Articles by Andy Sullivan

House Defeats Bill Funding Government; FEMA, Flood Insurance in Doubt

The House of Representatives unexpectedly defeated a bill that would fund the federal government [including the federal flood insurance program] past Sept. 30 Wednesday as dozens of Republicans broke with their party to push for deeper spending cuts. The unexpected …

Congress At Odds Over Disaster Aid Dollars

U.S. Republicans and Democrats in Congress moved to quickly approve disaster aid Monday but remained at odds over the amount of money needed to help victims of floods, tornadoes and hurricanes. With the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster-relief fund running …

With FEMA Running Low on Funds, Irene Revives Budget Battle

Washington’s never-ending budget battle threatened to snarl the recovery from Hurricane Irene as a top Republican said Monday that any federal aid will have to be offset by spending cuts elsewhere. “Yes there’s a federal role, yes we’re going to …

Lawmakers Agree on Historic Financial Industry Reforms

U.S. lawmakers hammered out a historic overhaul of financial regulations as dawn broke over the nation’s capital Friday, handing President Barack Obama a major domestic victory on the eve of a global summit devoted to financial reform. In a marathon …

Democrats Garner More Votes in U.S. Senate for Financial Reform Bill

Democrats fought to push their Wall Street reform forward in the U.S. Senate on Wednesday, slating more votes despite Republican resistance on a bill that is expected to pass within weeks. The chief negotiators for both parties agreed on Tuesday …

Senate Ends Stalemate Over Financial Reforms; Debate to Begin

A three-day U.S. Senate standoff over efforts to overhaul financial regulation ended on Wednesday as Republicans dropped efforts to block a Democratic bill in exchange for a handful of concessions. A deal to proceed came after Democrats threatened to keep …

Financial Reform Bill Stumbles in U.S. Senate

The most sweeping overhaul of U.S. banking rules since the Great Depression stumbled in the Senate Monday as Republicans united to prevent action on the bill. The vote gives Republicans leverage to extract more concessions from Democrats on a measure …

Financial Reform Hits First Hurdle in U.S. Senate

The most sweeping overhaul of U.S. financial regulation since the Great Depression appeared unlikely to clear its first hurdle in the U.S. Senate Monday as Republicans held out for a bipartisan deal. Even as Wall Street reeled from more revelations …

President Obama Signs Jobless Aid, Flood Insurance Extension

Congress Thursday voted to restore jobless benefits for hundreds of thousands of Americans who had lost them during a partisan standoff in the Senate over spending. [The bill also reauthorizes the federal flood insurance program until the end of May …

Bill Restoring Jobless Aid, Flood Insurance Clears Senate Hurdle

A measure that would restore lapsed jobless aid for hundreds of thousands of Americans and reauthorize the federal flood insurance program cleared a hurdle in the Senate Wednesday, clearing the way for passage later in the week. By a vote …