politics

Nine million children fall victim to back-and-forth by lawmakers

ACA, health, health care, News, politics

Lawmakers are engaged in a precarious back-and-forth over health care funding for nine million children across the United States after letting the program expire last week.

Funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, ended on September 30 after Congress allowed the program to expire without renewal. CHIP, which provides low-cost health care coverage to millions of children (and pregnant parents) around the country, has long enjoyed bipartisan support. That...

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House Republican opposes banning assault rifles because trucks can kill you too

guns, News, politics

During an MSNBC interview on Tuesday, Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK) compared military-caliber firearms to trucks, and the risk of mass shootings like the one that resulted in 59 deaths and more than 500 injuries in Las Vegas on Sunday to the risk of getting run down by a vehicle.

Asked whether he shares concerns Democrats have expressed about the legality of semi-automatic rifles in the wake of the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, Cole said that he is not in favor of banning t...

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Trump complains about the cost of the humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico

climate, Donald Trump, News, politics

Visiting Puerto Rico on Tuesday — the first time since a devastating hurricane hit two weeks ago — President Trump downplayed the criticism leveled at his administration’s slow response to the island’s crisis, while emphasizing the cost of recovery.

“I hate to tell you, Puerto Rico, but you’ve thrown our budget a little out of whack — because we’ve spent a lot of money on Puerto Rico,” Trump said in a press briefing. A beat later, he added, “...

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Asked about guns, Paul Ryan talks about the need for corporate tax cuts

guns, News, Paul Ryan, politics

During a news conference on Tuesday, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) was asked whether House Republicans still plan to forge ahead with a bill to deregulate gun silencers on the same week as the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.

But instead of addressing the question head-on, Ryan quickly pivoted to touting the need for corporate tax cuts.

Pushed about the so-called Sportsmen Heritage and Recreational Enhancement Act (SHARE Act), Ryan said he’s not sure whe...

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Trump dismisses criticism of Puerto Rico response as ‘fake news,’ spends afternoon watching golf

Donald Trump, News, politics

Puerto Rico, an American territory with over 3 million people, is still reeling from the impact of Hurricane Maria.

As of Sunday, just 5 percent of the island has electrical power and only 14 percent of the nation’s cell phone towers are working. Large swaths of the island still lack drinking water. Most roadways are in shambles.

None of that, apparently, has convinced President Trump to change his plans. On Sunday afternoon, he took Marine One from his golf course in B...

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BREAKING: Tom Price is out as HHS secretary after backlash over taxpayer-funded travel

Donald Trump, health care, News, politics, tom-price

Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price resigned Friday afternoon, the White House said in a statement, following significant backlash over news that he has taken multiple private jets and military flights — all coming at a significant cost to taxpayers.

PRICE OUT pic.twitter.com/YmfgPZiFgv

— Hadas Gold (@Hadas_Gold) September 29, 2017

The president accepted the resignation earlier today, the statement said. Trump will des...

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Utah senator politicized bill that provides insurance to kids. Now his state is the first casualty.

Affordable Care Act, health, health care, News, obamacare, politics

Funding for the Children Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which covers 8.9 million children, expires Saturday because lawmakers were too busy trying to repeal-and-replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

CHIP provides low-cost health insurance to children in families that earn too much money to qualify for Medicaid. Enacted in 1997, CHIP is a companion program to Medicaid, where states had the option to set up an independent CHIP program or extend Medicaid eligibility to children up t...

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