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Trump nominee for budget chief says president can withhold funding approved by Congress
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to run the Office of Management and Budget appeared on a glide path to confirmation following a Wednesday hearing, despite Democrats raising concerns over his policy beliefs and actions in the exact same job during the first administration. Russ Vought, who ran a conservative think tank for the last […]
U.S. House speaker pitches conditions on disaster aid, upending long-standing practice
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson said Tuesday that Congress will likely provide billions in disaster aid to help California recover from devastating wildfires, but indicated he might set a new precedent by placing conditions on that emergency funding based on policy and political differences with the Democratic-led state and the city of Los […]
Trump huddles with U.S. Senate GOP but no agreement yet on big tax, immigration overhaul
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Republicans and President-elect Donald Trump met behind closed doors Wednesday evening to plot how to enact sweeping changes to immigration, energy and tax policy, though they didn’t appear to make significant progress. Republicans want to use the complicated budget reconciliation process to approve legislation without relying on Democrats for votes in […]
Biden signs bill expanding Social Security benefits for retired teachers, public employees
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden has expanded Social Security benefits for more than 2 million Americans by signing broadly bipartisan legislation that Congress approved late last year. The ceremony on Sunday marked one of the last times Biden is expected to sign major legislation as president, since Congress is now controlled by Republicans and his […]
Trump’s election as president certified by Congress, four years after Capitol attack
WASHINGTON — Lawmakers certified President-elect Donald Trump’s win Monday in a smooth process that four years ago was disrupted by a violent mob of Trump supporters bent on stopping Congress from formally declaring President Joe Biden’s 2020 victory. Vice President Kamala Harris — the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee defeated by Trump — presided over the […]
Louisiana’s Mike Johnson elected U.S. House speaker by GOP in cliff-hanger vote
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans on Friday elected Louisiana Rep. Mike Johnson as their speaker for the 119th Congress, following weeks of speculation about whether the GOP would begin another protracted, public dispute over leadership. The drama-filled vote ensured that Johnson, who was first elected speaker in October 2023, will hold the gavel as Republicans […]
Musk and Ramaswamy to confront Congress in struggle for control of the public purse
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump enlisted ³Ô¹Ïtv outsiders Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to tell members of Congress how they should run things. But Musk and Ramaswamy as they build their Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, don’t actually hold any elected or bureaucratic positions in the federal government — giving two hard-driving businessmen far […]
Congress clears bill to avert government shutdown, extend farm bill
WASHINGTON — Congress finally approved a stopgap spending bill early Saturday that will keep the government open for a few more months, after a raucous 48 hours that served as a preview of what President-elect Donald Trump’s second term in office might look like. The short-term spending package, the third version of a bill to be […]
U.S. House torpedoes new spending plan as government shutdown nears Friday night
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House failed to pass a Republican stopgap spending package Thursday, sharply increasing the odds a partial government shutdown will begin after the current funding bill expires Friday at midnight. The 174-235 House vote came less than three hours after GOP leaders released a second stopgap spending bill this week. The first […]
Chances for government shutdown escalate after Trump and GOP reject stopgap spending bill
WASHINGTON — Efforts to prevent a partial government shutdown from starting this weekend fell apart Wednesday when numerous Republicans, on and off Capitol Hill, expressed their frustration with the many extraneous provisions added to a short-term funding package. Complicating the situation, Vice President-elect J.D. Vance posted on social media that he and President-elect Donald Trump believe Republicans […]
First severe case of bird flu in a human in the U.S. reported in Louisiana
WASHINGTON — A Louisiana resident has contracted the country’s first severe case of highly pathogenic avian influenza in a human, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Wednesday. The unidentified person is believed to have been infected with the virus through sick or dead birds on their property that were not part of a […]
Huge spending bill unveiled in Congress provides more than $100 billion in disaster aid
WASHINGTON — Congressional leaders unveiled a catch-all, year-end package Tuesday that would provide more than $100 billion in disaster aid and give lawmakers more time to wrap up overdue work on government funding, the farm bill and a handful of other issues they decided not to finish. The disaster aid section of the package will […]