‘Chips-plus’ bill advances toward final passage in Senate

Chips-plus bill advances toward final passage in Senate-rollcall:  An economic competitiveness package meant to boost U.S. semiconductor manufacturing and scientific research is on track to pass the Senate this week after overcoming a filibuster on Tuesday.

Leftovers pile up for year-end tax bill menu

Leftovers pile up for year-end tax bill menu-rollcall:  Incentives for clean energy and a tax break for companies’ research and development appear to be off the table for legislation moving this summer, raising the stakes for a potential year-end tax bill after the dust settles on the midterm elections.

Hospitals struggle with staff shortages as federal Covid funds run out

Hospitals struggle with staff shortages as federal Covid funds run out-politico:  Hospitals across the country are grappling with widespread staffing shortages, complicating preparations for a potential Covid-19 surge as the BA.5 subvariant drives up cases, hospital admissions and deaths.

Senators seek to clear procedural hurdles on unfinished business

Senators seek to clear procedural hurdles on unfinished business-rollcall:  Senate leaders are looking to clear legislation that would expand veterans health and disability benefits after passing a semiconductor manufacturing incentives and science package, but getting both bipartisan priorities done next week will require cooperation from all 100 senators.

How ‘Build Back Better’ started, and how it’s going: a timeline

How ‘Build Back Better’ started, and how it’s going: a timeline-rollcall:  President Joe Biden last year asked Congress to pass more than $4 trillion worth of infrastructure and economic proposals. Progressive Democrats sought to bump that up to $6 trillion. Now Democrats will be lucky to pass just a fraction of that before the midterm elections this fall.

Test vote on ‘chips-plus’ bill teed up in Senate

Test vote on ‘chips-plus’ bill teed up in Senate-rollcall:  Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer pledged to move ahead with a procedural vote Tuesday afternoon on legislation that would, at minimum, fund semiconductor manufacturing grants and tax incentives through 2026.

House appropriations bill sprint seeks to buck recent history

House appropriations bill sprint seeks to buck recent history-rollcall:  As usual this time of year, the House majority is trying to rally its troops to pass 12 of the annual appropriations bills before the August break, scheduled to begin July 29.

Biden OKs health care-focused budget pact struck in Senate

Biden OKs health care-focused budget pact struck in Senate-rollcall:  President Joe Biden on Friday endorsed a plan hatched by two key Senate Democrats to pass a budget reconciliation package that would help lower the cost of prescription drugs and protect millions of households from health insurance premium spikes, even if it leaves out important clean energy priorities

How one House Republican voted to impeach Trump and (maybe) kept his seat

How one House Republican voted to impeach Trump and (maybe) kept his seat-politico:  Most of the 10 House Republicans who backed Donald Trump’s second impeachment have faced the career-threatening consequences of his wrath. Not David Valadao.

Election officials fear copycat attacks as ‘insider threats’ loom

Election officials fear copycat attacks as ‘insider threats’ loom-politico:  Election officials are confronting a wave of threats and security challenges coming from a troubling source: inside the election system itself.

The 20 counties that will decide the midterms

The 20 counties that will decide the midterms-politico:  The United States has more than 3,000 counties. But with its population increasingly sorting into solidly blue or comfortably red territory, the number of truly contested regions is just a tiny fraction of that total.

‘I don't think we should be talking ourselves into a recession,’ Commerce secretary says

‘I don't think we should be talking ourselves into a recession,’ Commerce secretary says-politico:  Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo on Sunday said the U.S. can stave off a recession, despite concerns that the Federal Reserve’s tightening of interest rates to combat inflation could spur an economic downturn.

Dems' climate and tax agenda to consume Congress in July

Dems' climate and tax agenda to consume Congress in July-politico:  Democrats are taking tangible steps towards a deal on their party’s signature spending bill, expecting the proposal to dominate the rest of July and hoping it could reshape their political fortunes after six months of stasis.

For chips and budget packages, Democrats face choices

For chips and budget packages, Democrats face choices-rollcall: Much of official Washington and interested observers outside the Beltway have been attempting to parse Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s bombshell last Thursday that appeared to drive a stake into bipartisan talks to pass a package of domestic semiconductor manufacturing incentives this summer.

Meet the GOP deal-makers-in-waiting who Dems may find essential in 2023

Meet the GOP deal-makers-in-waiting who Dems may find essential in 2023-politico:  Reps. Kelly Armstrong and Hakeem Jeffries started their unlikely sentencing reform partnership from a predictable place: screaming at each other in a Judiciary Committee hearing.

Senate drafts last-ditch drug pricing plan ahead of midterms

Senate drafts last-ditch drug pricing plan ahead of midterms-rollcall:  Senate Democrats are scraping together a last-minute plan to let Medicare negotiate prices directly with manufacturers for some prescription drugs ahead of the midterm elections, according to a summary of the plan obtained by CQ Roll Call.

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson sworn in to Supreme Court

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson sworn in to Supreme Court-politico:  Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was sworn in on Thursday, the culmination of her historic ascension as the first black woman to claim a seat on the nation’s highest court.