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Congress OKs $1.3 trillion budget, averting another shutdown

Mar 23, 2018
But an unusual glitch arose when Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, wanted to remove a provision to rename a forest in his home state.
Stefan Zaklin/Getty Images

Senate subcommittee hearing to review status of airbag recall

Mar 20, 2018
A U.S. Senate subcommittee on commerce is scheduled to hold a hearing Tuesday on the status of  the long-running Takata airbag recall. The government’s traffic safety agency says it’s the largest and most complex safety recall in U.S. history. Where does the recall stand? Click the audio player above to hear the full story.

Student loan changes ahead

Jan 25, 2018
Congress is going to change how much graduates need to pay back and how quickly. Pell Grants and loan forgiveness are part of the Republican overhaul, too. A Senate committee will hold a hearing today with new details of an ambitious plan to reboot the nation’s student financial aid system. Until now, proposals for how […]

Senate talks fall short, shutdown extends into workweek

Jan 22, 2018
The White House and GOP leaders said they would not negotiate with Democrats on immigration until the government is reopened.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) leaves the Senate floor and walks to his office on Capitol Hill, January 21, 2018 in Washington, D.C. 
Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Health and Human Services head nominee differs from the former secretary in one key way

Jan 8, 2018
Tuesday, the Senate Finance Committee is scheduled to hold its confirmation hearing for Alex Azar to run the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Azar is widely expected to win Senate approval, despite some misgivings over the rise of drug prices while he served as a top executive at drugmaker Eli Lilly. However, it […]

The power behind the scenes at Congressional hearings

Dec 21, 2017
Congress holds hundreds of hearings a year. Most are webcast. So why go?
Chairman of the Federal Reserve nominee Jerome Powell testifies during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee Nov. 28, 2017 on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. 
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Hurtling toward the tax bill's unintended consequences

Dec 7, 2017
Economist Martin Sullivan's problematic fave from the GOP plan is the pass-through tax.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky, speaks to reporters Tuesday at the Capitol about the tax reform bill the Senate passed last week.
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What’s next for the tax bill?

Dec 4, 2017
The House and Senate will have to reconcile their tax bills, which have some key differences right now.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) arriving for a rally to promote tax reform legislation with fellow Senate GOP leaders and representatives a few days prior to the Senate's passage of the tax bill. 
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Senate's proposed tax bill clashes with House plan

Nov 9, 2017
The Senate and House tax bills don't line up when it comes to policy that affects individuals and corporations, which may make it trickier for Republicans to pass their tax overhaul by the end of the year.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT) (C) talks with journalists before heading into a meeting at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday in Washington, D.C. Senate Republicans met behind closed doors to get their first look at their proposed tax cut and reform legislation.
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Senate budget battle likely as vote looms

Oct 17, 2017
The Senate is expected to take up a budget framework this week. If it passes, the GOP will be one step closer to the tax overhaul it so desperately wants. President Donald Trump promised yesterday in a Rose Garden press conference with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell that the tax plan is on track. But […]