Grassley Frustrates Democrats by Blocking HHS Nomination

Grassley Frustrates Democrats by Blocking HHS Nomination-morningconsult: Democrats are frustrated that Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) has both threatened to block a Supreme Court nomination and actually blocked another presidential nominee. On Tuesday, Grassley announced he was placing a “hold” on the nomination of Mary Wakefield as deputy secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. He said he is doing so because the agency has failed to answer GOP lawmakers’ questions about the “fetal tissue harvesting practices” of Planned Parenthood.

What would TrumpCare look like?

What would TrumpCare look like?-thehill: Donald Trump last year promised to repeal ObamaCare and replace it with “something terrific.” Now, his rivals are pressing him on what exactly that would be.  Trump has not provided the details of what he is proposing. His campaign website “issues” page does not have a healthcare section.

In Republican Debate, a Feisty Marco Rubio Lays Into Donald Trump

In Republican Debate, a Feisty Marco Rubio Lays Into Donald Trump-nytimes: Senator Marco Rubio, alarmed by Donald J. Trump’s ascendancy and worried that his presidential chances were slipping away, unleashed a barrage of attacks on the real estate mogul’s business ethics, hiring practices and financial achievements in Thursday’s debate, forcefully delivering the onslaught that Republican leaders had desperately awaited.

McConnell, Grassley Will Tell Obama: No Action on Court Nominee In 2016

McConnell, Grassley Will Tell Obama: No Action on Court Nominee In 2016-rollcall: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Judiciary Chairman Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, will meet with President Barack Obama next week on the Supreme Court vacancy, and they will relay their position that the next president should fill the vacancy.

Drug industry on edge for Obama action on prices

Drug industry on edge for Obama action on prices-thehill: The pharmaceutical industry is anxiously awaiting a series of regulatory actions from the Obama administration aimed at combating high drug prices.  Drug prices have been a major issue on the campaign trail, with Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders pounding pharmaceutical companies.  Martin Shkreli, the ex-pharmaceutical company CEO who made headlines for hiking the price of a life-saving drug by 5,000 percent, also has put the issue of drug prices in the spotlight.

Senate GOP chairman vows to block HHS nominee

Senate GOP chairman vows to block HHS nominee-thehill: The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee has vowed to block the nomination of a top health official over the Obama administration’s handling of the Planned Parenthood controversy. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said he plans to hold up the appointment of Dr. Mary Wakefield as Health and Human Services (HHS) deputy secretary until he receives an adequate response from the department about how it is probing claims against Planned Parenthood’s fetal tissue program.

Senate approves Obama's FDA chief

Senate approves Obama's FDA chief-thehill: The Senate voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to confirm President Obama's nominee to lead the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).  Senators voted 89-4 on Robert Califf's nomination after he easily jumped a procedural hurdle earlier this week. Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) — who has made combating the opioid epidemic central to her reelection bid — joined with Democratic Sens. Richard Blumenthal (Conn.), Ed Markey (Mass.) and Joe Manchin (W.Va.) to oppose his nomination.

Will Obama Push a Politician for the Supreme Court?

Will Obama Push a Politician for the Supreme Court?-nationaljournal: Nevada Gov. Bri­an San­dov­al might be the only real con­tender to bring polit­ic­al ex­per­i­ence back to the Su­preme Court.  The White House is vet­ting San­dov­al, the mod­er­ate Re­pub­lic­an gov­ernor of Nevada, as a po­ten­tial nom­in­ee to re­place the late Justice Ant­on­in Scalia, The Wash­ing­ton Post first re­por­ted Wed­nes­day. He’s an at­tract­ive can­did­ate in many ways. Nom­in­at­ing a Re­pub­lic­an would put the Sen­ate GOP in a bind, yet San­dov­al is lib­er­al enough on key so­cial is­sues that he might be ac­cept­able to Demo­crats. He’s His­pan­ic and a former judge who ap­par­ently wants to re­turn to the bench.

Winners and losers of Nevada's Republican caucuses

Winners and losers of Nevada's Republican caucuses-thehill: Republicans turned to Nevada on Tuesday in the final contest before eleven states vote on March 1.  The caucuses were compelling, if sometimes chaotic. Who drew a winning hand in the Silver State and who left looking like a busted flush?

Trump wins Nevada caucuses

Trump wins Nevada caucuses-thehill: Donald Trump emerged victorious in Tuesday night’s Nevada caucuses in an emphatic win that continues to bolster his momentum. With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Trump won with 45.91 percent of the vote, followed by Rubio with 23.85 percent and Ted Cruz with 21.38 percent.  It was Trump's largest victory of the nominating cycle.

Bad Debt Is the Pain Hospitals Can't Heal as Patients Don't Pay

Bad Debt Is the Pain Hospitals Can't Heal as Patients Don't Pay-bloomberg: A type of pain that hospitals thought they had relieved has come back with a vengeance: it’s called bad debt. Hospitals have long struggled to collect bills when patients aren’t covered by insurance -- creating delinquent accounts. The Affordable Care Act was supposed to relieve some of that strain by helping pay for coverage for millions of Americans and expanding Medicaid in some states to cover the poor.

Democrats Vow SCOTUS War, But Face Limited Options

Democrats Vow SCOTUS War, But Face Limited Options-nationaljournal: Sen­ate Demo­crats have few cards to play in the battle over the Su­preme Court now that Re­pub­lic­ans have flatly ruled out even con­sid­er­ing Pres­id­ent Obama’s choice to re­place the late Justice Ant­on­in Scalia. Demo­crats are slam­ming the de­cision and fram­ing their mes­sage largely around charges of GOP ob­struc­tion as they try to get Re­pub­lic­ans to back down—and pay a polit­ic­al price for thwart­ing Obama. The par­tis­an show­down over the high court moved in­to a new phase Tues­day.

2016 Nevada Republican Caucuses Cheat Sheet

2016 Nevada Republican Caucuses Cheat Sheet-nationaljournal: With the field whittled down to five can­did­ates, the Re­pub­lic­an pres­id­en­tial race moves West on Tues­day. Here’s what you need to know ahead of the Sil­ver State’s GOP caucuses:

Senate GOP Newcomers Neither Far Right Nor Extra-Loyal

Senate GOP Newcomers Neither Far Right Nor Extra-Loyal-rollcall: They’re often dubbed “the majority makers,” the nine Republicans who took Senate seats from Democrats in the 2014 election. But what sort of majority have they made for themselves?  After a year on the job, the group’s collective impact on the senatorial rhythm has proven to be more nuanced than many in either party portray. They have undeniably pushed the Senate hard to the right, but they haven’t started out by being all that much more doctrinaire or combative than their elders in the GOP caucus. Having turned Mitch McConnell into the majority leader, in other words, the freshmen have not been down-the-line conservative or lockstep-easy for the Kentuckian to lead.

How and Why McConnell Might Shift on Supreme Court Vacancy

How and Why McConnell Might Shift on Supreme Court Vacancy-rollcall: Does Mitch McConnell have an escape hatch? Absolutely. Does he need one? Perhaps. Does he want one? Not clear yet.  Precious little happens by genuine accident or reflexive impulse anywhere at the Capitol, and fewer things still are said on a whim or done as a lark at the congressional leadership level. So it’s a solid presumption the Senate majority leader had considered all his options and knew exactly what he was doing at 6:15 p.m. on Feb. 13, when his office hit the send button on a nuclear gauntlet less than 90 minutes after the first report of Justice Antonin Scalia’s death.

Nightmare builds for Senate GOP

Nightmare builds for Senate GOP-thehill: It’s a bad time to be a Senate Republican. Justice Antonin Scalia’s death has put Supreme Court politics at the top of the Senate agenda — to the detriment of vulnerable Republican senators running for reelection in blue states.  Donald Trump has coasted to big victories in the New Hampshire and South Carolina primaries, strengthening his position as the pole-setter in the ­Republican presidential race.  It’s a nightmare scenario for GOP senators clinging to their majority.

Congress Returns to Battles Over Budget, Supreme Court

Congress Returns to Battles Over Budget, Supreme Court-nationaljournal: Both cham­bers re­turn after a weeklong re­cess to high-stakes ideo­lo­gic­al battles, as House Re­pub­lic­ans be­gin whip­ping votes for a budget blue­print and the Sen­ate will be ground zero in the fight over Pres­id­ent Obama’s at­tempt to re­place the late Su­preme Court Justice Ant­on­in Scalia.

Supreme Court Battle Renews Focus on Other Nominations

Supreme Court Battle Renews Focus on Other Nominations-rollcall: President Barack Obama’s effort to replace Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia will be the nomination fight of the year, but just below the surface lies a continuing battle in the Senate over nominations to lower courts, as well as federal departments and agencies.

Biggest winners and losers of South Carolina and Nevada

Biggest winners and losers of South Carolina and Nevada-thehill: Saturday was a night of political drama from Charleston to Caesar’s Palace, as results rolled in from the Republican primary in South Carolina and the Democratic caucuses in Las Vegas.  As the dust settles, who’s on the up, and who is left licking their wounds?

Jeb Bush ends White House bid

Jeb Bush ends White House bid-thehill: Jeb Bush is ending his bid for the White House after a disappointing finish in South Carolina’s primary.  Bush is in fourth place, well behind Donald Trump, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz.  He announced to supporters that he would suspend his campaign in at-times emotional remarks from his headquarters in South Carolina.

Cheat Sheet For Nevada and South Carolina

Cheat Sheet For Nevada and South Carolina-nationaljournal: Everything you need to prepare for Saturday’s contests.    

The power brokers who could decide the 2016 election

The power brokers who could decide the 2016 election-thehill: Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump are roiling the Washington establishment in the 2016 presidential race, but their respective paths to their party's nominations are filled with obstacles.  While the Vermont senator and real estate mogul have defied all pundit predictions, there are power brokers on both sides of aisle who will play major roles in deciding who will advance to the general election. Some are fans of the grassroots movements that have catapulted Trump and Sanders; some are not.

Dems ready to attack if GOP skips budget

Dems ready to attack if GOP skips budget-thehill: House Democrats are set to pounce if GOP leaders decide to skip a budget this year.  Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) took the gavel last fall with vows to return to a system of "regular order" that would include passage of a budget resolution and the 12 underlying spending bills.  But pressure from conservatives for steeper cuts has divided the party, and Ryan is now floating the notion of scrapping a new budget and adopting the spending caps set by last year's fiscal deal between President Obama and former Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio).

Prospects fade for GOP budget

Prospects fade for GOP budget-thehill: The GOP’s chances of passing a budget this year are dwindling as the Senate prepares for an impending brawl over a new Supreme Court nominee this spring.  House and Senate Republican leaders have publicly declared they intend to complete the full appropriations process this year for the first time in two decades, just in time for the fall elections.

Grassley at center of court storm

Grassley at center of court storm-thehill: Sen. Chuck Grassley’s (R-Iowa) reputation is being tested by the battle over President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee.  Grassley, the chairman of Senate Judiciary Committee, prides himself as being an advocate of transparency and good government. But those credentials are being called into question in the intense debate over replacing the late Justice Antonin Scalia.

President Raises Stakes in Supreme Court Nominee Battle

President Raises Stakes in Supreme Court Nominee Battle-nytimes:  President Obama on Tuesday challenged Republicans to offer a plausible rationale for refusing to consider a Supreme Court candidate to replace Justice Antonin Scalia, and he pledged to nominate someone with an “outstanding legal mind” who cares about democracy and the rule of law.

Puerto Rico, wealth redistribution and a needed control board

Puerto Rico, wealth redistribution and a needed control board-thehill: The Puerto Rico debt mess now has arrived on Congress's agenda, a sure sign that some perceive gains from politicizing it. "Politicizing it" means using the issue to transfer wealth to favored constituencies. Since the commonwealth must restructure its massive $73 billion debt — Puerto Rico is the third-largest issuer of municipal bonds in the U.S. — the competition is on to see which groups will be left to endure more fiscal pain than others.

Battle over Scalia’s replacement already spilling into Senate races

Battle over Scalia’s replacement already spilling into Senate races-washingtonpost: Conservative and liberal advocacy groups are gearing up for a ferocious political brawl over President Obama’s pick to fill the Supreme Court vacancy created by the weekend death of Justice Antonin Scalia, and already the battle is spilling from the presidential campaign into some of the nation’s most hotly contested Senate races.

Where the 2016 candidates stand on money in politics

Where the 2016 candidates stand on money in politics-thehill: Money in politics has become a heated issue the 2016 presidential race, with candidates from both parties at times decrying the state of the campaign finance system.  Though candidates from both parties are tapping into voter anger, advocates for reform want more than just aggressive rhetoric, particularly from the Republican side.

Cruz, Rubio, Bush defend tax proposals

Cruz, Rubio, Bush defend tax proposals-thehill: GOP presidential candidates Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush all defended aspects of their tax proposals during Saturday’s debate South Carolina in response to critical questions. Cruz, a senator from Texas, was asked by CBS chief White House correspondent Major Garrett how he would make sure his proposed 16 percent consumption-based value-added tax (VAT) would not become “an escalator of taxation to feed government spending.” Garrett noted that conservatives have been resistant to this type of tax, which exists in Europe, for this reason.

Rules on Election-Year Nominations Not So Clear

Rules on Election-Year Nominations Not So Clear-rollcall: Only a couple of hours after Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia’s death was announced, Republicans had settled on their principal talking point: It had been more than eight decades since the Supreme Court got a new member in an election year, and there was no way the GOP was going to make an exception now.

FDA Nominee Finally Will Get a Senate Vote

FDA Nominee Finally Will Get a Senate Vote-morningconsult: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell filed a motion Thursday clearing the way for a floor vote on the nomination of Dr. Robert Califf to head the Food and Drug Administration. The first vote, a procedural one, is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 22. If Califf secures the necessary 51 votes, he will easily be confirmed as the new FDA head after a lengthy wait.

Hillary, Bernie clash on health care, foreign policy, Kissinger: Sanders stays on message in latest debate, as Clinton touts similarities to Obama

Hillary, Bernie clash on health care, foreign policy, Kissinger: Sanders stays on message in latest debate, as Clinton touts similarities to Obama-salon: Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton had their second one-on-one debate Thursday night, this time in Milwaukee, and their first since the Vermont senator’s impressive primary victory in New Hampshire.

Rubio's Tax Proposals Seen Risking ‘Unsustainable’ Deficits

Rubio's Tax Proposals Seen Risking ‘Unsustainable’ Deficits-bloombergpolitics: While presidential candidate Marco Rubio’s tax proposals would put more money in taxpayers’ wallets and in business coffers, their benefits would be concentrated at the top end of the income scale, and they could produce large, “unsustainable, budget deficits," according to a policy group’s analysis.

Divided GOP to powwow on budget-thehill: Speaker Paul Ryan is expected to use charts and graphs in his pitch to House Republicans on Friday morning. But his message will be simple: There will be severe consequences if we don’t pass a budget this year.  That scenario is a real possibility as the Wisconsin Republican struggles to unite the warring factions of his 246-member GOP conference.

HHS considering action on drug patents over high prices

HHS considering action on drug patents over high prices-thehill: Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell said Wednesday that her department is considering issuing guidelines on an executive action known as “march-in rights” as a way to fight high drug prices. At a Ways and Means Committee hearing on Wednesday, Burwell was asked about a letter from more than 50 House Democrats last month urging HHS to issue guidelines on the administrative action.

Senate races heating up

Senate races heating up-thehill: The race for the Senate is heating up, with Democrats looking to net five seats and win back a majority.  Republicans are defending seats in six states won by President Obama, creating a strong playing field for Democrats.  But in a presidential year, the top of the ticket could decide who wins the majority.

Congress vents economic anxiety at Yellen

Congress vents economic anxiety at Yellen-thehill: Lawmakers unloaded their anxiety about the state of the economy to Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen Wednesday as voter discontent with Washington hit home.  One day after New Hampshire handed primary victories to Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders, several members of the House Financial Services Committee appeared to channel voters’ frustrations.

Obama goes big on healthcare in final budget wish list

Obama goes big on healthcare in final budget wish list-thehill: The Obama administration is resurfacing its boldest healthcare proposals in its final budget wish list, which may mark its last chance to strengthen the Affordable Care Act.  The $4.1 trillion budget proposal — his most expensive to date — includes new ideas like enticing states to expand Medicaid and requiring drug companies to publicly disclose the costs of their research and development.

Budget Day’s Wintry Mix of Bluster and Rhetoric

Budget Day’s Wintry Mix of Bluster and Rhetoric-rollcall: “I don’t have any news to make today on that subject,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Tuesday, when asked about President Barack Obama latest spending blueprint that landed on Capitol Hill a few hours earlier. It was just one indication of the diminished public debate over the president’s budget.

What We Learned From New Hampshire

What We Learned From New Hampshire-rollcall: Donald Trump and Sen. Bernard Sanders scored big wins in New Hampshire but the campaign for each party’s nomination turns south and west, where the real race begins, according to political analysts and strategists Roll Call asked to analyze the Tuesday’s results.

The chaotic fight for ObamaCare

The chaotic fight for ObamaCare-thehill: Less than 48 hours before the final vote on the Affordable Care Act, President Obama was irritated.  Jason Altmire, a centrist Democratic congressman representing the Pittsburgh area, had just announced he would vote against ObamaCare. The White House needed every vote it could get, with the bill in serious jeopardy of dying on the House floor.

Senators try for bipartisanship on Medicare reforms

Senators try for bipartisanship on Medicare reforms-thehill: The Senate Finance Committee is trying to do something a bit rare in an election year: legislate in a bipartisan way on a wonky but important issue.  The project is to improve the way Medicare covers people with chronic conditions, such as diabetes and Alzheimer’s, so as to improve the coordination of care and bring about healthier outcomes at lower cost.

7 things to watch for on NH primary

7 things to watch for on NH primary-thehill: Tuesday marks the second chapter in the 2016 presidential nominating cycle, with momentum and pride on the line for the White House hopefuls.  On the Democratic side, Bernie Sanders heads into the New Hampshire primary with a strong lead in polls over Hillary Clinton as they battle to regain control of the race’s narrative following Clinton’s narrow victory in Iowa last week.

Obama trade deal taking a hit in presidential race

Obama trade deal taking a hit in presidential race-thehill: Lawmakers say harsh criticism leveled against President Obama’s Pacific Rim trade agreement from presidential candidates in both parties is further complicating its passage.  The stinging rhetoric against the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) comes on top of other challenges and could stifle what is already expected to be a difficult process.

Republicans Won’t Even Talk About Obama’s Final Budget

Republicans Won’t Even Talk About Obama’s Final Budget-rollcall: The year that promised a return to regular order is getting off to a highly irregular start.  Like a mantra, GOP leaders have repeatedly declared 2016 would be different. Lawmaking for the history books isn’t much in the offing, they conceded, but at least the legislative machinery will once again work as designed – in setting the budget, most of all. The leadership’s practical view has been the rank-and-file from both parties, and the institution of Congress itself, require that much respect now for there to be a chance real collaboration and comity would return sometime in the future.

Ryan, GOP face budget squeeze

Ryan, GOP face budget squeeze-thehill: Paul Ryan is facing a series of hurdles as he tries to pass his first budget since becoming Speaker of the House.  Conservatives are revolting against the higher spending levels President Obama and GOP leaders agreed to last fall, and the Wisconsin Republican is being squeezed by a tight calendar: A longer than usual summer recess to accommodate the political conventions means the House is looking to complete its budget in early March.

Senate Panel Punts on Big Medical Bill

Senate Panel Punts on Big Medical Bill-morningconsult: The Senate will not put forth a comprehensive medical innovation bill that would be a companion measure to the House’s 21st Century Cures bill. Instead, lawmakers are opting to work on several smaller bills that have bipartisan support. In recent weeks, aides said committee members hit partisan snags when discussing a bigger bill.

Martin Shkreli calls lawmakers 'imbeciles'

Martin Shkreli calls lawmakers 'imbeciles'-politico: The drug industry’s most notorious CEO pleaded the Fifth Amendment before Congress on Thursday and then promptly called lawmakers "imbeciles" on Twitter.  "Hard to accept that these imbeciles represent the people in our government," tweeted Martin Shkreli, the former Turing Pharmaceuticals CEO who exulted in making a fortune by jacking up the price of a life-saving medicine.

Smirking drug CEO antagonizes lawmakers after pleading the Fifth

Smirking drug CEO antagonizes lawmakers after pleading the Fifth-thehill: Embattled drug executive Martin Shkreli antagonized lawmakers on Thursday by smirking and posing for pictures during his first appearance on Capitol Hill even as he refused to answer questions about drug prices. Shkreli, who was subpoenaed by the House Oversight Committee, repeatedly provoked lawmakers from both parties during his brief — and mostly silent — appearance.

U.S., 11 nations formally sign largest regional trade deal in history

U.S., 11 nations formally sign largest regional trade deal in history-WashingtonPost: Trade ministers from the United States and 11 other Pacific Rim nations formally signed the largest regional trade deal in history on Thursday in New Zealand, but the fate of one of President Obama’s signature economic projects remained fraught on Capitol Hill.

Shkreli in for grilling on drug prices

Shkreli in for grilling on drug prices-thehill: Martin Shkreli, who has become a poster child for price-gouging drug companies, will make a long-awaited appearance on Capitol Hill on Thursday.  The House Oversight Committee will hold its first hearing on drug pricing on Thursday morning, focusing on Shkreli's former company Turing Pharmaceuticals, as well as another company facing claims of profiteering, Valeant Pharmaceuticals.

Sanders vows to stop Obama trade deal

Sanders vows to stop Obama trade deal-thehill: Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders on Wednesday said he would stop a sweeping Asia-Pacific agreement if he wins the White House.  The Vermont senator blasted the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) as trade ministers for the 12 partners in the deal gathered in New Zealand to sign it.

Drive to focus Medicare dollars on quality-based care nears goal

Drive to focus Medicare dollars on quality-based care nears goal-thehill: The Obama administration is nearing the finish line on its ambitious push to change the way Medicare providers are paid, focusing federal dollars on value rather than volume.  Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell announced one year ago that 30 percent of all Medicare payments would be based on value by the end of 2016, up from the current level of about 20 percent.

House fails to override ObamaCare veto

House fails to override ObamaCare veto-thehill: The House on Tuesday failed to override President Obama’s veto of legislation that would have repealed much of ObamaCare and defunded Planned Parenthood. The result was expected, given that an override would have required Democratic support to succeed, but Republicans praised the vote as showing what could happen next year if their party wins back the White House.

Iowa caucus winners and losers

Iowa caucus winners and losers-thehill: One winner from the caucuses here on Monday evening is self-evident: Texas Sen. Ted Cruz emerged as the victor in the Republican contest by a modest but clear margin.  Cruz rallied evangelicals and other “courageous conservatives” to his banner with his fervent opposition to President Obama and speeches decrying a drift away from traditional social values. He was also helped by a ground-game that was widely seen as the best among Republican candidates.

Trump promises to ‘work something out’ on healthcare

Trump promises to ‘work something out’ on healthcare-thehill: Republican primary front-runner on Sunday pledged to extend healthcare coverage to the lower class, but remained vague on the details of his plan.  “If somebody has no money and they’re lying in the middle of the street and they’re dying, I’m going to take care of that person,” Trump said on ABC’s “This Week.”

This week: Congress takes up ObamaCare repeal, energy fight

This week: Congress takes up ObamaCare repeal, energy fight-thehill: All eyes will be on the Iowa caucuses on Monday, but Congress is back in session this week for an energy fight in the Senate and yet another vote to repeal the healthcare law.  Groundhog Day references will likely be inevitable when the House votes once again Tuesday, Feb. 2, on legislation to repeal ObamaCare.