Senate Dems’ Obamacare fix fails as Senate looks for off-ramp from healthcare cliff

Senate Republicans rallied to block Senate Democrats’ extension of expiring Obamacare subsidies as both sides of the aisle suffer defeats on their proposals to deal with the looming healthcare cliff. Over the course of the 43-day government shutdown, Senate Democrats made the longest closure in history all about the subsidies, which were passed and enhanced […]

Mike Johnson acknowledges Obamacare ‘dilemma’ facing his members

Speaker Mike Johnson said Thursday he understands the “dilemma” facing House Republicans who have launched or joined discharge petitions that would force a vote to extend expiring Obamacare subsidies. But he gave no indication he would change his current course of letting the tax credits expire. “Leadership’s never in favor of discharges,” Johnson said in […]

Henry Cuellar will retake key spending post after Trump pardon

Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee voted Thursday to return Rep. Henry Cuellar to his leadership position on a powerful spending panel following his pardon on federal corruption charges. “We got ratified,” Cuellar told reporters following the vote. The veteran Texas lawmaker overcame private concerns inside his party about restoring him as the top Democrat […]

Noem defiant as Democrats decry Trump administration treatment of migrants

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem offered an uncompromising defense of the administration’s aggressive approach to immigration enforcement before lawmakers on Thursday, as questions swirl about her future in the Trump administration. In her opening remarks at the House Homeland Security Committee’s annual threats hearing, Noem argued that the number of people who have left the […]

Trump presses Thune to ‘get something done’ on stalled nominees

President Donald Trump on Thursday pressed Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., to dismantle the Senate’s ‘blue slip’ tradition, arguing that the practice has allowed Democrats to block Republican judicial and U.S. attorney nominees. ‘If they say no, then it is OVER for that very well qualified Republican candidate. Only a really far left Democrat […]

Senate Dems block Republicans’ HSA plan as Obamacare deadline nears

Senate Democrats banded together to kill Republicans’ plan to replace expiring Obamacare subsidies on Thursday, knocking the first of two proposals down for the count. Senate Republicans’ plan from Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-La., and Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, the chairs of the Senate health and finance panels, would have abandoned the Obamacare enhanced premium subsidies for […]

Dem rep opens House hearing by telling Noem to resign in fiery statement

Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., called on Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to resign Thursday during opening remarks at a House Homeland Security Committee hearing on ‘Worldwide Threats to the Homeland.’ ‘You have systematically dismantled the Department of Homeland Security, put your own interests above the department, and violated the law. You are making America less […]