David Sherfinski
Articles by David Sherfinski
House narrowly clears procedural hurdle on $1.3 trillion spending bill
The House narrowly cleared an initial procedural hurdle on the $1.3 trillion spending bill Thursday, as lawmakers race against an end-of-Friday deadline to stave off a potential third partial government shutdown of 2018. Published March 22, 2018
Trump’s immigration initiatives ignored in $1.3 trillion spending bill
Congressional leaders on Wednesday reached agreement on a $1.3 trillion plan to fund the government for the rest of the fiscal year, pouring new money into gun background checks and anti-opioid efforts but limiting President Trump's calls for investment in stiffer immigration enforcement. Published March 21, 2018
Paul Ryan uses defense spending increase in spending bill to appease conservatives
Conservative Republicans rebelled Tuesday against a $1.3 trillion spending bill, saying their party's leaders not only accepted budget-busting funding increases but appear to be caving on all the important policy issues they'd hoped to attach to the massive legislation. Published March 20, 2018
Spending bill: Republicans rush to beat shutdown
Congressional Republicans were rushing to put finishing touches on a $1.3 trillion bill Monday to fund the government for the rest of fiscal year 2018, retreating on most conservative demands in order to earn help from Democrats in passing the bill by a shutdown deadline Friday. Published March 19, 2018
Nashville man charged with lying to buy semi-automatic rifle from Walmart
A Nashville, Tennessee, man has been charged with making false statements to obtain a firearm. Published March 19, 2018
Gun debate takes center stage in midterm political ads
The gun debate increasingly is dominating the political ad wars, with the rate of commercials featuring the issue running twice as high as that of the last national election — and Second Amendment supporters remain firmly in control. Published March 18, 2018
Louise Slaughter, Democratic congresswoman from upstate New York, dies
Rep. Louise Slaughter, the first woman to chair the powerful House Rules Committee and one of the longest-serving members of Congress, died early Friday at the age of 88, according to her office. Published March 16, 2018
Firearm offense convictions declined under Obama: Report
President Obama oversaw a steady decline in the number of convictions for firearm offenses that carried mandatory minimum sentences, according to a report released Thursday that underscores the low priority the last administration gave to pursuing gun crimes. Published March 15, 2018
House OKs Stop School Violence Act; FBI’s David Bowdich testifies on Nikolas Cruz failures to Senate
The House approved $50 million in annual federal funding Wednesday to help schools assess their safety risks in the wake of last month's school shooting in Parkland, Florida, as Congress took its first modest steps into the roiling gun debate. Published March 14, 2018
House passes school safety bill one month after Parkland shooting
The House on Wednesday easily passed a bill that would incentivize schools to develop threat assessment and safety plans, taking its first concrete steps to respond to last month's school shooting in Parkland, Fla. on the one-month anniversary of the massacre. Published March 14, 2018
FBI says it should have done more in run-up to Parkland shooting
The acting deputy director of the FBI said Wednesday that the bureau should have done more in the run-up to the Parkland school shooting last month that claimed the lives of 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in Florida. Published March 14, 2018
Senators push school safety bill ahead of expected House vote
The House will take the first concrete steps Wednesday to respond to last month's Florida school shooting, voting on a bill to cajole local school systems into formulating risk assessments and safety plans. Published March 13, 2018
New York-New Jersey tunnel funding setting stage for shutdown showdown
Lawmakers insist they'll finish writing an omnibus spending bill by a March 23 deadline, but funding for a key New York-New Jersey tunnel project -- along with other perpetual hot-button issues -- is setting the stage for another potential shutdown showdown. Published March 12, 2018
Congress to study why it struggles to pass spending bills on time
As part of February's deal to end the government shutdown, Congress promised itself it would study the budget process to figure out why it's so bad at simple things like passing spending bills on time and keeping the government open. Published March 11, 2018
States pass gun laws while Congress does little
Some states have rushed to enact stricter gun laws in the wake of the Parkland, Florida, school massacre, but Congress is still in pre-debate mode, with plenty of proposals attracting bipartisan support but no firm commitments from Republican leaders to bring any major gun bills to the floor. Published March 8, 2018
Senators push legislation on ‘extreme risk’ protection orders blocking gun possession
Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Lindsey Graham announced legislation Thursday that would create a new federal court process for people to flag potentially dangerous individuals and keep them from getting guns. Published March 8, 2018
Charles Schumer pay for $1 trillion in infrastructure by rolling back GOP tax cuts
Senate Democrats on Wednesday offered their own $1 trillion infrastructure plan that aims to address the nation's crumbling roads and bridges, saying it should be paid for by rolling back several key features of the GOP's $1.5 trillion tax-cut law. Published March 7, 2018
Republicans skeptical of Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs on steel, aluminum
President Trump said Tuesday that the U.S. had nothing to lose in a trade war, dismissing mounting opposition to planned tariffs from dismayed foreign leaders and skeptical Republicans on Capitol Hill. Published March 6, 2018
Mitch McConnell urges ‘caution’ on Trump’s tariff proposal
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday that he and his GOP colleagues are concerned that President Trump's plan to impose new tariffs on steel and aluminum imports could escalate into a damaging trade war right as the U.S. economy is showing signs of life. Published March 6, 2018
Steven Mnuchin: Canada, Mexico could be excluded from steel and aluminum tariffs
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Tuesday said Canada and Mexico could be exempted from new tariffs on steel and aluminum imports into the U.S., subject to a renegotiated North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Published March 6, 2018
