One of Congress’ most spineless senators has thrown a wrench in the Republican Party’s plan to overhaul the tax code before Christmas.
The Washington Post reported Thursday that Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) is a no on the GOP tax bill unless the child tax credit (CTC), for which he has previously advocated, is extended to lower-income families.
Rubio has hinted he might vote against the bill in the past.
If #TaxReform conference weakens #Chi...
ThinkProgress
Ignoring widespread protests, FCC moves forward with plans to repeal net neutrality
Republicans have demonstrated their tried and tested approach to advancing an unpopular agenda during the Trump era. Step one, introduce a corporate-friendly policy or piece of legislation. Step two, have non-partisan experts analyze the proposed policy and say it will only help the powerful. Step three, ignore the experts — and the public — and continue trying to force the policy through, while leaving the long-term consequences for others to worry about later.
The tact...
Congressman announces cancer diagnosis months after characterizing illness as a personal failing
During a speech on the House floor on Wednesday, Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) announced that he has prostate cancer.
“Don’t ever, ever, take your health or family for granted. During the holidays, enjoy your family, because no one, no one, is promised tomorrow,” Brooks said, adding that he learned he has cancer following a doctor’s scan in October.
Martha and I are extremely grateful for the outpouring of support for our family during this difficult time a...
‘Do the right thing’: Mitch McConnell, Alabama, and the Jason Kander rule
It’s unclear just how much Alabama and the Senate’s Republican leadership can drag their feet to delay actually seating Senator-elect Doug Jones (D-AL) after his victory in Tuesday’s special election. But if Republican lawmakers try to force through the tax cut bill without letting Jones have a say, they will be diverging from a tradition of respecting the results of elections — and their own rhetoric after Republican victories in special elections.
Jason Kan...
Doug Jones could kill the GOP tax bill. Here’s how Mitch McConnell can stop him.
A wave of their own incompetence is about to come crashing down on the Republican Party.
After barely passing a tax bill costing $1.4 trillion — cutting taxes for corporations and most rich people, hiking taxes for the poor, and destabilizing health insurance markets — Senate Republicans discovered a $250 billion drafting error in the bill. One Republican, Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) already opposed the bill. Another, Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) is now wavering on the bill R...
Obamacare enrollment is winding down. How successful was Trump’s sabotage?
People who don’t have health insurance through work have two more days to sign up for coverage if they purchase plans on HealthCare.gov. The deadline is December 15 at 3 a.m. for all residents, except for those in areas impacted by hurricanes and those in 11 states and Washington, D.C., who have longer sign-up periods.
About 4.7 million people have signed up for coverage so far, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Over a million people signed up ...
Nobody is laughing at the Religious Left in 2017
There’s a well-worn joke that has circulated among religion writers for at least the past decade: every year, someone publishes a piece prophesying the “rise” of the Religious Left. And every year, the prediction turns out to be laughably overblown.
And then 2017 happened. These days, nobody’s laughing at the Religious Left.
Granted, the core catalyst for this shift was something few expected: the election of Donald Trump. His rise caught many by surprise, and sparked innumer...
The Trump Organization and the White House have merged
Earlier this year, Donald Trump Jr. posted on Instagram: “Well done Mr. President! Congratulations on an amazing 100 days, and I look forward to many more years of you fighting for America. Keep it up.”
Eric Trump appeared on Fox News in June and said his father “has been in office for 150-something days and I think he has accomplished more than any president, arguably in history, has over that same period of time.”
These are strange sentiments to hear...
The Trump administration’s long-awaited analysis of the GOP tax plan has bad news for Republicans
On Monday, the U.S. Treasury Department finally released its analysis of the GOP tax plan: a single page report that essentially concedes the analysis by the Joint Committee on Taxation is correct.
According to the Treasury analysis, the tax plan will cost an estimated $1.5 trillion dollars, while raising only $408 billion in revenue, leaving the country $1 trillion in the hole. This eviscerates any notion that the GOP plan will pay for itself, as previously suggested by administrat...
Another state to warn CHIP families that insurance might end because Congress failed to act
On Monday, Virginia officials began notifying families, who receive coverage through the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), that the program may end on January 31st if the federal government does not adequately fund it soon; WAMU 88.5 reporter Selena Simmons-Duffin first reported the news.
Congress failed to reauthorize funding for CHIP on September 30th. Now, 65,000 children and 1,100 pregnant women enrolled in Virginia’s program are at risk of losing health in...