Sam Knight - page 17

A key White House aide and former lawmaker that spearheaded fiscal gridlock under President Obama is reportedly at it again. Mick Mulvaney is asking GOP legislators to support a controversial immigration provision on a bill required to keep the government funded by the end of the month, according to Politico. The Office of Management and Budget Director is seeking legislative “language to restrict federal funding grants” for localities that refuse to assist immigration officials, the publication reported. Supporters of so-called “sanctuary cities” say the practice engenders… Keep Reading

The head of a major British bank had help from the US government in attempting to unmask the identity of a whistleblower. Barclays CEO Jes Staley tasked an information security team to find out the source of an anonymous letter critical of another senior executive. The team then reached out to federal officials for assistance, and received it. The hunt was ultimately “unsuccessful” and Staley subsequently took no further steps to ferret out the name of the author, according to an announcement published Monday by the… Keep Reading

Republicans voted to amend Senate procedural rules, effectively erasing the filibuster for Supreme Court nominees. All fifty-two Republican senators voted to invoke the so-called “nuclear option,” after Democrats managed to whip the 41 votes they needed to successfully obstruct the nomination of Neil Gorsuch. Now, only a simple majority is required to advance Supreme Court nominees through the Senate, starting with Gorsuch. President Trump’s Supreme Court pick is expected to be confirmed on Friday. The threshold for approval had previously been 60 votes—the amount of… Keep Reading

A conservative lawmaker who has repeatedly tried to hamstring the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is now claiming it hasn’t done enough to clampdown on banking abuses. Rep. Ann Wagner (R-Mo.) hit out at the agency’s director on Wednesday, accusing Richard Cordray and his staff of incompetence. She said the CFPB should have acted sooner, when Wells Fargo was signing up millions of customers for financial products without their consent. “The only conclusion there is to draw from the Wells Fargo scandal is that CFPB was asleep… Keep Reading

The filibuster could be gone–or at least significantly amended–by Friday, after Democrats gained the votes to hold up the nomination of Neil Gorsuch. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has threatened to hold a vote on amending the parliamentary rule—something that would require the support of all but one of his Republican colleagues. McConnell said on Sunday that Gorsuch will be confirmed to the Supreme Court “this week.” Fox News reported Monday that “senior Republican sources” are claiming “McConnell has the votes” to change Senate procedures.… Keep Reading

Senate Republicans needed to summon the Vice President to cast the tie-breaking vote on legislation crafted to starve Planned Parenthood of money. Mike Pence was the deciding factor Thursday, after two Republicans joined Democrats in rejecting the bill—another Congressional Review Act repeal of a late Obama administration rule. Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) did not vote with their Republican colleagues. The legislation passed 51-50. “It is unprecedented that we are here with the Vice President breaking a tie vote on an attack… Keep Reading

Democrats spent little time on Wednesday gloating about Republicans’ recent Obamacare repeal failure and instead blasted the Trump administration for planned cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services. One Democratic legislator after another teed off on Department Secretary Tom Price, in an appropriations subcommittee hearing. They accused him of planning to wreck Obamacare through executive inaction and austerity measures. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) said Price was carrying out a strategy articulated by Steve Bannon, the ex-Breitbart editor and White House aide. “I see… Keep Reading