For a second time, a president is sending Jon Huntsman overseas on an assignment that could block his political ambitions. President Donald Trump’s decision to tap the Republican former Utah governor as the US ambassador to Russia puts Huntsman on the sidelines the day before veteran Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch announced his plans Thursday to run for another term in 2018.
Category: Orrin Hatch
The struggles of coal retirees come roaring back into the congressional spotlight
A dispute over fixing the health care fund of thousands of retired coal miners almost shut down the federal government in December. The solution was only temporary, and the issue is about to command Congress’ attention again.
Cost of the Cadillac: The Obamacare story reporters are missing
In the deluge of recent media stories about who will lose if Congress repeals the Affordable Care Act , one crucial provision has received short shrift from journalists: the so-called Cadillac tax, written into the law as a way to raise money for government subsidies for the uninsured. The Cadillac tax, which will affect nearly everyone with employer-sponsored coverage when it takes effect in 2020, is currently the target of bipartisan repeal efforts.
What to know about the presidenta s a designated survivora
On Tuesday, most of the nation’s political elite – from Vice President Mike Pence to House Speaker Paul Ryan – will file into the House chamber to hear President Trump outline his national agenda. But one member of the administration definitely won’t be watching in person.
(Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune) U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch,…
The Salt Lake Tribune) U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, listens as Senate President Wayne Niederhauser, R-Sandy, thanks him for speaking in the Utah Senate, Wednesday, February 22, 2017. The Salt Lake Tribune) U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, listens as Senate President Wayne Niederhauser, R-Sandy, thanks him for speaking in the Utah Senate, Wednesday, February 22, 2017.
Former presidential candidates eye Senate comebacks
Orrin Hatch Former presidential candidates eye Senate comebacks Warren: Trump’s Treasury pick the ‘ultimate Wall Street insider’ Trump outburst puts Gorsuch in a corner MORE retires. Jon Huntsman, a 2012 GOP candidate, could run for the seat, as could 2016 independent candidate Evan McMullin.
Ginsburg talks partisan rancor, Electoral College and kale
As Washington prepares for the contentious hearings of Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch, a wistful Ruth Bader Ginsburg lamented Monday night on how the confirmation process has changed, recalling that one Republican senator who supported her back in 1993 “today wouldn’t touch me with a ten-foot pole”. The 83-year-old justice allowed that while she is still friends with the senator, Orrin Hatch of Utah, the confirmation process has degraded.
Obamacare hits slump, falls short of 2016 pace
After years of steady growth Obamacare’s sign-ups slumped in 2017, according to early numbers that suggest the law is struggling now that President Obama is no longer in office to give it a boost. The number of people selecting plans on the federal HealthCare.gov website dropped 4 percent this go-around compared to the 2016 season, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said.
Romney on 2018 Senate run: ‘All doors are open’
Former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney declined to rule out – and in – a run for a Senate seat in the future. “I don’t have any predictions on what I might do.
5 House GOP’s corporate tax scheme has its Republican skeptics
House Republicans face opposition to their plan to overhaul the way corporations pay federal taxes from a powerful group of lawmakers – other Republicans. “I’m not very enthused about it,” said Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah, the chairman of the Finance Committee and the Senate’s top tax writer.
Mnuchin’s denials don’t match record
Sen. Orrin Hatch says no, that the man nominated by President Donald Trump to be treasury secretary told the truth when he asserted that his former company, OneWest, had not engaged in the practice of “robo-signing” mortgage documents. That’s despite dozens of court cases uncovered by The Dispatch that showed OneWest officials’ robo-signatures, along with sworn testimony from one of his vice presidents describing how she did it.
Jim Jordan rejects calls to repair Obamacare
WASHINGTON In a growing rift among Republicans, Rep. Jim Jordan rejected calls by some GOP lawmakers to “repair” the 2010 health law, saying the law known as Obamacare was a “complete disaster” and needs to be swiftly and completely scrapped. During an interview Friday on Fox News, Jordan, R-Urbana said for Republicans “to say we’re going to repair something implies you can actually fix something.
Obamacare sign-up period ends with a whimper, sees first decline
The number of Americans signing up for coverage through HealthCare.gov dropped by a half-million for 2017, as efforts by President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans to demolish the Affordable Care Act propelled the first enrollment decline in its history. The lower total, with 9.2 million consumers choosing health plans in ACA marketplaces through the enrollment deadline Tuesday, marks a striking turnabout from the trend as former President Barack Obama’s administration neared its end – when sign-ups for coverage under the law were running steadily ahead of a year ago.
Top GOP senators in Obamacare replacement role soften stance on total repeal
Two top Republicans expected to lead the charge in the repealing of the Affordable Care Act said this week they are in favor of repairing it in lieu of a total repeal, which the GOP has aimed to do over the last eight years. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., both spoke about Obamacare and the hurdles the GOP is facing in order to repeal the law in its entirety, according to The Washington Post .
The GOP’s incredible, shrinking Obamacare repeal
Donald Trump’s presidency is off to an explosive start: A clash with the media over crowd size on Inauguration Day; the theatrical unveiling of a Supreme Court nominee; and the launch of an immigration crackdown that sparked nationwide protests. But across town on Capitol Hill, Republican lawmakers have been working away at the monumental task of overhauling Obamacare in the opposite fashion – quietly, slowly and with little fanfare.
GOP pushes 2 top Cabinet picks through to full Senate
In this Jan. 19, 2017 file photo, Treasury Secretary-designate Steven Mnuchin testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee. Republicans on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017, muscled through President Donald Trump’s nominees for Treasury and Health after the majority GOP suspended committee rules, a power grab in the latest escalation of partisan tensions in Congress.
GOP suspends Senate rule, muscles Trump picks through panel
In this Jan. 24, 2017 file photo, Health and Human Services Secretary-designate, Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., arrives on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017, to testify at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee. Republicans on Wednesday muscled through President Donald Trump’s nominees for Treasury and Health after the majority GOP suspended committee rules, a power grab in the latest escalation of partisan tensions in Congress.
Senate panel backs Price, Mnuchin despite Democrat boycott
In this Jan. 24, 2017, file photo, Tom Price testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington at his confirmation hearing. In this Jan. 24, 2017, file photo, Tom Price testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington at his confirmation hearing.
Democrats boycott markup of key Trump picks
Senate Democrats on Tuesday boycotted a critical markup of President Donald Trump’s nominations to lead the Treasury and Health and Human Services departments, leaving a senior GOP leader aghast and saying there is “no excuse” for “this type of crap.” Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, Utah Republican, and fellow GOP members said it was unprecedented and “shocking” for Democrats to skip the planned roll calls on Steve Mnuchin for Treasury and Rep. Tom Price at HHS.
Senate Democrats just made an unprecedented move to delay votes on Trump’s Cabinet nominees
Democratic senators on the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday boycotted votes on President Donald Trump’s picks for Treasury secretary and secretary of Health and Human Services, opening up a new front in the battle over the president’s Cabinet. Not a single Democratic senator on the committee showed up for the votes on Mnuchin or Price, boycotting due to what they consider unanswered questions in regards to Mnuchin and Price.
Hatch heralded as longest-serving GOP senator in U.S. history
Washington a Senate leaders heralded Sen. Orrin Hatch on Thursday as the longest-serving Republican senator in U.S. history, while the Utah Republican turned the love-fest moment into a pitch to confirm President Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees and give him “a little bit of leeway for him to make some verbal mistakes.” As of Thursday, Hatch, who first took office on Jan. 3, 1977, had served 40 years, one month and six days, surpassing the late Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska as the longest-serving Republican senator.
Editorial: Time for Orrin Hatch to retire from the Senate.
Tribune file photo) Sen. Orrin Hatch got a new title, a raise and round-the-clock security as the Republicans took control of the U.S. Senate on Tuesday. Tribune file photo) Sen. Orrin Hatch got a new title, a raise and round-the-clock security as the Republicans took control of the U.S. Senate on Tuesday.
In Trump’s White House, a day of confusion and change
A meeting with lawmakers vanished from the White House schedule. A ceremonial executive order signing was abruptly canceled.
Trump to address GOP House, Senate members at retreat
President Donald Trump is trying to cement support from Republican House and Senate members and line up shared goals as he addresses them during their annual policy retreat. Trump’s midday remarks Thursday in Philadelphia come a day after he began overhauling the nation’s immigration rules and moved to jumpstart construction of his promised U.S.-Mexico border wall.
In Trump’s White House, a day of confusion and change
A meeting with a senator vanished from the White House schedule. A ceremonial executive order signing abruptly canceled.
Mother asks Trump to help free son jailed in Venezuela
In this July 13, 2016, file photo, Laurie Holt holds a photograph of her son Joshua Holt, who has been jailed in Venezuela for several months, at her home, in Riverton, Utah.
Senate panel approves Ben Carson for HUD job
Health and Human Services Secretary-designate, Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., left, arrives with Senate Finance Committee Chairman Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, center, and Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday before the start of his confirmation hearing before the committee. The Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee has unanimously approved President Donald Trump’s nominee for housing secretary, Ben Carson.
Steven Mnuchin Just Doesn’t Understand
When Steven Mnuchin, Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of the Treasury, was asked about tax reform in his confirmation hearing on Wednesday, he took things in a surprising direction: He suggested that the IRS needed a larger staff. “I was particularly surprised, looking at the IRS numbers, that the IRS headcount has gone down quite dramatically, almost 30 percent over the last number of years,” Mnuchin said in response to a question from Sen. Orrin Hatch, a Utah Republican….”Now perhaps the IRS just started with way too many people,” Mnuchin added.
Things to know about Trump’s Cabinet confirmation hearings
Attorney General-designate, Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2017, at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Attorney General-designate, Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2017, at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Tracking the transition to Trump’s White House
To close out the first work week of 2017, GOP hand wringing and another POTUS exit interview lead the way. Two more Republican senators in the last 24 hours are sounding the alarm that repealing Obamacare without a replacement plan in place may not be good for the health of the GOP … much less the country.