Author: Stephen Ohlemacher
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It’s a done deal: Congress wraps up massive tax package
WASHINGTON — Congressional Republicans delivered an epic overhaul of U.S. tax laws to President Donald Trump on Wednesday, bringing generous tax cuts for corporations and the wealthiest Americans while providing smaller cuts for middle- and low-income families. In a re-vote due to a last-minute hiccup, the House passed the massive $1.5 trillion tax package that…
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Senate moves tax cut legislation to brink of final passage
WASHINGTON — Jubilant Republicans pushed on early Wednesday to the verge of the most sweeping rewrite of the nation’s tax laws in more than three decades, a deeply unpopular bill they insist Americans will learn to love when they see their paychecks in the new year. President Donald Trump cheered the lawmakers on, eager to…
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GOP says it’s got a deal on taxes; cuts coming for next year
WASHINGTON — Confident congressional Republicans forged an agreement Wednesday on a major overhaul of the nation’s tax laws that would provide generous tax cuts for corporations and the wealthiest Americans — Donald Trump among them — and deliver the first major legislative accomplishment to the GOP president. Middle- and low-income families would get smaller tax…
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Senate OKs tax bill as Trump, GOP near big legislative win
WASHINGTON — Republicans pushed a nearly $1.5 trillion tax bill through the Senate early Saturday after a burst of eleventh-hour horse trading, as a party starved all year for a major legislative triumph took a giant step toward giving President Donald Trump one of his top priorities by Christmas. “Big bills are rarely popular. You…
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Top Republican claims enough votes for Senate OK of tax bill
WASHINGTON — A Senate Republican leader claimed enough votes Friday to push the party’s $1.4 trillion tax bill through the chamber, apparently overcoming eleventh-hour hitches that had raised questions about whether the GOP’s push for its highest legislative priority might falter. “We’re confident in the 50 and we’d like to build on that,” No. 2…
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Social Security recipients will see 2 percent boost in 2018
WASHINGTON — Millions of Social Security recipients and other retirees will get a 2 percent increase in benefits next year, the largest increase since 2012, thought it comes to only $25 a month for the average beneficiary. The cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, affects benefits for more than 70 million U.S. residents, including Social Security recipients,…
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California Democrat launches bid to impeach Trump
WASHINGTON — A California Democrat has filed an article of impeachment against President Donald Trump in a longshot bid to remove the president from office. Rep. Brad Sherman filed the article Wednesday. In it, he accuses Trump of obstructing investigations into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, in part by firing former FBI Director…
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GOP bill would let churches endorse political candidates
WASHINGTON — Churches should have the right to endorse political candidates and still keep their tax-free status, say House Republicans targeting a law that prohibits such outright politicking from the pulpit. Republicans repeatedly have failed to scrap the law preventing churches and other nonprofits from backing candidates, so now they are trying to starve it.…
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Don’t call me Caitlyn: Baby name plunges in popularity
WASHINGTON — Don’t call me Caitlyn. A year after Caitlyn Jenner announced her new name and gender, the popularity of the name Caitlyn plummeted more than any other baby name, according to Social Security’s annual list of the most popular baby names. In fact, the four names that dropped the most were all variations of…
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Failure on health bill also hurts prospects for tax overhaul
WASHINGTON — House Republicans’ failure to repeal Barack Obama’s health care law deals a serious blow to another big part of President Donald Trump’s agenda: tax reform. Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., say they will soon turn their attention to the first major re-write of the tax code in more than 30 years.…