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McConnell falls while at U.S. Capitol but is reported to be ‘fine’
WASHINGTON 鈥 U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday tripped and fell after a GOP lunch, sprained his wrist and sustained a small cut on his face, his office said in a statement. The Kentucky Republican is doing fine, and after receiving medical attention, 鈥渉as been cleared to resume his schedule,鈥 his office said […]
No expansion of military IVF coverage included in final defense policy bill
WASHINGTON 鈥 Congress will not expand access to in vitro fertilization for active duty military members and their families in this year鈥檚 National Defense Authorization Act, the annual bill that sets policy for the Pentagon. The House-Senate compromise released this weekend follows months of debate between the two chambers over whether to broaden TRICARE鈥檚 coverage […]
USDA launches national testing of milk from dairy farms to track bird flu outbreak
WASHINGTON 鈥 The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Friday it will require dairy farms to share samples of unpasteurized milk when requested, in an effort to gather more information about the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza. Public health officials have tracked the spread of bird flu or H5N1 in domestic poultry flocks for years […]
Will Trump and Republicans quash the FBI headquarters move to Maryland?
WASHINGTON 鈥 The decade-long endeavor to move the Federal Bureau of Investigation out of its crumbling headquarters in downtown Washington, D.C., and into a new facility outside the city could face roadblocks next year. President-elect Donald Trump and some of his top allies in Congress have rebuked the federal agency that undertook the search for […]
Republicans will control Congress. But a slim House majority may trim their ambitions.
WASHINGTON 鈥 Senate Republicans huddled behind closed doors Tuesday to plot the path forward for the unified control of government they won in the November elections, though GOP senators said afterward a very narrow House majority will likely determine how sweeping their policy proposals will be. Republicans are planning to use the complicated budget reconciliation […]
U.S. Senate Dem leader calls for traditional process for confirming Trump nominees
WASHINGTON 鈥 Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer sent a letter to incoming Republican Leader John Thune on Monday urging him to move nominees through the traditional confirmation process, including committee hearings and floor votes. The letter is likely a response to President-elect Donald Trump urging Senate Republicans to recess the chamber for at least 10 […]
Anti-lockdown researcher Trump鈥檚 pick to lead National Institutes of Health
WASHINGTON 鈥 President-elect Donald Trump said Tuesday he has selected a Stanford University professor of health policy and skeptic of COVID-19 precautions to run the National Institutes of Health, the sweeping federal agency tasked with solving many of the country鈥檚 biggest health challenges. Dr. Jay Bhattacharya will require Senate confirmation before taking over the role […]
New Trump budget chief wrote Project 2025’s agenda for empowering the presidency
WASHINGTON 鈥 Incoming White House budget director Russ Vought has spent much of his career learning the detailed, often convoluted mechanisms that make up the Office of Management and Budget. The agency, little known outside Washington, D.C., is relatively small compared to the rest of the federal government, but it acts like a nucleus for […]
Biden administration unveils plan to cover weight loss meds under Medicare, Medicaid
WASHINGTON 鈥 The Biden administration announced Tuesday it鈥檚 reinterpreting federal law to allow Medicare and Medicaid patients access to anti-obesity medications to reduce their weight over the long term. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid鈥檚 proposed rule, which the Trump administration would need to finalize before it would take effect, is expected to cost $25 […]
Iowa senator pitches Elon Musk on $1 trillion in federal spending cuts
WASHINGTON 鈥 Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst began proposing ways to cut government spending to the Trump team this weekend, but she鈥檒l need to convince her colleagues in Congress if her ideas are going to have any chance of taking effect 鈥 like ending the manufacture of pennies and nickels and curbing overpayments for Pentagon […]
Trump taps Project 2025 co-author to lead White House budget office
WASHINGTON 鈥 President-elect Donald Trump on Friday invited Russell Vought to once again run the White House budget office, though it wasn鈥檛 entirely clear how the role will mesh with the government staffing and funding cuts envisioned by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. 鈥淩uss knows exactly how to dismantle the Deep State and end Weaponized […]
Trump unveils his lineup for FDA, CDC and surgeon general
WASHINGTON 鈥 President-elect Donald Trump announced his choices to lead two of the country鈥檚 top public health agencies late Friday, as well as his pick for surgeon general. Former Florida Congressman Dave Weldon will be tapped to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Marty Makary will be nominated for commissioner of the […]