Video of the Day

President Trump Speaks at the National Museum of African American History and Culture

Today’s Hill Action
Senate Floor Schedule
Not in session
Committee Hearings
None
House Floor Schedule
No votes expected.
Committee Hearings
None
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ObamaCare fix hinges on Medicaid clash in Senate
The most divisive issue for Senate Republicans when it comes to repealing and replacing
­ObamaCare is what to do with Medicaid.

The Affordable Care Act gave states the option of accepting federal funds to expand
Medicaid, the healthcare program for the poor and disabled. Millions of people gained
health insurance after 31 states – including many with Republican governors – decided
to accept the deal.
Repealing ­­ObamaCare would end the Medicaid expansion, cutting federal funds to
all of those states.

Some Republicans want to save the expansion at least through a transition period
during which states would continue to get additional federal funds.
Others, including lawmakers from states that didn’t take the expansion, say all
of ­ObamaCare has to go, with no long, costly transition period for Medicaid.
Read More
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Trump Deportation Threats to Constrict Already-Tight Job Market
President Donald Trump’s sweeping crackdown on undocumented
immigrants will strain an already tight U.S. job market, with one study suggesting
that removing all of them would cost the economy as much as $5 trillion over 10
years.

That represents the contribution of the millions of unauthorized workers to the
world’s largest economy, about 3 percent of private-sector gross domestic product,
according to a recent paper issued by the National Bureau
of Economic Research. At an average of $500 billion in output a year, removing all
such immigrants would be like lopping off the equivalent of Massachusetts from the
U.S. economy, said study co-author Francesc Ortega.

“It’s a big number,” said Ortega, an economics professor at Queens College in New
York, who published the study in November with colleague Ryan Edwards. “Undocumented
workers are present across the whole economy, even if they are heavily concentrated
in sectors such as agriculture, construction and hospitality.”
Read more
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

3 Generals Bound by Iraq Will Guide Trump on Security
At one point or another, they each strode the sands of Iraq, fighting on the unforgiving
battlefield of America’s costliest war since Vietnam. Now all three will sit around
the table in the White House Situation Room, steering a new president through the
treacherous crosscurrents of a stormy world.

President Trump’s appointment of H. R. McMaster, an Army
lieutenant general, as his new national security adviser creates a powerful troika
of senior officers who served in Iraq, teaming him up with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and John F. Kelly,
the secretary of homeland security, both retired four-star Marine generals. This
administration is the first to have all three security jobs filled by senior military
veterans at the same time.

The ascension of the three generals to political jobs at the National Security Council reflects the rise of a generation of military leaders that came of age during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq that began after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Each officer saw up close what a losing war looked like and took
away lessons about how to avoid repeating fatal mistakes. Each got to where he is
today in part by bucking the military hierarchy.
Read more
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Until tomorrow,
Lobbyit.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~