The Federal Pell Grant Program provides billions of dollars in financial aid to college students in need of assistance, but these grants — and other aid — could disappear or be made worthless if proposals by Congress and the Trump administration are enacted. [More]
senate
Monopoly Guy’s Presence Dramatically Improves Senate Hearing
By 10.4.17
If you were probably watching this morning’s Senate hearing on the Equifax hack, you may have seen something out of the corner of your eye and asked, “Did I just see Rich Uncle Pennybags from Monopoly sitting behind the Equifax CEO?” Yes, yes you did. [More]
Everyone Hates Newest Obamacare Repeal Bill; Senate Plans Vote Next Week Anyway
By 9.21.17
After a politically chaotic summer where their first attempt met a dramatic late-night demise, Republican members of the Senate are mounting one last effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Basically every major stakeholder in the country has announced its opposition to the new bill, but the Senate is racing to squeeze in a vote before a hard deadline at the end of the month just the same. [More]
Senate Plans Meaningless Hearing On Obamacare Repeal Bill
By 9.19.17
One of the reasons that the effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act met a dramatic late-night demise in July was the criticism that GOP lawmakers held no actual hearings on this matter that could directly impact many millions of Americans. As Republican senators look to make one last try at repeal before their clock runs out, legislators are finally holding their first, but ultimately pointless, public hearing on healthcare. [More]
Sen. Elizabeth Warren Introduces Bill That Would Make Credit Freezes Free
By 9.15.17
In the wake of the the massive Equifax customer data breach, many consumers are wondering: Why, exactly, should we be paying the credit bureaus for credit freezes or monitoring when it was one of them that just lost all our personal data? Two U.S. Senators are wondering that, too, and have now introduced a bill to fix it. [More]
Is Obamacare “Skinny Repeal” Actually The Senate’s Plan, Or A Way To Bring Back The House Version Instead?
By 7.27.17 — Updated: 7.28.17
UPDATE: We now know exactly what was in the “skinny” repeal bill, but any theorizing about lawmakers’ ulterior motives or hidden agendas is now moot, after Senate Republicans failed to get majority support for the legislation. [More]
Senate Votes To Move Forward With Debate On Obamacare Repeal Bill; What Happens Now?
By 7.25.17
The Senate narrowly voted today to move forward with its still-vague plan to repeal and possibly replace the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). The vote itself was a nail-biter — but the high drama is only just beginning, as the Senate now has to hammer out the details of what, exactly, it is proposing to replace the ACA with. [More]
Two GOP Senators Come Out Against Obamacare Repeal, Possibly Dooming Bill
By 7.17.17
UPDATE: Two Republican senators have added their names to the list of GOP lawmakers opposing the latest version of the bill to repeal and replace much of the Affordable Care Act. That means the bill will fall short of the 50 votes needed to pass. [More]
What’s Changed In The New Senate Obamacare Replacement Bill, And What Happens Next?
By 7.13.17
After much ado and weeks of waiting, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell today unveiled an updated draft of the Senate’s plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA). [More]
3 Things We Know About The Senate’s Obamacare Repeal Bill
By 6.12.17 — Updated: 6.13.17
The Senate — or at least, 13 Republican senators — are currently plugging away at their version of legislation to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. Hill-watchers say the goal is to have a vote within the next two weeks, but no drafts of the bill have circulated, no hearings have been held, and all talks are closed-door — so what do we know about the bill? [More]
Senators Officially Introduce Resolution To Reverse ISP Privacy Rule
By 3.8.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
Back in October, the Federal Communications Commission adopted a rule limiting what ISPs can or can’t do with your personal data. As expected, lawmakers are now attempting to overturn this new rule through use of the Congressional Review Act. [More]
Senators Question Comcast, Charter About “Broadcast TV” & “Regional Sports” Fees
By 1.5.17
The 115th Congress only just came into town and got properly sworn in and down to business on Tuesday, but returning members aren’t wasting any time picking their favorite projects back up. And so, only a few days into the new year, a pair of senators are turning on Charter and Comcast to ask what, exactly, those two think they’re doing with their pricing schemes. [More]
AT&T CEO: Letting Us Buy Time Warner Will “Disrupt” TV, Be “Good For Consumers”
By 12.7.16
When AT&T announced in October that it would spend $85 billion to acquire Time Warner, the plan was met with strong headwinds right out of the gate. A surprisingly broad array of lawmakers, from both sides of the political aisle, immediately voiced concerns. Among the concerned parties? The Senate Judiciary Committee, which today held a hearing examining the impact on competition, and potential antitrust concerns, the merger could raise. [More]
Senators Make Last-Ditch Attempt To Block Expanded Government Hacking Authority
By 11.30.16
There’s a change coming that could arguably make it a lot easier for feds to snoop through your digital stuff, even if you’ve done nothing but been the victim of some malware. If Congress doesn’t act to stop it, that change to Rule 41 becomes effective basically at midnight tonight. So a handful of Senators who want to block it are all but begging their colleagues to act now. [More]
Mylan Execs Decline To Testify At Senate EpiPen Hearing On $465M Settlement
By 11.21.16
Mylan CEO Heather Bresch has already made one trip to Capitol Hill to answer questions regarding the skyrocketing price of the emergency epinephrine injectors, but it looks like the company won’t be making a repeat outing to talk with lawmakers. [More]
Senator Holds Up Intelligence Authorization Bill Over FBI Digital Surveillance Provisions
By 6.28.16
Two kinds of bills run the world, or at least the American slice of it: appropriations acts, which give agencies their budgets, and authorization acts, which tell them how to use them and what they are allowed to do. The bill that authorizes all of the United States’ intelligence activities has been making its way through Congress all year, but now has hit a major roadblock in the Senate, as one Senator has taken a stand against some of its surveillance provisions. [More]
Tesla Can Continue Selling Cars Straight To Consumers In Indiana For At Least A Year
By 2.26.16
Electric car-seeking Indiana residents can still buy their new Tesla without having to go out of state, at least for the time being. State senators have tabled a bill that would have banned the carmaker from selling vehicles under its current, often controversial, straight-to-consumer business model. [More]
U.S. Postal Service Looking For More ‘Experimental’ Delivery Ideas, Cost Savings
By 1.22.16
The U.S. Postal Service has adapted to a future where we send and receive fewer first-class letters, but need many more packages delivered to our doorsteps. In testimony to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs this week, Postmaster General Megan Brennan told the assembled senators that the postal service is still looking for new things to deliver to make more money, but hopes that the Senate can pass legislation meant to make it less broke. [More]
