David Sherfinski
Articles by David Sherfinski
Susan Collins, Maine senator: Pence told me ‘boy, are you tough’ on Senate floor before vote
Sen. Susan Collins said Vice President Mike Pence called her "tough" on the Senate floor right before Friday's vote on repealing parts of Obamacare. Published July 30, 2017
Tom Price, health secretary: Waiving Obamacare’s individual mandate is on the table
Tom Price said Sunday that waiving Obamacare's individual mandate is on the table as President Trump and congressional Republicans look for a path forward on health care. Published July 30, 2017
Mick Mulvaney, White House budget director: ‘They need to pass something’ on health care
Mick Mulvaney said Sunday that the Senate should not move on before voting again on some sort of health care bill. Published July 30, 2017
House Republicans slam Senate after health care vote
Some House Republicans gathered on Capitol Hill Friday slammed the Senate for failing to pass its health care repeal bill earlier in the morning, saying they took care of business a few months ago and upper chamber colleagues didn't hold up their end of the bargain. Published July 28, 2017
Koch network to host tax reform discussion with Steve Mnuchin, Marc Short
Top Trump administration officials will be part of a panel discussion on tax reform hosted by the Koch political network on Monday, as lawmakers and the conservative grassroots gear up to spend August talking up the big-ticket agenda item. Published July 28, 2017
Tax negotiators drop border tax, pledge to deliver ‘historic’ reform
Congressional Republicans and administration officials on Thursday axed plans to include a controversial border tax as part of their effort to overhaul the code, looking to portray a unified front on the major agenda item as members get set to leave town for August recess. Published July 27, 2017
House lawmakers fume over $1.2 million in military gear given to fake police
Defense officials on Thursday tried to convince lawmakers they're getting things under control after government auditors recently managed to set up a fake agency and acquire $1.2 million worth of military equipment through a transfer program that's attracted controversy in recent years. Published July 27, 2017
J. Russell George, Treasury’s IG, says taxpayer authentication a ‘major concern’ for IRS
Properly authenticating taxpayer information is a "major concern" and presents the greatest risk currently facing the Internal Revenue Service, a top treasury department investigator said Wednesday. Published July 26, 2017
Steve Mnuchin urges action on debt limit, says funding good through September
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Wednesday said the United States has enough wiggle room to pay its bills through September, but again urged Congress to act on raising the debt ceiling before breaking for August recess. Published July 26, 2017
House votes to undo Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s arbitration rule
The U.S. House on Tuesday voted 231-190 to overturn a new rule that would make it easier for consumers to join class-action lawsuits, taking a step to put a check on the recent move from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Published July 25, 2017
IRS doled out more than $24 billion in potentially bogus refunds: audit
The IRS doled out more than $24 billion in potentially bogus refunds claimed under several controversial tax credits in 2016, according to a new audit that said $118 million was even paid to people who weren't authorized to work in the U.S. in the first place. Published July 24, 2017
Steve Scalise shooting shock fades; partisan rhetoric heats up
It's been a month since a lone gunman's attack on Republican lawmakers practicing baseball shocked the country and drew attention to Washington's poisonous political atmosphere, spurring promises to turn down the partisan rhetorical thermostat. Published July 13, 2017
Freedom Partners ramps up campaign against border tax
Freedom Partners, a pro-free market advocacy group affiliated with the industrialist Koch brothers, is launching a series of digital ads on Thursday intended to pressure members of the House Ways and Means Committee to drop a controversial tax on imports from the GOP's broader tax reform efforts. Published July 13, 2017
House committee votes to reopen door for horse slaughter facilities to operate in U.S.
The House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday voted down an amendment to keep an effective ban on horse slaughtering facilities in the U.S. -- the latest salvo in what's been a years-long battle in Congress over the issue. Published July 12, 2017
Janet Yellen to Congress: Expect more rate hikes in coming years
Janet Yellen, who chairs the Federal Reserve, on Wednesday told Congress that more hikes to a key benchmark interest rate are "likely appropriate" in the coming years to keep the economy moving. Published July 12, 2017
Mitch McConnell: Senate will delay start of August recess
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell abruptly canceled nearly half of the Senate's summer vacation Tuesday, saying he will force lawmakers to stick around the humid confines of Washington in order to give Congress more time to make progress on President Trump's agenda. Published July 11, 2017
Gun background check totals drop as market adjusts to Donald Trump
The number of federal gun background checks dropped in June after posting a modest uptick a month earlier, signaling the firearms market is still adjusting to the post-Obama world, which had brought record sales. Published July 10, 2017
Gun owners more likely to be politically active, says Pew Research Center
The majority of Americans favor stricter gun controls, but gun owners are much more likely to be politically active and to contact public officials about their beliefs, according to a new survey that goes a long way toward explaining the political power of Second Amendment advocates. Published July 2, 2017
‘Repeal, replace’ health care bill doesn’t have consensus among Senate GOP
Republican senators fled Washington on Thursday without a clear resolution on health care, leaving them to face voters back home after having failed to make their own self-imposed deadline for repealing Obamacare. Published June 29, 2017
Senate GOP health bill would reduce Medicaid spending by 35 percent over next 20 years: CBO
Under Senate Republicans' health care bill, Medicaid spending would drop by 35 percent over the next 20 years, according to projections from the Congressional Budget Office released Thursday. Published June 29, 2017
