House Conservatives Are Trying To Kill The Lame-Duck Session

House Conservatives Are Trying To Kill The Lame-Duck Session-huffingtonpost: The House Freedom Caucus has already changed the direction of Congress this year, derailing — at least temporarily — a House GOP budget that conservatives argue spends too much. Now they have a new target in sight: the lame-duck session.

Some Dems won’t commit yet to Garland

Some Dems won’t commit yet to Garland-politico: Democrats are perfectly happy praising Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland and hammering Senate Republicans for their obstruction. But that doesn’t mean they're all ready to commit to voting for him.

GOP nears the breaking point

GOP nears the breaking point-thehill: The presidential primary has been a wrenching experience for the GOP so far — and it’s about to get even worse.  Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and John Kasich have all backed away from their pledge to support the party's eventual nominee, foreshadowing a fight at the convention and beyond that could cleave the GOP into warring factions.

Anger Over Trade Deficit Plays Surprising Role in 2016

Anger Over Trade Deficit Plays Surprising Role in 2016-nationaljournal: “An­ger about un­bal­anced trade has helped to fuel the rise of” real es­tate mogul Don­ald Trump (R) “and the suc­cess of” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). … The mani­fest an­ger also has pushed their prin­cip­al rivals,” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and former Sec­ret­ary of State Hil­lary Clin­ton (D), “to toughen their own trade rhet­or­ic.”

GOP senator open to voting for Obama’s court nominee

GOP senator open to voting for Obama’s court nominee-rollcall: Sen. Mark Kirk on Tuesday became the first Republican to say he might be willing to vote on President Obama’s nominee to the Supreme Court. “Obviously I would consider voting for him,” the Illinois senator told reporters before he met with the nominee, Judge Merrick Garland. “That’s the whole purpose.”

Tough road ahead for Puerto Rico debt bill

Tough road ahead for Puerto Rico debt bill-thehill:  Lawmakers are racing to finish legislation that would save Puerto Rico from a debt crisis but remain at loggerheads over the details. Democrats Tuesday praised efforts by the House Natural Resources Committee to craft a bill but also said they would not support the draft proposal in its current form.

Grassley: Democrats Could Force a Vote on Nominee

Grassley: Democrats Could Force a Vote on Nominee-rollcall: A top Republican senator said Monday he expects Democrats to force at least a procedural vote on President Barack Obama's nominee to the Supreme Court, challenging the GOP's insistence that the appointment be left for the next president.

Senate Democrats propose April hearings, May votes on Garland confirmation

Senate Democrats propose April hearings, May votes on Garland confirmation-washingtonpost: If Senate Democrats have their way, Supreme Court nominee Merrick B. Garland would sit for confirmation hearings starting in late April and receive an up-or-down vote on the Senate floor about a month later, just before Memorial Day. That is the timeline proposed in a letter sent Monday to Republican leaders by Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Congress Takes a Break This Year After a Productive 2015

Congress Takes a Break This Year After a Productive 2015-morningconsult: It’s barely spring, and already Congress looks to be preparing the Capitol for legislative hibernation ahead of the November elections. Who can blame them? They are still recovering from last year.

Puerto Rico Aid Package Calls for Criminal Penalties

Puerto Rico Aid Package Calls for Criminal Penalties-morningconsult: A near-complete version of an aid package for financially ailing Puerto Rico would assess criminal penalties of up to one year in jail and a maximum fine of $1,000 on Puerto Rico government officials who refuse to obey a new fiscal oversight board’s orders.

Ready or not, the bundled-payment challenge is about to start

Ready or not, the bundled-payment challenge is about to start-mordernhealthcare: The average total cost to replace worn hips or knees in Tuscaloosa, Ala., can top $31,780—one of the highest prices across dozens of U.S. metropolitan areas, including Los Angeles and Seattle, where just about everything else costs more.  Starting April 1, the clock starts ticking for Tuscaloosa's hospitals to lower their price for new hips and knees or lose money.

PhRMA takes pro-active strategy to Capitol Hill

PhRMA takes pro-active strategy to Capitol Hill-thehill: The new head of D.C.’s biggest drug lobby has a strategy to help overcome a tortuous year of bad publicity on pricing: More lab coats on Capitol Hill.  Steve Ubl, president and CEO of the Pharmaceutical Researcher and Manufacturers Association (PhRMA), plans to deploy top scientists and researchers to meet with lawmakers in a potentially make-or-break year for the industry.

Ryan moves stir White House talk

Ryan moves stir White House talk-thehill: Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) could be in prime position to run for president in 2020 if Donald Trump leads the GOP to a monumental collapse in November.  With his youth and sunny, Reaganesque message, Ryan could be a formidable White House candidate in four years’ time, when the Republican Party may be searching for a safer standard-bearer after the roller coaster ride of 2016.

Why Prescription Drugs Aren’t Part of Obamacare

Why Prescription Drugs Aren’t Part of Obamacare-morningconsult: After six years, the Affordable Care Act has extended health care coverage to millions of people. But affordability problems remain, most prominently in the area of prescription drugs. Obamacare left the pharmaceutical industry largely unregulated while requiring it to pay for some of the law’s increased drug coverage.

Moran becomes third GOP senator to call for Garland confirmation hearings

Moran becomes third GOP senator to call for Garland confirmation hearings-cnn: Sen. Jerry Moran, a conservative Republican running for re-election, told a town hall in Kansas this week that the Senate should hold confirmation hearings for U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Merrick Garland, according to a Kansas newspaper.

House Republicans to Introduce Draft Bill to Rescue Puerto Rico

House Republicans to Introduce Draft Bill to Rescue Puerto Rico-washingtonpost: House Republicans are preparing to introduce the draft of a bill early next week that would grant Puerto Rico the authority to restructure its debts under the supervision of a federal oversight board, according to a summary of the forthcoming legislation.

Democrats have momentum but lack money in battle for Senate

Democrats have momentum but lack money in battle for Senate-politico: Democrats have expanded the Senate map this year, recruiting viable candidates in states no one expected them to compete in, such as Arizona and Missouri, and arguably positioning themselves to ride an anti-Trump wave to the Senate majority.  But there’s one big problem: Money.

House Passes GOP Measure That Would Alter Antitrust Procedures

House Passes GOP Measure That Would Alter Antitrust Procedures-morningconsult: The House on Wednesday passed a GOP-backed measure that would change how the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission implement antitrust laws, in an effort to diminish what Republicans view as legal uncertainty in litigation.

Ryan Focuses on the Power of Policy

Ryan Focuses on the Power of Policy-morningconsult: The state of American politics is not strong. That was the topline message in House Speaker Paul Ryan’s speech Wednesday, which lamented a toxic political environment characterized by personal insults instead of substantive policy debate.

Ryan Suggests No Spending Bills Without Budget

Ryan Suggests No Spending Bills Without Budget-rollcall: Speaker Paul D. Ryan suggested Tuesday that the House will not bring appropriations bills to the floor without first passing a budget.  House Republicans have been struggling to find support from 218 of their members to pass a resolution that sets spending at $1.07 trillion for the 2017 fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, and Ryan acknowledges it.

McConnell: No Supreme Court Justice or appeals judge

McConnell: No Supreme Court Justice or appeals judge-courierjournal: U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell reiterated Tuesday that President Barack Obama’s nominations to the U.S. Supreme Court and the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals will not be considered by the Senate.

5 things to watch for on Tuesday

5 things to watch for on Tuesday-thehill: Tuesday marks the latest presidential battleground as challengers look to make their last gasps in the fight against front-runners Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.  Voters on both sides of the aisle will head to the polls in Arizona and Utah, while Democrats will also vote in Idaho, in races that will help show whether Ted Cruz and Bernie Sanders have any fight left.  Here are five things to watch as results roll in Tuesday night.

GOP’s Medicare Changes Could Weaken Traditional Benefit

GOP’s Medicare Changes Could Weaken Traditional Benefit-morningconsult: The House GOP’s budget proposal, adhering to standard Republican health care ideas, would largely privatize the Medicare program. Depending on how it is structured, it could produce budget savings but also hurt low-income seniors and damage the traditional entitlement program.

White House tries (again) to sell Obamacare, this time with a cartoon

White House tries (again) to sell Obamacare, this time with a cartoon-stat: The Obama administration is trying once again to address a criticism that has dogged the president ever since his health care bill passed six years ago: they need to sell it better.

10 Senate seats most likely to flip in 2016

10 Senate seats most likely to flip in 2016-thehill: Democrats’ chances to regain control of the Senate are looking brighter as Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump take shape as the presumptive nominees of their parties.

No Budget, No Blame?

No Budget, No Blame?-rollcall: House Republicans chose Paul D. Ryan to be speaker last October because they felt he could unify their fractured conference. As divisions over the budget have plagued the party for weeks, Ryan hasn't repaired the rift. Yet the members don't blame him.

The Coming Week: House Drags Feet on Budget, Puerto Rico

The Coming Week: House Drags Feet on Budget, Puerto Rico-morningconsult: The House will not consider a GOP budget before it’s spring break, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said Thursday. That means that the earliest a budget could be adopted by that chamber would be in April. After Wednesday, the House will be on its own spring break until April 12. (An informal rule among members is that a budget deal should be wrapped up by April 15, which, in theory, gives appropriators time to write actual spending bills.)

Ryan on Presidential Nomination: 'It Is Not Me'

Ryan on Presidential Nomination: 'It Is Not Me'-rollcall: Speaker Paul D. Ryan has said over and over again he will not be the Republican presidential nominee in the event of a brokered convention, and on Thursday he requested that speculation be put to rest. "It is not me," the Wisconsin Republican said, adding, "Let’s just put this thing to rest and move on."

Democrats plan push to force hearings on Supreme Court nomination

Democrats plan push to force hearings on Supreme Court nomination-washingtonpost: Democrats began laying out an aggressive strategy Thursday to get Judge Merrick Garland considered by the Senate and seated on the Supreme Court, over what appears to be implacable Republican opposition.

GOP Leaders Eye Reforms to Clear Budget Path

GOP Leaders Eye Reforms to Clear Budget Path-nationaljournal: With their spend­ing blue­print in limbo between the com­mit­tee and the House floor, Re­pub­lic­an lead­ers are ex­amin­ing po­ten­tial pro­cess re­forms to en­tice their mem­bers to vote for a budget and save this year’s ap­pro­pri­ations pro­cess.

House Budget Committee approves budget

House Budget Committee approves budget-politico: The House Budget Committee approved a fiscal 2017 budget resolution by a 20-16 vote Wednesday. The budget provides $1.07 trillion in discretionary spending for fiscal 2017 and proposes deep cuts to non-defense discretionary and entitlement programs in the years ahead.

Who is Merrick Garland?

Who is Merrick Garland?-thehill: Merrick Garland, President Obama’s nominee for a pivotal position on the Supreme Court, is an experienced adjudicator with a reputation as a centrist.  Garland, 63, is a 19-year veteran of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Since 2013, Garland has been the court’s chief judge.

Cracks Appear in GOP Ranks Over Supreme Court Pick

Cracks Appear in GOP Ranks Over Supreme Court Pick-rollcall: Despite fierce GOP opposition to allowing President Barack Obama to appoint another Supreme Court justice, some Republicans are suggesting his pick could be confirmed after the November election, particularly if Democratic hopeful Hillary Clinton is the next president.

Republican opposition puts Paul Ryan budget in serious jeopardy

Republican opposition puts Paul Ryan budget in serious jeopardy-cnn: The turbulent and divisive 2016 Republican campaign for president -- led by frontrunner Donald Trump -- is throwing House Speaker Paul Ryan's pledge to pass a budget and approve all the annual spending bills into jeopardy, and could lead Congress into another fall showdown on funding the government.

Tuesday's winners and losers

Tuesday's winners and losers-thehill: Tuesday brought another round of crucial primaries, as voters in Florida, Ohio, Illinois, Missouri and North Carolina went to the polls. For Republicans, Florida and Ohio were particularly important since they award their delegates on a winner-take-all basis. But the day was a vital one for candidates in both parties.

Tuesday's winners and losers

Dem Activists Say They Tried to Field a Bera Challenger-nationaljournal: Sev­er­al act­iv­ists in Rep. Ami Be­ra’s (D) dis­trict “con­firmed months of thwarted at­tempts to re­cruit a more lib­er­al chal­lenger,” after Be­ra faced heavy back­lash for sup­port­ing fast-track trade le­gis­la­tion.

GOP hits a wall with election-year budget plan

GOP hits a wall with election-year budget plan-thehill: House Republicans on Tuesday unveiled a trillion-dollar budget blueprint that appears dead on arrival within the GOP conference because of opposition to the spending deal negotiated last fall by President Obama and then-Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio).

Anti-trade Republicans press Trump advantage

Anti-trade Republicans press Trump advantage-thehill: Republican opponents of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) are trying to kill the largest trade deal in U.S. history by invoking Donald Trump. Noting the vehemence of opposition to the trade deal in Michigan, they argue their party would face a backlash by seeking to move it.

GOP prepares to fight Obama nominee, no matter whom he picks

GOP prepares to fight Obama nominee, no matter whom he picks-ap: Republicans prepared Monday to unleash a torrent of activity opposing President Barack Obama's nominee to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia. As the president neared an announcement, Obama's allies, too, were priming for an election-year fight.

House Freedom Caucus to break with leadership on budget

House Freedom Caucus to break with leadership on budget-politico: The House Freedom Caucus will oppose a $1.07 trillion budget backed by Republican leaders, likely assuring that the fiscal package will fail if put up for a vote on the House floor.

Week ahead: House returns to budget fight

Week ahead: House returns to budget fight-thehill: House lawmakers are returning to Congress Monday with a busy agenda waiting. Congress is inching closer to Speaker Paul Ryan's (R-Wis.) end of March deadline to find a fix for Puerto Rico's debt crisis, and House Republicans are scrambling for a budget deal that can unite the party.

No Rest, or Recess, for Senate This Year

No Rest, or Recess, for Senate This Year-rollcall: When most Republican senators head home for the Easter break, or spend the week in Cleveland for the party convention in July, or return to their home districts in October for election season, at least one lonely soul will stay behind to turn the lights on in the Senate chamber.

For Harry Reid, the Supreme Court Vacancy Offers One Last Fight

For Harry Reid, the Supreme Court Vacancy Offers One Last Fight-thenewyork: If there were any doubt, Senator Harry Reid clearly has one last, good fight in him. Instead of cruising to retirement after securing a two-year budget deal last fall and essentially bequeathing his leader’s suite to Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, Mr. Reid, Democrat of Nevada, is waging war with Republicans over the Supreme Court vacancy left by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia.

Groups Scrutinize White House Plan to Cut Drug Costs in Medicare

Groups Scrutinize White House Plan to Cut Drug Costs in Medicare-washingtonpost: The Obama administration touched off a tempest on Wednesday with its plan to test new ways of paying for prescription drugs under Medicare, widely seen as the administration’s first serious attempt to rein in drug spending.

NIH fight threatens medical reforms

NIH fight threatens medical reforms-thehill: The Senate is struggling to find a path forward on a medical innovation bill that could be crucial for White House priorities such as the “moonshot” to cure cancer.  The bill is being held up by disagreements over funding for medical research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

GOP debate winners and losers

GOP debate winners and losers-thehill: Thursday night’s Republican debate in Miami saw a dramatic shift in tone from recent GOP clashes, which had been marked by rancorous exchanges and name-calling. The change surprised even front-runner Donald Trump who said at one point, “I cannot believe how civil it’s been up here.” But who gained, and who lost, as crucial primaries loom in Florida, Ohio and several other states on Tuesday?

Funding and Consumer Safety Questions Still Loom Over Senate Innovation Efforts

Funding and Consumer Safety Questions Still Loom Over Senate Innovation Efforts-morningconsult: Democrats offered and withdrew two amendments to a bill approved by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Wednesday that highlight concerns that could hold up the panel’s progress on medical innovation legislation this year.

Health chairman: Drug pricing could come up in innovation bill

Health chairman: Drug pricing could come up in innovation bill-thehill: Senate Health Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) said Wednesday that drug pricing measures could be considered as part of the medical innovation bill that his committee is working on.  He said he expects that there will be a proposal from Sens. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), who have been investigating spikes in drug prices in the Senate Aging Committee.

McConnell’s Move May Bury the GOP Budget

McConnell’s Move May Bury the GOP Budget-nationaljournal: Sen­ate Ma­jor­ity Lead­er Mitch Mc­Con­nell’s de­cision to move ahead with ap­pro­pri­ations bills at the spend­ing level agreed to last year could be the fi­nal nail in the coffin of House lead­ers’ at­tempts to pass a budget, House con­ser­vat­ives said.

Winners and losers after Michigan's big primary night

Winners and losers after Michigan's big primary night-thehill: The race for the White House was shaken up again on Tuesday, as primary voters in both parties went to the polls in Michigan and Mississippi, while the GOP held additional contests in Idaho and Hawaii.  Candidates were also hoping to build momentum for an even more important night one week down the line, when vital states including Florida, Ohio and Illinois will vote.

Feds warn of 'remarkable' rise in drug spending

Feds warn of 'remarkable' rise in drug spending-thehill: Prescription drug spending is growing at record levels, outpacing the overall spending on healthcare nationally, federal health officials warned Tuesday.  Drug spending grew by a “remarkable” 12.6 percent in 2014, according to new estimates from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). It will continue to increase by about 7.3 percent annually through 2018.

President Obama Meets With Supreme Court Candidates

President Obama Meets With Supreme Court Candidates-npr: President Obama has begun interviewing candidates for the Supreme Court vacancy created by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. Sources close to the process say that among those being interviewed are Chief Judge Merrick Garland of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia; Judge Sri Srinivasan, of the same court; Judge Paul Watford, of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals based in San Francisco; Judge Jane Kelly, of the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals based in St. Louis; and U.S. District Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, who serves in Washington, D.C.

Senate tired of waiting on the House to figure out its budget mess

Senate tired of waiting on the House to figure out its budget mess-washingtonpost: The Senate has a message for the House: We already agreed we’re not cutting spending this year, get over it.  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Tuesday that the upper chamber plans to soon begin writing spending bills based on a bipartisan budget agreement reached in December that would boost spending this year by $30 billion. House conservatives are pushing their leaders to abandon that deal, which would greatly complicate the push by McConnell and Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) to pass as many of the 12 annual spending bills as possible this year ahead of the November elections.

Clinton puts crosshairs on offshore tax deals

Clinton puts crosshairs on offshore tax deals-thehill: Hillary Clinton is putting a target on offshore tax deals as she seeks to defeat Bernie Sanders for the Democratic presidential nomination.

In speeches, debates and ads, the former secretary of State has pilloried the practice known as corporate inversions, arguing companies are exploiting a loophole.

Sanders scores Michigan upset; Trump tightens grip with wins

Sanders scores Michigan upset; Trump tightens grip with wins-thehill: Bernie Sanders won a huge upset in Michigan on Tuesday night, giving his campaign a jolt of momentum even as Donald Trump tightened his grip on the Republican nomination by scoring victories in Michigan, Mississippi and Hawaii. Entering Tuesday, not one public poll had shown Sanders leading in Michigan, and most had him down by double-digits, creating expectations that Hillary Clinton would cruise to victory.

HHS rejects Dems' push on high drug prices

HHS rejects Dems' push on high drug prices-thehill: The Obama administration is rejecting a request from a group of House Democrats to open the door to a far-reaching response against high drug prices. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell sent a letter to Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), dated March 2, that declines his request for the department to issue guidance on the use of “march-in rights” to break drug patents when prices are too high.

March 8 Primary Cheat Sheet

March 8 Primary Cheat Sheet-nationaljournal: Four states from very dif­fer­ent parts of the coun­try — Michigan, Mis­sis­sippi, Idaho and Hawaii — hold pres­id­en­tial nom­in­at­ing con­tests Tues­day. There are 150 del­eg­ates up for grabs on the Re­pub­lic­an side and 166 pledged del­eg­ates at stake for the Demo­crats. Here is what you need to know be­fore the res­ults start pour­ing in:

Could House be up for grabs?

Could House be up for grabs?-thehill: The most unpredictable GOP presidential race in recent memory is sparking questions about whether the huge House Republican majority could be jeopardized with Donald Trump on the ticket. It would take nothing short of a catastrophe to wipe out the historic 30-seat advantage now enjoyed by Republicans.

Democrats Lampoon Senate Republicans for Balking on a Budget

Democrats Lampoon Senate Republicans for Balking on a Budget-morningconsult: Capitol Hill Democrats wasted no time lampooning Senate Republicans after the chamber’s chief budget writer announced Monday his committee would postpone completing a budget until at least next month.

Tensions rise in GOP as deadline for budget nears

Tensions rise in GOP as deadline for budget nears-thehill: Senate Republicans are signaling that they are unlikely to pass a budget this year unless the House follows through on plans to pass a blueprint later this month. Not passing a budget would break a promise Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) made in 2014, but it would also shield his vulnerable incumbents from politically damaging votes.

The Odds of a Contested Convention Have Never Been Higher

The Odds of a Contested Convention Have Never Been Higher-nationaljournal: Don­ald Trump’s not-so-ma­gic num­ber in the Re­pub­lic­an primar­ies is 34 per­cent. That’s the av­er­age share of the vote Trump has re­ceived in the first 19 con­tests. He won one-third of the vote in the four early races, 34 per­cent on Su­per Tues­day, and a dis­ap­point­ing 33 per­cent av­er­age in the smal­ler-state races held this week­end. At a time when can­did­ates usu­ally in­crease their sup­port, Trump’s is stun­ted.

Anti-establishment mood roils Senate Democratic primaries

Anti-establishment mood roils Senate Democratic primaries-thehill:  Donald Trump's dominance in the Republican presidential primary has Democrats giddy about taking back the Senate, but the anti-establishment winds blowing nationally have also buffeted their candidates. The media’s fixation on Trump has overshadowed surprisingly competitive Senate Democratic primaries in key states such as North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Export-Import Bank Debate Puts Sanders at Odds With Senate Democrats

Export-Import Bank Debate Puts Sanders at Odds With Senate Democrats-rollcall: When Democratic presidential candidate Bernard Sanders’ campaign blasted fellow candidate Hillary Clinton this weekend for her support for the Export-Import Bank, it was highlighting an issue on which he stood alone among Senate Democratic caucus members.

House GOP Budget Plans Face a Minefield

House GOP Budget Plans Face a Minefield-nationaljournal: House Re­pub­lic­an lead­ers un­veiled their budget out­line Thursday morn­ing, but deep di­vi­sions re­main in the con­fer­ence about how much the plan spends, wheth­er the cham­ber can off­set fund­ing, and where de­fense money comes from.

GOP debate winners and losers

GOP debate winners and losers-thehill: The Republican presidential debate on Thursday night will be remembered for its insults, showdowns, and one very personal declaration from GOP front-runner Donald Trump about his anatomy. Here’s a look at the winners and losers from a chaotic and memorable night in Detroit only two days before the next round of contests, as the challengers seek to shake Trump out of the top spot.

House Conservatives Refuse Compromise With Ryan On Budget

House Conservatives Refuse Compromise With Ryan On Budget-rollcall: Conservative House Republicans on Thursday continued to say they wouldn’t vote for a budget resolution that sticks to last year’s budget deal, even after GOP leaders offered to hold a separate vote on legislation to cut $30 billion in mandatory spending.

Debate Prep: Fact-Checking the G.O.P. Candidates on Health Care

Debate Prep: Fact-Checking the G.O.P. Candidates on Health Care-washingtonpost: The Republican debates have included very little discussion of health care policy. But the issue has roared back into the conversation, and is likely to come back again at the Detroit debate on Thursday.

HELP Panel Democrats Offer Bill for Annual NIH, FDA Funding

HELP Panel Democrats Offer Bill for Annual NIH, FDA Funding-morningconsult: Democrats on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee are introducing a bill today that would allocate $5 billion annually for medical research at the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration.

Policy Bills Face Fight Over Supplemental Spending

Policy Bills Face Fight Over Supplemental Spending-nationaljournal: As Re­pub­lic­ans try to avoid an elec­tion-year fight over spend­ing levels, Demo­crats are look­ing for any open­ing they can to push for ex­tra cash for what they say are na­tion­al emer­gen­cies.

Trump releases plan for replacing Obamacare

Trump releases plan for replacing Obamacare-politico: Donald Trump unveiled a batch of health care policy proposals Wednesday after facing criticism for failing to provide a credible plan for replacing Obamacare.  On the eve of the next GOP debate, the front-running real estate mogul advanced several ideas that align with many conservative proposals to replace the health care law. He calls for Medicaid to be transformed into a state block grant program and for the tax exemption on employer-based health insurance plans to be extended to individuals who purchase coverage on their own — both longstanding GOP ideas.

Super Tuesday winners and losers

Super Tuesday winners and losers-thehill: Tuesday was the biggest day of the presidential primary calendar to date as Republicans and Democrats each fought 11 state contests.  The two top questions as Super Tuesday dawned were whether any Republican could stop Donald Trump’s march toward the nomination and whether Bernie Sanders could slow Hillary Clinton’s progress toward the Democratic nod. Where do things stand as the dust settles?

Trump, Clinton Tighten Grip on Nominations

Trump, Clinton Tighten Grip on Nominations-rollcall: Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton put more distance between themselves and their rivals on Super Tuesday, with both front-runners winning seven of the 11 states holding elections or caucuses.  “This has been an amazing evening,” Trump declared at his exclusive Mar-al-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla., and said he was expanding the Republican Party’s base.

Clinton rails against 'predatory' drug pricing in new campaign ad

Clinton rails against 'predatory' drug pricing in new campaign ad-thehill: Hillary Clinton is denouncing a drug price hike in a new ad, part of a campaign theme of sharply criticizing pharmaceutical companies.  The new ad shows Clinton giving a campaign speech during which she reads a letter from a woman who says the price of one medication has gone from $180 in the early 1980s to $14,700 now.

5 things to watch for on Super Tuesday

5 things to watch for on Super Tuesday-thehill: Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are poised to build significantly on their leads in delegates on Super Tuesday and secure their standing as presumptive presidential nominees.  Nearly a quarter of the 2,472 total GOP delegates will be awarded on Tuesday, with Trump potentially taking a majority of the 595 up for grabs across 11 states.
On the Democratic side, about 20 percent of pledged delegates will be awarded — 865 of the more than 4,000 total — with Clinton looking to run up the score on Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) as she did in South Carolina.

Panicked GOP braces for big Trump win

Panicked GOP braces for big Trump win-thehill: Donald Trump is poised to win almost all of the states voting on Super Tuesday, despite warnings from his rivals and other GOP critics that the party could split apart at the seams if he becomes the presidential nominee.  Unless there is a huge upset on Tuesday, Trump will take another massive leap toward the nomination. He has won three out of four contests so far and has secured almost five times as many delegates as his closest rival, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. Trump has 82 delegates to Cruz’s 17.  The prospect of a Trump nomination is abhorrent to many in the Republican Party.