Jeff Sessions: I have never lied to Congress (full opening statement)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Today’s Hill Action
Senate Floor Schedule
10:00am: Convene and proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the nomination of Steven Gill Bradbury, to be General Counsel of the Department of Transportation.

Committee Hearings
Finance
9:00am – SH-216

Energy and Natural Resources
9:30am – SD-366

Armed Services
10:00am – SD-G50

Environment and Public Works
Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety
10:00am – SD-406

Foreign Relations
10:00am – SD-419

Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
10:00am – SD-430

Commerce, Science, and Transportation
Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, Insurance, and Data Security
2:30pm – SR-253

Foreign Relations
Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy
2:30pm – SD-419

Intelligence
2:30pm – SH-219

House Floor Schedule
10:00am: House will meet for morning hour.
12:00pm: House will meet for legislative business.

Committee Hearings
Science, Space, and Technology
Subcommittee on Oversight
10:00am – 2318 Rayburn HOB

House Administration
10:00am – 1310 Longworth HOB

Energy and Commerce
Subcommittee on Environment
10:00am – 2123 Rayburn HOB

Oversight and Government Reform
Subcommittee on Intergovernmental Affairs
10:00am – 2154 Rayburn HOB

Judiciary
10:00am – 2141 Rayburn HOB

Financial Services
10:00am – 2128 Rayburn HOB

Homeland Security
Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security
10:00am – HVC-210 Capitol

Natural Resources
2:00pm – 1324 Longworth HOB

Rules
3:00pm – H-313 Capitol

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GOP tax bill could spur $25 billion in Medicare cuts: CBO

The GOP tax bill could trigger automatic cuts worth $136 billion from mandatory spending in 2018, including $25 billion in Medicare cuts, if Congress doesn’t find another way to offset its deficit increases, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).

The tax bill will add an estimated $1.5 trillion to the deficit over a decade. Congressional “pay-as-you-go” rules, called pay-go, require that the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) automatically cut mandatory spending if legislation increases the deficit beyond a certain point.

“Without enacting subsequent legislation to either offset that deficit increase, waive the recordation of the bill’s impact on the scorecard, or otherwise mitigate or eliminate the requirements of the [pay-go] law, OMB would be required to issue a sequestration order within 15 days of the end of the session of Congress to reduce spending in fiscal year 2018 by the resultant total of $136 billion,” CBO wrote on Tuesday.

Read More
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Senate GOP nearing decision on repeal of ObamaCare mandate

Republican senators appear to be nearing a decision over whether to include the repeal of ObamaCare’s individual mandate in tax-reform legislation.

GOP members of the Senate Finance Committee met Monday night to discuss the issue, Republican aides said. The full Senate Republican caucus will discuss the idea at its lunch meeting on Tuesday, and sources said a decision could be made as soon as Tuesday.

A Senate GOP aide said repeal of the mandate could be included in an updated tax-reform bill being released later Tuesday.

Read More
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Housing groups: GOP tax plan could hurt hurricane rebuilding efforts

Housing groups in Texas and Florida are warning that the House GOP tax bill could hurt post-hurricane rebuilding efforts in the U.S., because the measure eliminates a critical infrastructure financing tool.

In a letter to House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) on Monday, the organizations raised concern over a provision that would eliminate the deduction on tax-exempt private activity bonds (PABs), which are issued for private projects and have been used to finance a wide range of infrastructure projects around the country.

“This bill, as currently written, would make it significantly more difficult to repair and rebuild affordable housing in areas affected by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma,” the Florida Housing Coalition and the Texas Affiliation of Affordable Housing Providers wrote. “We strongly urge you to not hold a vote on the bill until this issue is fully addressed.”

Read More
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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

Lobbyit.com | 430 New Jersey Avenue, SE | Washington, DC 20003 | Phone: 202.587.2736
| Fax: 202.747.2727
info@lobbyit.com | lobbyit.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Copyright (C) 2011. All Rights Reserved.