Tag: GOP congress

The Senate Tax Bill Is Even More Costly Under Current Policy Assumptions

The following article by Seth Hanlon and Alex Rowell was posted on the Center for American Progress website December 13, 2017:

Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, takes questions from reporters as he and other lawmakers head to the Senate floor for votes on Capitol Hill in Washington, November 27, 2017. Credit: AP/J. Scott Applewhite

The tax bills that the House and Senate have passed and are now seeking to reconcile would add nearly $1.5 trillion to federal deficits over the next decade, according to the nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT). One of the ways in which the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress are rationalizing adding so much debt is by claiming that they are measuring the tax bill against a “current policy” baseline instead of the traditional “current law” baseline. But in applying a current policy baseline to the bill under the assumption that it reduces the cost, they are making a major error. The fact is that the Senate tax bill adds even more to deficits when using current policy assumptions. Under this approach, the bill’s many expiring tax cuts would be treated as if they were permanent, significantly raising their cost. Continue reading “The Senate Tax Bill Is Even More Costly Under Current Policy Assumptions”

Roy Who? Trump, GOP Quickly Pivot From Alabama to Taxes

The following article by John T. Bennett was posted on the Roll Call website December 13, 2017:

Democrats characterize Alabama result as repudiation of president

Republican Roy Moore rides his horse across a field on his way to vote at the Gallant Volunteer Fire Department in Gallant, Ala., on Tuesday. Moore lost to Democrat Doug Jones in Tuesday’s Senate special election in Alabama. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers tried Wednesday to pin blame for Roy Moore’s special Alabama Senate race loss on the controversial former judge, but Democrats contend the president owns the bruising defeat after his full-throated endorsement.

At the White House, the message was all about a GOP tax overhaul bill following Democrat Doug Jones’ stunning upset win in a state that had not put a member of that party in the Senate since 1992. On Capitol Hill, Republican members admitted relief that Moore would not be bringing his sexual misconduct allegations to Washington — and they asserted neither Trump nor the GOP were damaged by the Alabama race, despite the embrace of Moore by Trump and the Republican National Committee.

Instead, Republican lawmakers touted their agenda, including a tax overhaul package that likely will get floor votes next week. Continue reading “Roy Who? Trump, GOP Quickly Pivot From Alabama to Taxes”

During Watergate, it was country first, party second. What about now?

NOTE:  Some of us have been around long enough to remember Watergate and how Republicans did view President Nixon’s abuse of power and disregard for the law of the land as something not to be tolerated.  Unfortunately, the currently elected group of Republicans (and that seems to include Rep. Erik Paulsen) doesn’t hold with those standards and are now attacking the special investigation into the 2016 Russian interference in our elections.

The following article by Daniel Bush was posted on the PBS.org website May 26, 2017:

For most politicians, comparisons to Watergate are a sure sign of trouble. But President Donald Trump, as he has often reminded the American public, is not your average politician.

Mr. Trump put that claim to the test this month by firing the director of the FBI. The move drew immediate comparisons to Richard Nixon’s dismissal of Archibald Cox, the special prosecutor investigating his presidency, after an extraordinary turn of events known in Washington shorthand as the “Saturday Night Massacre.” Continue reading “During Watergate, it was country first, party second. What about now?”

Senate, House Reach Tax Overhaul Agreement

The following article by Niels Lesniewski and Joe Williams was posted on the Roll Call website December 13, 2017:

Senate Finance Chairman Orrin Hatch confirms

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, speaks with reporters as he arrives for lunch with Senate Republicans in the Capitol on Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2017. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call file photo)

Senate and House Republicans have reached a broad agreement on a major overhaul of the U.S. tax code, Sen. Orrin G. Hatch said Wednesday.

As he was leaving for the White House, the Senate Finance Chairman confirmed the House and Senate have reached a deal on overhauling the tax code.

“We reached the agreement,” the Utah Republican told reporters.

Hatch said he planned to update President Donald Trump on the agreement when he reached the White House, declining to answer any questions about specifics, such as the final corporate tax rate or when exactly the deal was reached. Continue reading “Senate, House Reach Tax Overhaul Agreement”

Democrats Push GOP to Delay Tax Talks After Alabama

The following article by Niels Lesniewski was posted on the Roll Call website December 13, 2017:

But Republican tax conference committee is full speed ahead

Alabama Democrat Doug Jones’s victory in the Senate race to replace Jeff Sessions could scramble the legislative calculus. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

Democrats were quick to call on Republicans to delay their efforts to rewrite the tax code, saying Doug Jones’ victory in Tuesday’s special Senate election in Alabama is a sign from voters that needs to be heeded.

“The vote on the tax bill should be postponed. The voice of Alabamians should be heard on this and Doug Jones should have a chance to weigh in,” Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez told reporters Wednesday.

Perez spoke before Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, who had much the same message. Flanked by a chart with quotes from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell dating to the aftermath of the election of Republican Scott P. Brown in Massachusetts, the New York Democrat highlighted concerns about the bill among suburban voters. Continue reading “Democrats Push GOP to Delay Tax Talks After Alabama”

Religious leaders question why Republican tax plan would allow churches to endorse candidates

The following article by Hailey Branson-Potts was posted on the Los Angeles Times website December 12, 2017:

Parishioners chat near the Action Table outside of All Saints Church in Pasadena after a service on Sunday, Dec. 3. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

An antiwar sermon at All Saints Church in Pasadena two days before the 2004 presidential election triggered an Internal Revenue Service investigation that threatened the church’s tax-exempt status.

But that hasn’t stopped All Saints from taking on contentious issues, as it did on a recent Sunday when the Rev. Mike Kinman preached about sexual assault against women. He also spoke of another hot-button issue: the Republican tax plans.

Tucked within the House version of the tax bill — which still must be reconciled with the separate Senate version — is a proposal that likely would have kept the feds away from All Saints 13 years ago. Continue reading “Religious leaders question why Republican tax plan would allow churches to endorse candidates”

What does Doug Jones’s win mean for the country?

The following article by Allison Michaels was posted on the Washington Post website December 13, 2017:

“This is something that’s really going to define Alabama for the future. Not just for the people but for all the aftereffects that we’re going to have on what the people view as what’s politically correct and what’s not.” — Zach Parrish of Alabama, 20, Democrat

Last night, Democrat Doug Jones won Alabama’s competitive — and at times bitter — election, and is now set to become the state’s next U.S. senator. In the days leading up to the special election in Alabama, Washington Post political reporter Robert Costa spoke to voters in the deep-red state as they decided between the Democrat and a Republican, Roy Moore, who has faced allegations of sexual misconduct with minors.

Jones’s win has sizable consequences for the rest of the country, for the legislative agenda in Congress, for the state of divisive politics and party loyalty and even for the president of the United States.

On the 50th episode of “Can He Do That?,” a podcast that explores the powers and limitations of the American presidency, we dive into Costa’s reporting in Alabama and cover what happens next now that Alabama has elected a Democrat to the Senate.

Listen to the full episode below.

View the post here.

10 Thoughts After the Alabama Senate Election

The following article by Nathan L. Gonzales was posted on the Roll Call website December 13, 2017:

Supporters of Democrat Doug Jones celebrate his victory over Republican Roy Moore in the Alabama Senate special election Tuesday night in Birmingham, Ala. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

One of the best parts about covering elections is that there is always a result. After all the prognosticating, projecting, discussing and arguing, there’s a winner. But determining the true meaning of victory and loss can be difficult.

There will be plenty of time to analyze the Alabama Senate special election (at least until the next special election on March 13 in Pennsylvania’s 18th District), but here are some initial postelection thoughts:

This was a historic victory for Doug Jones. Of course, Roy Moore had some unparalleled flaws as a candidate, but Jones overcame a 20-point deficit in partisan performance to win. The last Democrat to win a Senate race in Alabama was Sen. Richard C. Shelby in 1992, and he’s now the state’s senior senator as a Republican. Tonight’s upset will be talked about for years to come. Continue reading “10 Thoughts After the Alabama Senate Election”

Pay Long and Don’t PROSPER

The following article by C.J. Libassi was posted on the Center for American Progress website December 12, 2017:

How the New House Student Loan Repayment Plan Could Hurt Borrowers

Increasing rapidly in enrollment in recent years, income-driven repayment (IDR) plans allow borrowers to pay a fixed portion of their income each month, making loan payments more predictable and more manageable for many. And for borrowers whose incomes do not exceed a level required to meet their everyday needs, IDR does not ask them to pay anything until they are back on their feet. Continue reading “Pay Long and Don’t PROSPER”

Tawdry Tales Depict a Texas Congressman’s Frat House on the Hill

The following article by Sheryl Gay Stolberg was posted on the New York Times website December 11, 2017:

Two former aides to Representative Blake Farenthold, Republican of Texas, described his office as freewheeling, yet also filled with fear. Credit: Aaron P. Bernstein/Reuters

WASHINGTON — When Lauren Greene, a former communications director for Representative Blake Farenthold, sued him claiming sexual harassment, among her complaints was that he “disclosed that a female lobbyist had propositioned him for ‘a threesome.’”

Mr. Farenthold, in legal documents, said that Ms. Greene had it wrong. The woman wasn’t a lobbyist, he said. Continue reading “Tawdry Tales Depict a Texas Congressman’s Frat House on the Hill”