Capitol Hill is very balmy and very quiet. The thrum of legislators jawboning while a vote is being tallied has been replaced with a sepulchrous quiet. The Senate hung out its “Gone fishing” sign at the end of the first week of August. The House of Representatives closed the chamber and dashed to the airports in mid-July. America’s national […]
Congress Is Struggling to Get Its Work D...
The news coming from Capitol Hill over the past couple of weeks has left much to be desired. Congress has had difficulty discharging its lawmaking duties. The Senate’s appropriations committee is at loggerheads over how much spending to authorize. The impasse is hindering Congress’s ability to pass the dozen spending bills and avert a government shutdown on Oct. 1…. […]
Congressional Republicans Are Losing Pat...
Longtime Republican pollster Frank Luntz recently declared, “There is zero doubt tonight that Donald Trump is in complete and total control of the Republican Party.” His statement came after the president’s preferred candidate, Ken Paxton, primaried Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) in late May…. (Read more)
Rep. Stephanie Bice and the Modernizatio...
The House of Representatives is poised to provide $4 million in new spending to modernize the chamber’s internal operations. The chamber’s Subcommittee on Legislative Branch Appropriations approved the boost to the Modernization Initiatives Fund, which would become available for use on October 1, when the new fiscal year begins…. (Read more)
Congress Attempts a $39 Billion Return t...
Americans are owed $39.2 billion by the federal government, according to a Treasury Department tabulation. These funds are in the form of mature, unredeemed savings bonds that individuals bought but have not claimed. Most of these bonds date to the 1980s, when investors eagerly snatched up bonds carrying annual interest rates topping out at 9%. But some were issued […]
Congress re-funds the Education Departme...
Congress sent a spending bill to President Donald Trump in February, providing $78.9 billion in funding to the Education Department. That is about the same amount that taxpayers provided last year. That might seem surprising because almost one year ago, Trump signed an executive order to abolish the agency….(Read more)