As prices fall at the pump, some U.S. lawmakers eye gas tax hike
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – As U.S. gasoline prices plunge to the lowest level in more than five years, some U.S. lawmakers see a golden opportunity to bump up taxes at the pump to help pay for the repair of crumbling roads and bridges.
Connecticut governor seeks transportation funding in second term
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy said on Wednesday that he wants to create a “lock box” for transportation funding because states that do not invest in infrastructure will face long-term economic struggles.
Obama touts auto bailout success, Michigan worries about trade
WAYNE, Mich. (Reuters) – President Barack Obama, on a trip to unveil elements of his State of the Union address, took a victory lap in Michigan on Wednesday to tout his support of the auto industry, but concerns about trade policies hung in the backgro…
U.S. House fails to pass Republican bill diluting Dodd-Frank reforms
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives failed on Wednesday to round up enough votes for a bill scaling back various financial reforms, a surprising defeat in an area conservatives hoped to prioritize this year.
White House to release Obama’s 2016 budget on Feb. 2: OMB
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The White House will release President Barack Obama’s budget for fiscal year 2016 on Feb. 2, a spokeswoman said on Wednesday, meeting a deadline set under law that the White House has often missed in the past.
U.S. senator urges tighter screening for all airport workers
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Employees at U.S. airports should face tighter security screening, a U.S. senator and a New York prosecutor said on Wednesday, two weeks after a baggage handler was charged with helping to smuggle 153 guns onto flights from Atlan…
Maine governor wants to end state income tax, shrink government
AUGUSTA, Maine (Reuters) – Maine’s Republican Governor Paul LePage, a famously combative Tea Party favorite who recently won a second term, vowed on Wednesday to eliminate the state income tax and to “right-size” government to heat up the state’s chill…
New Hampshire lawmakers allow concealed handguns on statehouse floor
MANCHESTER, N.H. (Reuters) – Concealed guns will again be allowed in the main chamber of the New Hampshire State House, after lawmakers voted on Wednesday to overturn a ban put in place two years earlier.
U.S. House votes to renew terrorism insurance program
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. House of Representatives voted on Wednesday to reauthorize a federal terrorism insurance program sought by insurers and owners of sports stadiums and shopping malls, after lawmakers let it expire at the end of 2014.
Republicans target security funding to fight Obama on immigration
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Republicans in the House of Representatives are pursuing a strategy to choke off funding for President Barack Obama’s recent immigration order that could force a shutdown for parts of the Department of Homeland Security.
