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News and updates

Year: 2018

Labor-HHS Spending Bill Clears House Committee

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After an all-day markup, the FY2019 House Labor-HHS-Education bill was cleared by the Appropriations Committee last night. The committee’s adoption of the bill means that 11 of the 12 spending bills have cleared the House Appropriations Committee; the Senate committee has cleared all of its bills.

The 13-hour markup was contentious at times, with heated debates on a number of issues, including child separation.  Of the roughly 50 amendments offered and debated during the session, a significant number of them focused on child separation practices at the border.

Although the bill has now cleared the committee process, it is unclear at this point whether it will see floor action in the near future.

A copy of the bill is available here and the accompanying report is available here.

 

 

Brett Kavanaugh Nominated for Seat on Supreme Court

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Last night, President Trump nominated Brett Kavanaugh to replace Anthony Kennedy on the U.S. Supreme Court. The nominee currently serves on the D.C. Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals.

Kavanaugh was a clerk for Kennedy and previously worked in the George W. Bush White House.

Read more about the nomination here and here in the Washington Post and here in Politico.

The confirmation process is expected to consume a significant amount of time and energy in the Senate for the rest of the summer and a part of the fall.

 

SCOTUS Nomination Expected, Congress Returns

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In a televised address this evening, President Trump is expected to announce his nominee to replace Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, who is retiring from the bench at the end of July.  The upcoming nomination fight could overshadow almost everything in Congress this summer.

Congress returns this week after its July Fourth recess last week.

 

EPA Administrator Resigns

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President Donald Trump tweeted today that he has accepted the resignation of EPA chief Scott Pruitt. Pruitt had been the subject of numerous ethics investigations involving his travel, spending, use of staff, and favors by industry lobbyists.

The agency’s Deputy Administrator, Andrew Wheeler, will act as the agency’s leader until a new administrator is nominated by Mr. Trump and confirmed by the Senate.