March 20, 2017
The First Draft of Obamacare Repeal Is a Good Place to Start
(This originally appeared in The Hill) It is said that journalism is the first draft of history. In the same vein, legislation that first passes the House is usually the first draft of the law. And the Senate is the...
March 17, 2017
What County Are You From?
“What county are you from?” my father asked the waitress in his faux Irish brogue. “Cook” she replied drily. That story would set my brothers off in convulsions of laughter. In the early-80’s, my Dad went through an Irish renaissance. ...
March 15, 2017
Twisting Arms and Other Legislative Terms of Art
As the Republicans work to pass a budget, Obamacare replacement, and corporate tax reform in the next several months, here are some useful insider terms that might be bandied about by Members and staff alike as the process moves forward....
March 14, 2017
Robert Foster’s Folly
Shortly after the Medicare Modernization Act was signed into law, it was revealed that an actuary from the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert Foster, had computed that the actual cost of the legislation would be $540 billion, not...
March 13, 2017
Robert E. Kelley’s children
(Also Published in The Hill) The video captured the imagination of internet denizens the world over. An expert on South Korean foreign policy, Robert E. Kelley, is speaking via Skype to the BBC, when he is joined by his 5-year-old...
March 8, 2017
Replacing Obamacare
“We’re very, very united on repeal, not so much on replace, and so I think the real problem is adding replacement to the repeal bill,” Rand Paul told CNN. “I think the repeal bill probably won’t pass unless we take replacement...