In 1st budget, Trump to push conservative view of government

President Donald Trump sends Congress a proposed budget this week that will sharply test Republicans’ ability to keep long-standing promises to bolster the military, making politically painful cuts to a lengthy list of popular domestic programs. The Republican president will ask his adopted political party, which runs Capitol Hill, to cut domestic agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency and the departments of Education and Housing and Urban Development, along with grants to state and local governments and community development projects.

Repair, don’t repeal

After years of demanding a nix and a fix of President Obama’s signature legislation on health insurance, a Republican president and Congress are finally getting their chance. House Speaker Paul Ryan.

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Republican governors complain that a GOP proposal to replace former President Barack Obama’s health care law would force millions of lower-income earners off insurance rolls or stick states with the cost of keeping them covered. Governors, especially those from political battleground states, were generally cool to the bill put forth in the Republican-controlled U.S. House.

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No, not Jeff Sessions. Sessions was asked whether representatives of the Trump campaign had been in contact with Russian officials on behalf of the campaign, and Sessions said he didn’t know anything about that.

Chorus of conservatives slam the Republican ‘Obamacare’ repeal

A growing list of conservative groups and lawmakers balked on Tuesday at House Republicans’ plan to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, condemning the replacement health care bill “Obamacare 2.0.” , a Republican health care bill that maintains some of the most popular provisions of the 2010 Affordable Care Act and was revealed on Monday. . “The overwhelming response from our activists is, ‘This is not what we meant or expected when we voted for Congress to repeal Obamacare.

House GOP releases bill replacing Obama health care overhaul

House Republicans on Monday released their long-awaited plan for unraveling former President Barack Obama’s health care law, a package that would scale back the government’s role in helping people afford coverage and likely leave more Americans uninsured. House committees planned to begin voting on the 123-page legislation Wednesday, launching what could be the year’s defining battle in Congress and capping seven years of Republican vows to repeal the 2010 law.

The House Plan To Repeal And Replace Has Been Unveiled

House Republicans on Monday released their long-awaited plan for unraveling former President Barack Obama’s health care law, a package that would scale back the government’s role in helping people afford coverage and likely leave more Americans uninsured. House committees planned to begin voting on the 123-page legislation Wednesday, launching what could be the year’s defining battle in Congress and capping seven years of Republican vows to repeal the 2010 law.

GOP Senators Cry Foul Over Medicaid Expansion Repeal

The House Republican plan to phase out the Obamacare Medicaid expansion by 2020 may be a nonstarter for some Senate Republicans-and could potentially threaten the larger repeal-and-replace process. Shortly before House lawmakers revealed a revamped version of their Obamacare repeal-and-replace bill Monday evening, four Republican senators sent a letter to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell saying they would not support an earlier draft from Feb. 10 that repeals Medicaid expansion because it “does not meet the test of stability for individuals currently enrolled in the program.”

The Daily Briefing: Activists host a In Memoriama for the Sen. Rob Portman town hall that never was

About 200 people filled the rows of the First Unitarian Universalist Church on Sunday night in honor of Sen. Rob Portman’s town hall that never was. The In Memoriam, hosted by activist organization Indivisible Columbus, was a tongue-in-cheek gathering for local speakers to deliver eulogies on everything from immigration rights to facts, education, and representative democracy.

GOP unity on Trump and Russia looks fragile

Questions about Russian influence over the presidential campaign have united Democrats in pursuit of President Trump, while Republicans are defending him warily. The president escalated the partisan war of words this weekend when he alleged that his predecessor, former President Obama , may have wiretapped Trump Tower during the campaign.

Trump urges insurers to work together to “save Americans from Obamacare”

President Donald Trump met with major health insurers Monday morning, in the midst of intensifying public pressure to preserve the law and political divisions over how to best dismantle and replace former President Barack Obama’s signature domestic policy achievement, the Affordable Care Act. The meeting included leaders from Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Humana, UnitedHealth Group, Aetna, Anthem, Kaiser Permanente and the industry lobbying group, America’s Health Insurance Plans.

A top Democratic senator opens up on why Hillary lost, how…

Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island recently spoke with Business Insider while promoting his newly released book, ” Captured: The Corporate Infiltration of American Democracy .” Elected in 2006, Whitehouse is the ranking member of a Senate Judiciary subcommittee investigating Russia’s role in the 2016 election.

Donald Trump, Justin Trudeau, Michael Flynn, Kellyanne Conway

National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway take their seats before the start of a joint news conference with President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Monday, Feb. 13, 2017. FILE- In this Feb. 13, 2017, file photo, National Security Adviser Michael Flynn in the east Room of the White House in Washington for a joint news conference with President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Nine Republican senators urge Trump to pursue tough Russia policy

Nine senators from his own Republican party urged President Donald Trump on Thursday to take a “tough-minded” approach to Russia, joining a growing chorus of lawmakers addressing concerns that he might be too conciliatory towards Moscow. The nine senators, including the Senate’s number two Republican, John Cornyn, wrote in a letter to Trump that cooperation with Moscow is essential in many areas, but calling for tough action on Ukraine, Syria and cyber security.

White House defends immigration order in face of protests

The White House is vigorously defending President Donald Trump’s immigration restrictions, as protests spread throughout the country. Some Republicans in Congress urged caution amid legal challenges to the order banning In a background call with reporters Sunday, a senior administration official declared the order’s implementation “a massive success story,” claiming it had been done “seamlessly and with extraordinary professionalism.”

The Latest: Priebus defends swift action to bar refugees

The Latest on President Donald Trump, his travel ban on seven Muslim-majority countries and other immigration actions : 10:50 a.m. The White House chief of staff says President Donald Trump acted early on in his term to impose a travel ban on refugees to block “people who want to do bad things to America.” Reince Priebus says there’s nothing to apologize for after Friday’s executive order drew widespread protests.

The Latest: Priebus defends swift action to bar refugees

The Latest on President Donald Trump, his travel ban on seven Muslim-majority countries and other immigration actions : 10:50 a.m. The White House chief of staff says President Donald Trump acted early on in his term to impose a travel ban on refugees to block “people who want to do bad things to America.” Reince Priebus says there’s nothing to apologize for after Friday’s executive order drew widespread protests.

Trump, Putin discuss ‘mutually beneficial’ trade, security

Will President Donald Trump usher in a new era for U.S.-Russian relations, or are the two powers going to continue down the path as geopolitical foes? Now that Russian President Vladimir Putin has held his first conversation with America’s newly inaugurated leader, attention turns to the fate of U.S. sanctions against Moscow and whether the two will look to enhance military co-operation against the Islamic State group. Trump was noncommittal about whether he was considering lifting the economic sanctions ahead of the call, telling reporters Friday, “We’ll see what happens.

Trump, Putin have long-awaited call; McCain urges continued sanctions

U.S. President Donald Trump’s first conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin since taking office is causing concern among European allies and consternation among fellow Republicans about the future of U.S. penalties imposed on Moscow. Trump was noncommittal before Saturday’s scheduled telephone call about whether he was considering lifting the economic sanctions.

Trump, Putin to speak amid GOP concerns on sanctions

President Donald Trump’s first conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin since taking office is sparking concern among European allies and his own Republican Party about the future of U.S. sanctions on Moscow. Ahead of the call planned for Saturday, Trump was noncommittal about whether he was considering lifting the economic penalties.

Little is known on status of US student held in North Korea

There’s been little public word about what has happened to an American college student detained in North Korea, as a new administration takes over one year later amid deep U.S. concerns about the hostile country’s nuclear and missile development. North Korea announced last Jan. 22 it had detained Otto Warmbier, a 21-year-old University of Virginia student from suburban Cincinnati, earlier that month for alleged anti-state crime.

Pruitt an Unacceptable Choice, Ohio Scientists Tell Sen. Portman

Scientists, engineers and health professionals in Ohio have delivered a letter today to Sen. Rob Portman’s office expressing their strong opposition to President-elect Trump’s nominee to run the Environmental Protection Agency , Scott Pruitt. Portman, a Republican, will be a key vote on whether the closely-divided Senate puts Pruitt in charge of the EPA, an agency he has repeatedly tried to undermine as Oklahoma attorney general.

Backpage execs refuse to testify at sex-trafficking hearing

Executives at the advertising website Backpage.com refused to testify before Congress Tuesday following a Senate report that accuses the site of systematically editing its “adult” ads to remove words that indicate sex trafficking. Four top executives and the company’s lawyer told a Senate subcommittee they were invoking their Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination.

Backpage execs refuse to testify at sex-trafficking hearing

From left, Backpage.com CEO Carl Ferrer, former owner James Larkin, COO Andrew Padilla, and former owner Michael Lacey, are sworn-in on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2017, prior to testifying before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Permanent subcommittee hearing into Backpage.com knowing facilitation of online … (more)

Bliss Tapped to Run House Gop Pac

Corry Bliss, who managed Sen. Rob Portman’s reelection campaign, will serve as executive director for House Republicans’ main PAC next cycle. Bliss’s work on Portman’s race resulted in a 21-point victory for the Ohio Republican and received bipartisan praise from campaign operatives.