Category: US House of Representatives

PENCE: ‘The Obamacare nightmare is about to end!’

Vice President Mike Pence delivered a strong endorsement Saturday morning of the GOP’s replacement bill for the Affordable Care Act, which was introduced earlier in the week by House Republican leadership and supported by President Donald Trump. Pence, who spoke to constitutents in Kentucky, highlighted some of the pitfalls of Obamacare, including rising premiums and a lack of carrier options.

House panel wants any evidence Trump’s phones were tapped

President Donald Trump, back center, meets, Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Shulkin, second from left, with his wife Merle Bari, left clockwise, Trump, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross and his wife Hilary Geary, right, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and his fiancee Scottish actress Louise Linton, together with other members of his cabinet and the White House staff, Saturday, March 11, 2017, at the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Va.

How healthy are you? GOP bill would help employers find out

A bill in Congress could make it harder for workers to keep employers from getting access to their personal medical and genetic information and raise the financial penalties for those who opt out of workplace wellness programs. House Republicans are proposing legislation aimed at making it easier for companies to gather genetic data from workers and their families, including their children, when they collect it as part of a voluntary wellness program.

Treasury calls on Congress to raise debt limit, begins steps to delay default

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Thursday began taking “extraordinary measures” to delay the U.S. government from defaulting on its obligations, as he called on House Speaker Paul Ryan to lift the debt ceiling “at its first opportunity.” Mnuchin, in a letter to Ryan , said Treasury was now suspending the sale of certain state and local securities, a practice the federal government normally performs to assist with tax policies.

Congress looks to overturn Obama internet privacy rules

PanARMENIAN.Net – Republicans in the U.S. Congress are moving to repeal regulations adopted by the Obama administration in October that would have subjected internet service providers to stricter scrutiny than websites to protect customers’ private data , Reuters reports. Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona introduced a resolution on Tuesday, March 7 backed by 34 other senators to undo the regulations under a provision that allows Congress to repeal recently approved federal regulations.

Congress May Overturn Obama-Era Rules on Internet Privacy

Republicans in the U.S. Congress are moving to repeal regulations adopted by the Obama administration in October that would have subjected internet service providers to stricter scrutiny than websites to protect customers' Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona introduced a resolution on Tuesday backed by 34 other senators to undo the regulations under a provision that allows Congress to repeal recently approved federal regulations. Representative Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, who chairs a House panel on telecommunications, introduced a companion measure on Wednesday.

Senate Dems grill FCC chairman

Democrats grilled the new Republican chairman of the Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday, at his first hearing before Congress since taking over the agency. In his first month on the job, Chairman Ajit Pai has quickly begun rolling back a number of Obama-era initiatives and regulations, and faced tough questions from Dems at the Senate Commerce Committee hearing.

‘Disingenuous and absurd’: White House slams resurfaced…

The White House on Tuesday shot down resurfaced reports suggesting President Donald Trump met with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak in April, calling the accounts “disingenuous and absurd.” As revisited Tuesday by the liberal-leaning AmericaBlog , a report in the Wall Street Journal last May said Trump and Kislyak interacted at a reception that preceded a foreign-policy speech the then-Republican frontrunner gave at a Washington, DC, hotel.

Congress Takes Sledgehammer to Broadband Privacy Rules Through Congressional Review Act

Today Senator Jeff Flake introduced a resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act to repeal the broadband privacy rules enacted by the Federal Communications Commission last October. The rules protect consumer privacy by requiring ISPs to seek affirmative consent before using or disclosing their customers’ sensitive information, including web browsing and app usage history, for marketing purposes.

Trump Set to Roll Back Federal Fuel-Economy Requirements

In this Jan. 18, 2017, file photo, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator-designate, Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Environment and Public … Works Committee. On inauguration eve, five law professors filed a brief in support of a 2015 regulation giving EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers discretion to regulate tributaries and wetlands far upstream from navigable lakes and rivers to protect water quality.

Conservative Republicans just ripped into the GOP’s…

Republican members of Congress held a press conference on Tuesday to denounce their party leadership’s American Health Care Act and said they would introduce their own Obamacare-repeal plan on Wednesday. Members of the House Freedom Caucus and Republican senators suggested the proposed legislation did not go far enough in repealing all the taxes and entitlements in the Affordable Care Act.

House, Senate Conservative Republicans Plan Own Obamacare Repeal Bill

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., criticizes the House Republican healthcare reform plan as “Obamacare light” during a television interview on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, March 7, 2017. ( Conservative Republicans in Congress said on Tuesday they oppose aspects of the Republican leadership’s healthcare bill and they plan to introduce their own legislation on Wednesday to repeal Obamacare.

If Jason Chaffetz wants to compare healthcare to iPhones, let’s do it the right way

Interpretation of the news based on evidence, including data, as well as anticipating how events might unfold based on past events Speaking this morning on CNN in defense of House Republicans’ Obamacare replacement plan , Utah Republican Jason Chaffetz said that rather than “getting that new iPhone that they just love,” low-income Americans should take they money they would have spent on it and “invest it in their own health care.” Host Alisyn Camerota started the exchange by pointing out that “access for lower-income Americans doesn’t equal coverage.”

European Stocks Called Higher As Markets Get Boost From U.S. Government Focus

European stocks are expected to open higher Tuesday as investors take a Republican party plan to repeal ‘Obamacare’ as a sign the administration is shifting focus towards firmer policy objectives. European stocks are expected to open higher Tuesday, following a solid session in Asia, as investors take a Republican party plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act as a sign that the administration is shifting focus towards firmer policy objectives.

House GOP Finally Puts Out Repeal Plan

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., plans to send the bill to the House floor for a vote and then forward it to the Senate by the beginning of April. Employers would no longer face a tax for offering high-value “Cadillac” health plans under the latest House Republican plan to repeal and replace Obamacare.

4 Trump plans piecemeal budget release, obscurring broader fiscal picture

The Trump administration’s first budget proposal this month will not include any specific changes to the tax code or big programs like Medicare and Social Security, an administration official said, A focusing instead on boosting A defense spending and cutting other programs that are annually authorized by Congress. This budget proposal is expected to be released around March 16. Other budget proposals will come at a later date, the Office of Management and Budget spokesperson official said.

GOP Needs Trump’s Salesmanship to Advance New Obamacare Plan

Republicans in Congress hope a new draft bill released Monday night will jump-start their stalled Obamacare repeal effort, though the most important factor may be how hard President Donald Trump works to sell it to lawmakers. Two House committees released long-awaited draft measures that House Speaker Paul Ryan and GOP leaders negotiated with the White House, and made expedited plans to take up the measures Wednesday.

Pai to Lay Out Plans for FCC on Wednesday

Ajit Pai, the new chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, promised to return the U.S. to ‘the light-touch approach’ of regulating broadband. New Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai will get a chance to clue in lawmakers about his plans for net neutrality, wrapping up the broadcast spectrum auction and rewriting media ownership rules when he and fellow FCC members appear before panels on both sides of Capitol Hill Wednesday, March 8. Both the Senate Commerce Committee as well as the communications subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee will hold oversight hearings examining the FCC’s operations Wednesday.

Questions for Muslim students

Three Muslim students who tried to visit an Oklahoma lawmaker Thursday at the State Capitol in Oklahoma City were surprised when they were instead handed a questionnaire at his office. They would have to fill out the survey first, an office assistant told them, before they could make an appointment to see state Rep. John Bennett.

White House fight on import tax puts Congress in limbo

A major split among senior White House officials over whether to effectively create a new tax on imported goods has stalled the broader tax overhaul effort on Capitol Hill, with Republicans looking to the Trump administration for leadership on an issue that has drawn fierce resistance, according to several officials with direct knowledge of the matter. White House chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon, senior adviser Stephen Miller and National Trade Council director Peter Navarro have all voiced internal support for the creation of a border adjustment tax or something like it.

Pelosi Calls on Sessions to Quit After Post Discloses Russia Contacts

U.S. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi called on Attorney General Jeff Sessions to resign on Wednesday after the Washington Post reported he failed to disclose two meetings he had with Russia’s ambassador before Donald Trump was inaugurated as president. Citing Justice Department officials, the Post said Sessions spoke twice last year with Russia’s ambassador while he was still a U.S. senator.

Us FCC stays data security regulations for broadband providers

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has halted new rules that would require high-speed internet providers to take ‘reasonable’ steps to protect customer data. In a 2-1 vote that went along party lines, the FCC voted Wednesday to stay temporarily one part of privacy rules passed in October that would give consumers the right to decide how their data is used and shared by broadband providers.

Overnight Tech: FCC votes in favor of stay on data security |…

FCC VOTES TO HALT INTERNET PRIVACY RULE: The Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday voted 2-1 along party lines to prevent a new internet privacy rule from taking effect. The provision was part of a larger set of broadband privacy rules passed by the FCC in October under the Obama administration and set to go into effect on Thursday.

Trump Doubles Down on Controversial Pledge to Leave Social Security, Medicare Untouched

President Trump delivered his first speech Tuesday night to a joint session of Congress, discussing his budget blueprint for the coming fiscal year which includes a $54 billion increase in defense spending, a large cut in funding for the Environmental Protection Agency– and “no changes” to Social Security and Medicare. As of January, 66 million Americans were receiving Social Security, Supplemental Security Income payments, or both, according to the program’s website.

Patrick Kennedy Talks The “Turmoil” Of Protecting Mental Health Care In The Trump Age

We spoke to the former Congressman about the future of mental health treatment and his new project, Advocates for Opioid Recovery. After his father, Ted Kennedy, passed away, former U.S. Congressman Patrick Kennedy chose not to run for re-election in the House of Representatives so he could devote more energy to the issue that he cares most deeply about: changing the way we talk about and treat millions of Americans who suffer from mental health disorders.

Internet privacy rules headed for showdown

In a showdown over Internet privacy, the newly conservative Federal Communications Commission and the Republican-led Congress are trying to block tough Obama administration rules that limit how broadband Internet providers use their customers’ personal information. At stake is the way Internet service providers such as Comcast Corp., AT&T Inc., and Verizon Communications Inc. use and store the sensitive data they collect, including customers’ locations, their financial information, Social Security numbers, and Internet browsing habits.

Warren Buffett praises a talented and ambitious immigrantsa in shareholder letter

Interpretation of the news based on evidence, including data, as well as anticipating how events might unfold based on past events It’s become an American tradition to parse billionaire Warren Buffett’s annual letters to his shareholders for nuggets of plain-spoken insight, wit and sometimes a dash of politics. In this year’s letter, the Berkshire Hathaway chairman brought up a familiar subject under Donald Trump’s presidency: immigrants.

The Trump team may have gone even further to knock down news…

White House officials allegedly sought to recruit congressional lawmakers and the US intelligence community to help throw cold water on stories about communications between Russia and people in President Donald Trump’s inner circle. According to a Washington Post report published Friday evening, some of those lawmakers were asked by the White House to talk to reporters and refute stories from The New York Times and CNN that alleged frequent communication between Trump allies and the Kremlin before the election.

Trump Tower Protection Cost NY City $24M From Election to Inauguration

It cost New York City about $24 million to provide security at Trump Tower, President Donald Trump’s skyscraper home in Manhattan, from Election Day to Inauguration Day, or $308,000 per day, New York’s police commissioner said on Wednesday. The revelation prompted renewed calls for Congress to reimburse the city for the cost of protecting Trump’s private residence on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue, where his wife and their son continue to reside.

FCC defends not fighting legal challenge to prison call rates

The Federal Communications Commission is defending its decision not to fight a legal challenge to its rate cap on prison phone calls that it passed under the Obama administration. Brendan Carr, the commission’s acting general counsel, wrote in a letter to Rep. Bobby Rush that the FCC’s stance has changed now that the group is chaired by Republican Ajit Pai, who criticized the original rule when it first passed.