Democrats’ Hopes High For Taking House, But Nothing Certain

By STEVE PEOPLES , Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The day of reckoning for American politics has nearly arrived. Voters on Tuesday will decide the $5 billion debate between President Donald Trump’s take-no-prisoner politics and the Democratic Party’s super-charged campaign to end the GOP’s hold on power in Washington and statehouses across the nation. There…

House Backs Temporary Spending Bill To Avert Shutdown

By ANDREW TAYLOR, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Republican-led House narrowly passed a temporary spending bill to avert a government shutdown Thursday, doing the bare minimum in a sprint toward the holidays and punting disputes on immigration, health care and national security to next year. The vote was 231-188 with Democrats criticizing Republicans’ inability to…

Lawmakers Hoping To Approve A Must-Pass Spending Bill

By ANDREW TAYLOR, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans early Thursday unveiled a new, stripped-down spending bill to prevent a government shutdown this weekend and allow quarreling lawmakers to punt most of their unfinished business into the new year. The bill would stave off a government shutdown through Jan. 19 and permit lawmakers to head…

House Passes Massive Tax Package; Senate To Vote Next

By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER and MARCY GORDON, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Gleeful Republicans on Tuesday muscled the most sweeping rewrite of the nation’s tax laws in more than three decades through the House. House Speaker Paul Ryan dismissed criticism of the widely unpopular package and insisted “results are what’s going to make this popular.” The vote,…

GOP Closer To Big Win With House Tax Vote; Senate Unclear

By ALAN FRAM and MARCY GORDON, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans have stretched closer to delivering the first big legislative victory for President Donald Trump and their party, whisking a $1.5 trillion overhaul of business and personal income taxes through the House. Thorny problems await in the Senate, though. The House passage of the bill…