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House Republicans are again trying to use an agriculture spending bill to undermine regulation of financial speculators. The agriculture appropriations bill passed out of committee this year would relax Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) oversight of so-called “swap dealers.” Currently, firms and individuals that trade $8 billion annually in swaps are officially considered dealers by the CFTC. The designation requires them to comply with additional rules, including “disclosure, recordkeeping and documentation requirements,” as Tim Massad, the commission’s chair, noted in February. The threshold is set…

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Republicans criticized a Department of Labor regulation that will force employers to disclose ties to outside union-busting advisers. Rep. Phil Roe (R-Tenn.), the Chairman of a House labor subcommittee, convened a hearing Tuesday, calling for the elimination of the so-called “Persuader Rule.” The measure took effect this week, seeking to shed light on the opaque anti-union consulting industry. “I think this needs to be stopped now and it should be bipartisan,” Rep. Roe said during the proceedings, claiming that the new regulation stifles employer free speech and…

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Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton won four out of five primary contests on Tuesday night, effectively closing the narrow pathway that Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) still had open in his bid to win the Democratic nomination. With nearly all the votes counted, Clinton picked up resounding victories in the delegate-heavy states of Maryland and Pennsylvania, winning by 30 points and 12 points respectively. She also won Delaware by 20 points, and picked up a smaller win in Connecticut by 5 points, netting roughly 60…

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Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) defeated colleague Rep. Donna Edwards (D-Md.) Tuesday in what was one of the nastier senate primaries thus far this election year. Van Hollen bested Edwards 53-39 for a chance to win the seat of retiring Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.). He had the support of many Democrats, demonstrated earlier this month by criticism from lawmakers and the White House in response to a pro-Edwards ad. Edwards had also been attacked by Van Hollen supporters as unqualified and insensitive to the needs…

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A critical aid package for Flint, Mich. and other communities affected by water contamination will be considered by the senate as part of a broader water policy bill, according to news trickling out of Capitol Hill on Tuesday. The $220 million measure would authorize $100 million to cities declared emergency areas due to drinking water problems. Rejected last week in the energy policy bill passed by the senate, it was attached to the Water Resources Development Act—an infrastructure funding bill sponsored by Environment and Public Works Committee leaders, Sens.…

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The cost of air travel finally fell last year, after the mid-2014 plunge in energy prices intensified scrutiny on airline industry business practices. The average airfare fell in 2015 by 8.3 percent to $363, according to Department of Transportation (DOT) data released Tuesday. The last time prices fell in a comparable manner was in 2009, after the global financial crisis lowered both consumer demand and wholesale energy costs. As early as December 2014, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) called on the Department of Justice and DOT to investigate…

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The Obama administration is seeking to fulfill a remaining obligation under the Dodd-Frank Act by proposing rules on risky Wall Street compensation packages. Multiple agencies are set to act in concert to force the largest financial institutions to defer executive bonuses for four years. They will also propose mandating a seven-year window in which “clawbacks” can occur at all banks with over $1 billion in assets. The Wall Street Journal reported the development on Thursday, noting that three year deferrals are “the common industry practice.” If…

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