Latest Politics Headlines
All the headlines from our Politics Topic Page, ordered by recency.
House Sends $50.5 Billion Sandy Disaster Aid Bill to Senate
Jan 15 2013 // The House of Representatives on Tuesday approved $50.5 billion in long-delayed federal disaster aid to victims of Superstorm Sandy, but not before Republicans flexed their budget-cutting muscle to strike some spending...
Obama Administration Urges Congress to Pass Farm, Crop Insurance Bill
Jan 15 2013 // Congress should reform U.S. farm subsidies, and end a $5 billion a year “direct payment,” as part of delivering an overdue overhaul of the farm program this year, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said on...
House, Senate OK $9.7B More for Flood Insurance Claims
Jan 4 2013 // The House of Representatives voted today 354-67 to increase the borrowing authority of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) by $9.7 billion. The Senate, which already approved a similar increase but as part of a...
House Republicans Look to Split $60B Sandy Aid Bill in Half
Jan 1 2013 // The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to split a $60.4 billion Superstorm Sandy disaster aid bill into two parts, staging votes on $27 billion to fund immediate recovery needs and $33 billion for long-term and...
Senate Passes Sandy Disaster Aid, Flood Insurance Increase
Dec 31 2012 // The Senate on Friday approved a $60.4 billion supplemental package to provide additional aid for northeast states hit by Superstorm Sandy that includes an increase in the borrowing authority of the federal flood insurance...
Missouri Republicans to Tackle Workers’ Compensation
Dec 28 2012 // Nearly two dozen years after Monroe Gunter retired from a long career at a Missouri power company, he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer often caused by exposure to asbestos. Gunter sued his former employer, claiming...
Senate Republicans Move to Cut Sandy Aid to $24 Billion
Dec 20 2012 // U.S. Senate Republicans sought to slash a $60.4 billion aid bill to cover reconstruction after Superstorm Sandy, proposing on Wednesday to fund only $23.8 billion in immediate disaster relief while assessing longer-term...
Senate Begins Debating $60 Billion Sandy Relief Bill
Dec 19 2012 // The U.S. Senate on Monday began debating a $60.4 billion aid bill to rebuild communities devastated by Superstorm Sandy amid criticism by conservative groups who said the measure was loaded with wasteful, non-disaster...
Senate Deals Blow to Bank Deposit Insurance
Dec 14 2012 // Efforts by small banks to protect a financial crisis-era deposit insurance program suffered a significant setback on Thursday when a bill to extend the program failed to survive a procedural vote in the U.S. Senate. The...
Senate Debates Renewal of Federal Deposit Insurance But House May Balk
Dec 11 2012 // The U.S. Senate voted on Tuesday to begin debating a bill that would keep a financial crisis-era deposit insurance program in place for two more years, but it will likely face strong opposition from the...
Florida’s Ex-Republican Governor Crist Eyes Return as Democrat
Dec 10 2012 // Former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, who was elected the state’s chief executive as a Republican and then ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate as an independent, has announced that he’s switching to the...
Time Running Out for Senate on Farm, Crop Insurance Bill
Dec 7 2012 // With a week left to act, agricultural leaders in Congress are still deadlocked on two major issues for a new U.S. farm bill, cuts in crop subsidies and reductions in food stamps, said two of the four key negotiators on...
US Senate OK’s Russia Trade w/ Human Rights Bill; Angry Russian Reaction
Dec 7 2012 // The U.S. Senate on Thursday approved legislation to punish Russian human rights violators as part of a broader bill to expand U.S. trade with Washington’s former Cold War enemy. Passage of the bill, by a 92-4 vote,...
Ohio Senate Panel Advances Asbestos Lawsuit Bill
Dec 6 2012 // An Ohio Senate committee advanced a bill on Dec. 4 aimed at curbing duplicate lawsuits over on-the-job asbestos exposure in a state with one of the largest backlogs of such cases in the nation. The bill cleared the...
GOP Support Helps Move Illinois Immigrant Driver’s License Bill
Dec 6 2012 // A plan that would allow illegal immigrants in Illinois to get driver’s licenses cleared another hurdle on Dec. 4, with the state Senate approving the measure hours after Republican leaders in the General Assembly...
Top Illinois Republicans Back Immigrants’ Drivers’ Licenses
Dec 5 2012 // Top Illinois Republicans have announced their support for providing driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants. House Minority Leader Tom Cross of Oswego and Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno joined former GOP...
Illinois Senate Panel OKs Drivers Licenses for Illegal Immigrants
Dec 2 2012 // Supporters of licensing illegal immigrants to drive say it would make Illinois roads safer with trained motorists required to carry insurance. The Senate Executive Committee voted 12-2 to advance the plan for some of the...
Congressional Leaders Push to Pass Farm, Crop Insurance Bill
Nov 30 2012 // With time running out, agricultural leaders in Congress vowed on Thursday to do everything they can to pass a farm bill that cuts spending by at least $23 billion – savings that could assure support by lawmakers...
Senate Preparing New Iran Sanctions, Expanded Insurance Ban
Nov 28 2012 // New sanctions aimed at reducing global trade with Iran in the energy, shipping and metals sectors may soon be considered by the U.S. Senate as part of an annual defense policy bill, senators and aides said on Tuesday. The...
Five Republican Governors Reject State-Run Health Exchanges
Nov 19 2012 // Five Republican governors rejected on Friday a major provision of President Barack Obama’s healthcare reform law that calls on states to set up online health insurance markets where consumers can purchase private...
