May 4, 2017
House to Vote on ACA Repeal Today
Following an amendment that won the support of two Republican hold-outs on the American Health Care Act (AHCA), House GOP leaders move to consider the AHCA today. This vote will be a defining moment for President Donald Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan, to say nothing of the rank-and-file Republicans. The GOP also is planning to vote on…
May 3, 2017
House Passes Omnibus, Senate Next
The House just passed a sweeping FY 2017 Omnibus appropriations bill (H.R.244) to fund the government through Sept. 30. The House is sending the $1.07 trillion spending package over to the Senate for a vote later this week, likely Friday. The House vote was 309-118. The lengthy legislation comprises 11 unfinished appropriations bills, along with an intelligence authorization bill…
House Votes on Omnibus Today
Today, the House will vote on the FY 2017 spending package to fund the government for the rest of the fiscal year. A Senate vote is anticipated Thursday, and President Donald Trump announced he would sign it.
May 2, 2017
White House Issues SAP on FY 2017 Omnibus
Today, the White House has issued a Statement of Administrative Policy (SAP) on H.R. 244, the Consolidated Appropriations bill, also known as the FY 2017 Omnibus. While the White House says it is concerned that Congress did not go far enough in funding some priorities, it is a good first step, but priorities should be…
May 1, 2017
This Week in Congress, May 1-5
Here is a selection of committee meetings taking place this week. TUESDAY, MAY 2 House Energy & Commerce MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY REGULATIONS May 2, 10 a.m., 2123 Rayburn Bldg. Subcommittee Hearing WEDNESDAY, MAY 3 Senate Appropriations DEFENSE INNOVATION/RESEARCH FUNDING May 3, 10:30 a.m., 192 Dirksen Bldg. Subcommittee Hearing Senate Armed Services…
FY 2017 Omnibus Released
At 2 am last night, House and Senate appropriators released the FY 2017 Omnibus, which comprises the 11 unfinished FY 2017 appropriations bills, providing fresh spending instructions for nearly every corner of the federal government and formally appropriates more than $1 trillion in discretionary spending for FY 2017, in keeping with the spending limits agreed…
April 28, 2017
What We’re Reading, April 24-28
Here’s a selection of articles the Federal Relations team is reading this week. It’s Harder Than It Looks – Trump misses driving, feels as if he is in a cocoon, and is surprised how hard his new job is. President Donald Trump on Thursday reflected on his first 100 days in office with a wistful look…
House Scraps ACA Vote, House and Senate Pass One Week CR
Late last night, House Republican leadership decided to forego a vote on the ACA amendment by Rep. Tom MacArthur circulated earlier this week. MacArthur, who is the leader of the moderate Republican Tuesday Group, would shift how individuals with preexisting conditions are insured to the states. The amendment won the support of the conservative House…
April 27, 2017
Another Short-Term Funding Measure Unveiled
In order to buy more time for the two parties, the two chambers, and Congress and the White House to negotiate with each other on a spending package for the remainder of FY2017, Congressional leaders have unveiled a short-term measure that would keep the government funded for another week. Without an extension, the current funding…
April 26, 2017
Trump Tax Plan Released
The Trump Administration released its initial tax proposal. There are still lots of questions and items to be negotiated. The rollout came via a press conference held by Treasury Secretary Mnuchin and National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn. The highlights are below. Personal Tax Reform For individuals, income tax rates would be set at 10%, 25%, and 35%;…