Last week ended with Senate Appropriations Chair Thad Cochran (R-MS) saying, "We need a new budget deal to finish our work. Congress and the administration must reach agreement on acceptable top-line funding levels. I urge all parties to those negotiations to redouble their efforts to reach agreement." That statement was issued because there is still
On Thursday, the House Ways and Means Committee approved their tax bill (HR 1) by a vote of 24-16 while the Senate unveiled the outline of their version of tax reform. After various changes the House bill preserved the Adoption Tax Credit while the Senate bill also retains the credit in their version. Aside from
On Wednesday, the former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, authored an Op-ed Opinion in the New York Times that ending DACA will undermine national security efforts. Gates pointed out that more than 800 Dreamers are currently serving in the armed forces. He highlighted that between 2006 through 2011 more than 45,000 immigrants served in the
Last week the House Republicans unveiled their tax reform package, H.R 1. Since many tax credits and tax deductions were eliminated there were a few that CWLA and other advocates had hoped would be saved. The Child and Dependent Care Tax Credits did survive at a much smaller level but one that was eliminated was
As we get closer to the December 8 expiration of the current FY 2018 funding, it is becoming more and more likely a final deal will not be struck. Some are now suggesting the Congress may attempt another CR that would extend funding until December 15 to give the parties time to negotiate what they
On Thursday, October 26, the House went along with the Senate budget resolution by a vote of 216-212. That resolution will allow for the fast-track reconciliation process that will allow for a deficit increase of $1.5 trillion over the next ten years. The reconciliation places time-limits on floor debate in both the House and Senate
On Thursday, the President announced a declaration of a national health care emergency. The declaration is intended to make it easier to use current programs and funds to better address the opioids situation. The declaration (which lasts for 90 days unless extended) came one day after the House Energy and Commerce Committee held their second
On Wednesday, both the Senate Finance Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee moved their version of a CHIP reauthorization. The Senate bill sponsored by Senate Finance Chair Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), the Keeping Kids’ Insurance Dependable and Secure (KIDS) Act (S. 1827), would extend CHIP for five years
The two 2018 budget resolutions adopted in the House and Senate Committees have two broad themes: larger tax reductions and larger budget cuts. The budget resolutions are different in the extent of their cuts with the House version being much grander in its mandatory and entitlement cuts and its cuts to the annual appropriations. Their
Last Thursday the Senate HELP Committee focused on the topic of spreading opioid addiction and what current Administration leaders and departments were doing about it. One of the starkest statistics (from the CDC) is that for every opioid related overdose death, there are another 60 addicts out there. The witnesses were Food and Drug Administration