Latest Politics Headlines

All the headlines from our Politics Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Trump Administration Seeks $29B in Hurricane Disaster Relief Funds

Oct 5 2017 // The Trump administration on Wednesday asked U.S. lawmakers to approve $29 billion in disaster relief funds to assist victims of recent hurricanes that hit Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico.The aid request includes $12.8...

U.S. Senate Panel Gives Green Light to Bill to Speed Use of Self-Driving Cars

Oct 5 2017 // A U.S. Senate panel on Wednesday unanimously gave the green light to a bill aimed at speeding the use of self-driving cars without human controls, a measure that also bars states from imposing regulatory road blocks.The...

Senate Democrats Delete House-Backed Private Flood Insurance Policy Measure

Sep 29 2017 // Not long after the House passed legislation that included a provision to allow private flood insurance policies to satisfy flood coverage requirements, the Senate sidetracked the flood policy measure.The flood insurance...

Trump Administration Argues U.S. Civil Rights Law Does Not Protect Gay Employees

Sep 27 2017 // The U.S. law that has protected workers from gender and racial bias for more than half a century should not be extended to cover gay and lesbian employees because that isn’t what Congress envisioned when it passed...

Senate GOP Gives Up on Latest Bid to Replace Obamacare

Sep 26 2017 // Senate Republicans gave up on their last-ditch bid to repeal Obamacare Tuesday as opposition in their own ranks ended months of fruitless efforts to deliver on a seven-year promise, and leaders said they would turn instead...

S&P Says Latest Republican Health Plan’s Flexibility for States Comes at Cost to Economy

Sep 26 2017 // A report by Standard & Poor’s Global Ratings said on Monday that the Senate Republicans’ latest proposed healthcare bill designed to replace Obamacare would lead to less federal funding and more flexibility...

Third ‘No’ Appears to Kill Latest Senate GOP Bid to Repeal Obamacare

Sep 25 2017 // Senator Susan Collins punctured any remaining GOP hopes of repealing Obamacare anytime soon, dealing a fatal blow by rejecting a last-gasp Republican health care bill.The Maine Republican became the third GOP senator to...

Senate GOP Appears Short of Votes to Pass Graham-Cassidy Health Care Bill

Sep 25 2017 // Senators sponsoring a last-ditch Obamacare repeal bill raced to save it from near-certain death Sunday, circulating a new version aimed at winning over several GOP holdouts.Some of the changes, which come as Republicans...

Despite Indefensible Process, Senate Should Pass Graham-Cassidy Health Care Bill: Viewpoint

Sep 25 2017 // Before Obamacare, state governments were the chief regulators of health insurance. Obamacare put the federal government in that role. The latest Republican health-care bill, sponsored by Senators Lindsey Graham, Bill...

Insurers Oppose Latest Republican Obamacare Repeal Effort

Sep 21 2017 // Insurance-industry groups said Wednesday that they oppose a Republican proposal to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, joining health-care providers in asking Senators to reject the bill.America’s Health...

Trump Administration Now Open to Remaining in Paris Climate Accord Under Certain Conditions

Sep 18 2017 // The United States could remain in the Paris climate accord under the right conditions, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Sunday.President Donald Trump was willing to work with partners in the Paris agreement if the...

Texas GOP Leaders Push for Expensive, Long-Delayed Flood Infrastructure Projects

Sep 12 2017 // In the wake of Hurricane Harvey, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is calling for the construction of flood control infrastructure in the Houston area — things he said should have been built “decades and decades...

Trump Administration Revises Obama Self-Driving Vehicle Policy

Sep 12 2017 // The Trump administration will alter the course set by the Obama administration on autonomous vehicle policy after industry raised concerns about elements of that initial proposal.The revised guidance — to be unveiled...

Michigan Senate Leader: Any Mandated Car Insurance Rate Cut Is ‘Dead’

Sep 8 2017 // Any proposal to automatically cut premiums for Michigan drivers would be “dead” on arrival in the Republican-led Senate, Majority Leader Arlan Meekhof said, bringing into question lawmakers’ long-sought...

GOP Facing Resistance to State Bills Shielding Drivers Who Hit Protesters

Aug 18 2017 // Republican lawmakers in six states have pushed this year for legal protections for motorists who hit protesters blocking traffic. Fairly or not, they’re facing an intense backlash now that violent images of a car...

Trump Administration Drops Rule to Address Truck Driver, Train Engineer Fatigue

Aug 7 2017 // The Trump administration is halting a year-old effort to seek better ways to diagnose truckers and railroad workers who have sleep apnea, a health condition linked to deadly accidents.Two agencies in the Department of...

Democrats Want to Question Wells Fargo on Auto Insurance Sales

Aug 3 2017 // Democratic lawmakers pushed on Tuesday for another chance to question Wells Fargo & Co.’s leadership about sales practices after the scandal-hit bank said it forced auto insurance on borrowers who did not need...

Court Allows Democratic AGs to Defend Obamacare Subsidies for Low-Income Insureds

Aug 2 2017 // A U.S. appeals court on Tuesday allowed Democratic state attorneys general to defend subsidy payments to insurance companies that are a critical part of the Obamacare healthcare law.The U.S. Court of Appeals for the...

Texas Senate OKs Bill That Preempts Local Texting While Driving Rules

Jul 28 2017 // The Texas Senate has approved a beefed-up texting while driving ban that preempts existing local ordinances against distracted driving in 45 cities statewide.In May, the Republican-controlled Legislature made Texas one of...

Senate Republicans Fail in Bid to Repeal Obamacare

Jul 28 2017 // A months-long effort by Senate Republicans to pass health legislation collapsed early Friday after GOP Senator John McCain joined two of his colleagues to block a stripped-down Obamacare repeal bill.“I regret that...