Author: Alan Fram
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GOP senators reject Trump’s blaming Congress for Russia rift
WASHINGTON — Republican senators said Thursday that President Donald Trump was wrong to blame Congress for deteriorating relations with Russia. Lawmakers instead faulted Russia for allegedly meddling in last year’s U.S. elections and for its interventions in other countries. “I was shocked by that,” conservative Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., said of Trump’s claim. “Because relations…
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McConnell puts up a ‘skinny repeal’ bill targeting Obamacare
WASHINGTON — Buoyed by a signal from House Speaker Paul Ryan, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell introduced a pared-down health care bill late Thursday that he hoped would keep alive Republican ambitions to repeal “Obamacare.” Votes on the measure were expected deep into the night. McConnell, R-Ky., is calling his bill the Health Care Freedom…
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Trump blasts Congress over failure of GOP health care bill
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump blasted congressional Democrats and “a few Republicans” Tuesday over the failure of the GOP effort to rewrite the Obama health care law, and warned, “we will return.” Trump’s early morning tweet unleashed a barrage of criticism at Congress over the collapse of the GOP’s flagship legislative priority. For seven years,…
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2 more GOP senators oppose health bill, killing it for now
WASHINGTON — The latest GOP effort to repeal and replace “Obamacare” was fatally wounded in the Senate Monday night when two more Republican senators announced their opposition to the legislation strongly backed by President Donald Trump. The announcements from Sens. Mike Lee of Utah and Jerry Moran of Kansas left the Republican Party’s long-promised efforts…
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New McConnell health bill contains plan sought by Sen. Cruz
WASHINGTON — In a high-stakes bid for conservative support, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has agreed to demands from Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas to allow insurers to sell low-cost, skimpier plans as part of a new but still-reeling health care bill he was releasing Thursday, GOP aides said. However, including that provision seems likely to…
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New GOP health bill likely keeping Obama tax boosts on rich
WASHINGTON — A revised Senate Republican health care bill will likely retain a pair of tax boosts President Barack Obama imposed on wealthier Americans that have helped finance his law’s expansion of coverage, a leading Senate Republican said Tuesday. The two levies — one on investment income and another on the payroll tax that helps…
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Congress returns to battles over health care, budget
WASHINGTON — Congress is still trying to send President Donald Trump his first unqualified legislative triumph, nearly six months after Republicans grabbed full control of Washington. Now, lawmakers are returning from their July 4 recess with an added objective — averting some full-blown political disasters. The GOP campaign to repeal Democrat Barack Obama’s health care…
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Trump jumps into health debate – repeal now, replace later
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has barged into Senate Republicans’ delicate health care negotiations with a suggestion bound to muddle things: If you can’t cut a deal on repealing the Obama-era law, then repeal it right away and then replace it later. Trump is trying to revive an approach that GOP leaders and the president…
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GOP may keep some Obama tax increases to save health bill
WASHINGTON — Senate Republican leaders considered keeping one of former President Barack Obama’s big tax increases on wealthier Americans and using the money to fatten proposed subsidies for the poor in a bid Thursday to placate moderate GOP lawmakers and salvage their struggling health care bill. With a core priority tottering, top Republicans also assessed…
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GOP leaders add penalty for lapsed coverage to health bill
WASHINGTON — Republican leaders added a penalty for people who’ve let their insurance lapse Monday as party leaders prepared to begin pushing their health care measure through the Senate, despite a rebellion within GOP ranks. Under the new provision, people who’ve had at least a 63-day gap in coverage during the past year and then…