipartisan bill that would reduce mandatory sentences for low-level drug offenders. The kiss-and-make-up press conference with President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was one of the most awkward dates in the history of, well, dates, as my Roll Call colleague Walter Shapiro pointed out.