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After 21 weeks at the controls of the White House and both chambers of the U.S. Congress, President Donald Trump and his Republicans have yet to pass major legislation into law and are short on time to do so before Washington's long summer recess.

The House of Representatives reconvened on Tuesday. It will be in session for the next nine weekdays, along with the Senate, which reconvened on Monday. Both chambers will take a break from July 1-9, then return and work July 10-28. After that, Capitol Hill will be quiet through the annual August vacation.

Trump set high expectations as a candidate and early in his presidency, promising to repeal and replace Obamacare, invest in infrastructure and work to cut taxes and regulations. These pledges have helped fuel a powerful stock market rally.

Trump's only big domestic policy win, aside from killing a handful of Obama-era regulations, has been Senate approval 10 weeks ago of a new Supreme Court justice. The White House has not sent Congress a legislative proposal on any major issue.

Trump has been swamped by investigations into possible ties between his campaign and alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

In Congress, the House has approved an Obamacare rollback bill, but it has stalled in the Senate. On Tuesday, Vice President Mike Pence predicted a Republican healthcare bill would be enacted by the end of summer.

Competing tax reform plans have divided Republicans in both chambers. No firm infrastructure plan has emerged, and lawmakers have not yet formulated a budget plan for 2018.

Urgent budget deadlines will follow the August break, and later in the year, lawmakers will begin focusing on the 2018 congressional elections.

Here is a look at key dates coming up.

June 20: Special House elections in Georgia and South Carolina.

June 30: Congress starts Independence Day break.

July 7-8: Trump attends G20 summit in Germany, his first face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

July 28: Congress adjourns for five-week summer recess.

July-August: U.S. Treasury may no longer be able to postpone the federal debt limit, although this may not arrive until late 2017.

Sept. 5: Congress reconvenes.

Sept. 30: End of federal fiscal year 2017. Without congressional action, funding for many programs will expire.

Oct. 1: Start of federal fiscal year 2018. Current federal spending deal expires. Without a new deal, the federal government could shut down.

(Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and Lisa Von Ahn)

WASHINGTON Legislation to impose new sanctions on Russia and Iran that passed the U.S. Senate nearly unanimously last week has run into a procedural problem that could prevent a quick vote in the House of Representatives, lawmakers said on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON The U.S. Justice Department has launched a 12-city partnership to combat spikes in violent crime as part of President Donald Trump's vow to support law enforcement, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said on Tuesday.

Read more:
Factbox: Time slipping by for Trump, Republicans on domestic goals - Reuters

A bill that slaps new sanctions on Russia, and passed the Senate almost unanimously, has hit a major stumbling block in the House.

Rep. Kevin BradyKevin BradyHouse Republicans block Russia sanctions bill New border adjustment tax would amount to a trillion tax hike on consumers Club for Growth bashes border tax ahead of Ryan speech MORE (R-Texas) said the legislation has been flagged by the House parliamentarian as a "blue slip" violation, referring to the constitutional requirement that revenue bills originate in the House.

"The House obviously will actto preserve the Constitution. Or the Senate can take thebillback, make the updates to it, and bring it back and move forward from that direction," Brady told reporterson Tuesday.

Brady, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, pushed back against suggestions that House GOP leadership is trying to delay the bill, stressing that he thought the Senate legislation was "sound policy."

"I am confident working with the Senate and Chairman [Ed] Royce that we can move this legislation forward. So at the end of the day, this isnt a policy issue, its not a partisan issue, it is a Constitutional issue that we will address," he toldreporters.

A spokesperson for Royce didn't immediatelyrespond to request for comment.

AshLee Strong, a spokeswoman for House Speaker Paul RyanPaul RyanIronworker announces run against Paul Ryan: 'Let's trade places' House Republicans block Russia sanctions bill Overnight Finance: Ryan wants tax reform to be permanent | White House expects tax bill ready by September | Defense spending battle delays budget MORE (R-Wis.)said,"The Senate bill cannot be considered in the House its current form."

"The chair of the Ways and Means Committee, in consultation with the House Parliamentarian, has determined that the Senate sanctions bill as passed is in violation of the origination clause of the Constitution, commonly referred to as a 'blue slip' problem," she said.

She addedthat Ryan strongly supports sanctions and "we will determine the next course of action after speaking with our Senate colleagues."

An aide for Sen. Bob CorkerBob CorkerHouse Republicans block Russia sanctions bill US weighs travel ban on North Korea: report GOP senator: ObamaCare repeal bill coming Thursday MORE (R-Tenn.), who was deeply involved in negotiating the Senatedeal, said that the House has raised "concerns with one of the final provisions" of the bill.

"Now that we fully understand the issue raised today, we are working closely with them to further resolve the matter. We are confident we can find a path forward," the staffer said.

The aide for Corker didn't immediately respond to a question about what the "final provisions" included. Asked specifically what provision of the House bill got flagged as a "blue slip" violation, a spokeswoman for Brady referred back to his comments to reporters.

"The House has always, in a bipartisan way, followed protocol to avoid Origination Clause violations. It's the Constitution. It's pretty straightforward," a senior GOP aide added.

But the decision is soundingalarmbells among Democrats, who are warning that Republicans could be trying to delay the bill amid pushback from the Trump administration.

Senate Minority Leader Charles SchumerCharles SchumerDems step up attacks on GOP ObamaCare bill Live coverage: Senate Dems hold talkathon to protest GOP health plan GOP exploiting Virginia shooting in Georgia election MORE (D-N.Y.) lambasted the move, arguing they're using the procedural roadblock to cover for Trump, "who has been far too soft on Russia."

"Responding to Russias assault on our democracy should be a bipartisan issue that unites both Democrats and Republicans in the House and the Senate. The House Republicans need to pass this bill as quickly as possible," he said.

Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, added that Republicans could easilywork aroundthe violation by introducing anindentionHouse bill.

[But] I predict this isn't the last excuse we'll hear for trying to slow this bill's momentum, but make no mistake, anything short of an up-or-down vote on this tough sanctionspackage is an attempt to let Russia off the hook," he said.

Sen. Ben CardinBen CardinDems are limited in their ability to slow ObamaCare vote House Republicans block Russia sanctions bill Overnight Finance: Ryan seeks manufacturing muscle for tax reform | Warren targets Wells Fargo board | Senators raise concerns over Russian takeover of Citgo | Pelosi hits GOP for budget delays MORE (D-Md.) stressed that he didn't think the Senate bill actually had a "blueslip"issue,but echoed Engel noting they it could be "easily corrected" by using a House bill.

"What theHousemany times believes [is] that if there's any fine in thelegislation ... that's a revenue measure, and therefore that comes under the blue slip," he said. "I don't believethat's a part of this bill, but I know the House has raised this in the past."

Headded, "If you take that logic, the Senate could neverinitiate any sanctions legislation."

The Senate passed the legislation last week, marking its most significant check on the Trump administrations foreign policy, which has flirted with lifting sanctions ina bidto entice Moscow into an agreement.

The legislation would impose a range of new sanctions, including on any individuals tied to "malicious cyber activity," supplying weapons to Syrian President Bashar Assad's government or any that are tied to Russia's intelligence and defense sectors.

It would also give Congress 30 days or 60 days around the August recess to review and potentially block Trump from lifting or relaxing Russia sanctions, codify the sanctions on Russia imposed by executive order by the Obama administration and allow the Trump administration to impose new sanctions on sectors of the Russian economy.

It also includes new sanctions targeting Irans ballistic missile development, support for terrorism, transfer of weapons and human rights violations.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson appeared to use a House Foreign Affairs hearing this week to telegraph concerns about the bill, warning lawmakers against undercutting constructive dialogue with Russia.

"I would urge Congress to ensure any legislation allows the president to have the flexibility to adjust sanctions," he told lawmakers.

See the original post here:
House Republicans block Russia sanctions bill - The Hill (blog)

5.Held onto major business conflict of interest holdings after winning the presidency. Jimmy Carter had to sell his peanut farm. Ethics experts urged Trump to liquidate his business holdings, but all Trump would do was place them in a trust controlled by his children where he still holds a long-term interest.

6. Conducted eight congressional inquirieson Benghazi to smear political opponents in order to win elections, with nothing ever found. Estimates for the last investigation alone are between $7to $20 million.

7. Held the debt ceiling hostage causing Standard & Poors to downgrade the countrys creditratingfor the first time ever.

8. Won an election after an assault charge.Republican Greg Gianforte won the Montana seat to the House of Representativesafter assaulting a reporter the night before the election. Perhaps whats even more disgusting is the $50,000resolution of the issue, suggesting that we already have two justice systems in our country:one for the wealthy where you can pay your way outand one for everyone else.

9.Redistricted eightstates to win a 235 to 201 advantage in the House of Representatives in 2012 despite Barack Obama being elected president by nearly 3.5 million more votes. This was a result of a corporate special interest project called the Redistricting Majority Project. By pumping $30 million into state races to win the legislatures, Republicans redrew state maps in states such as Arizona, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Texas, Florida, and Ohio to place all of the Democrats into just a few districts. While gerrymandering has been done before by Democrats, it has never been done this badly and on this scale. I have a standing $100 bet that I can pick all 27 of the Ohio and North Carolina races in advance (permanently rigged 21 to 6 in favor of Republicans). No one has taken the money bet yet but I have won a few beers in both 2014 and 2016 from people who didnt think it could possibly be this rigged. It is.

10.Stripped power from a newly elected Democratic governor (because he was a Democrat). Only this year, much of this legislative power grab has been ruled unconstitutional by the North Carolina Supreme Court.

11. Lied us into the Iraq War at a cost of $2 trillion. The oil industry behind the lies? Theyre now in charge of the state department.

12. Created a system so corporate special interestscould bypass state legislatures. The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is a corporate organization that drafts laws and then passes them on to Republican legislatorsto implement. Need legislation drafted? No need to go through a lobbyist to reach state legislatures any more. Just contact ALEC.

13.Shut down the government because the Democratic Party wouldnt defund the Affordable Care Act.

14. Received an endorsement from Alex Jones, Americas leading conspiracy theorist.

15. Used the Un-American Activities Committee in the House to make accusations of treason and disloyalty with insufficient evidence(Joseph McCarthy).

16.Pushed the birther conspiracy. Before the election, more than two-thirdsof registered Republicans had doubts about whether or not the President was born in the United States.

17. Chose party over politics and declared they would refuse to do anything for eightyears of Barack Obamas presidency for partisan reasons. Basically, Republicans became the party of nogovernance.

18.Prevented a Supreme Court Justice appointee from coming up for a vote for an entire year.

19. Removed a rate decrease that would have helpedfirst-time and low-income homeowners.

20.Increased taxes for 99 percentof Americansby letting Barack Obamas payroll tax cut expire. This increased taxes by $1,000/year for aperson earning $50,000/year. Whenever you hear the phrase tax cuts, remember that they are only for the 1 percent. To offset the lost revenue, they will raise your taxes. Whats really going on is tax shiftingRepublicans shift the burden off those at the top and onto everyone else.

21.Refused to release tax returns. Donald Trump is the first person to run for president in 50 years who didnt release his tax returns. Every candidate since the days of Richard Nixon including Nixon released his tax returns.

22. Bugged Democratic headquarters and tried to cover it up.

At least he never profited from his political machinations in the Watergate scandal.

23. Fired the FBI chiefwho was investigating Russian involvement in their presidential campaign. Remember when conservatives lost their shit because Bill Clinton metLoretta Lynch on an airport tarmac? Imagine if Hillary Clinton had taken Lynch out to dinner, asked for a loyalty vow, and suggested she end the email investigationthen, when she refused, fired her. Because, just to be clear, this is what happened with Trump and James Comey.

24. Banned use of the terms climate change or global warming in Florida. This unwritten policy went into effect at the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) after Republican Governor Rick Scott was elected in 2011. Freedom?

25. Put climate change on a list of terms that the Energy Department shouldnt use. Seeing as how successful threatening peoples jobs provedin Florida, the new Trump Energy Department under Rick Perry, a guy who once argued that the Energy Department should be shut down, also told their staff not to use climate change. This is really nothing though compared to the EPA funding cuts, other various edicts such as telling scientists not to use the social costs of carbon in economic analyses, and proposals to block the EPA from using science to set pollution limits.

26. Banned federal funding for research on gun violence at the urging of the corporate special interest National Rifle Association (NRA). After the Center for Disease Control (CDC) released research demonstrating that having firearms in the home sharply increased the risk of homicide, Congress passed legislation forbidding the CDC from spending any money to advocate or promote gun control.Lets get thisstraight:advocating or promoting gun ownership is fine, but any research that might indicate it causes social problems such as homicides or increased gun violence is forbidden? And this is called freedom?

27. Outed a CIA agent as political retribution. While still a covert agent, officials in the Bush administration leaked Valerie Plames name to journalist Robert Novak after her husband criticized the Bush Administration. President George Bush later commutedScooter Libbys prison sentence.

28.Sold arms to the Iranians in exchange for the release of hostages, despite campaign promises to never negotiate with terrorists. This would become know as the Iran-Contra affair when it was discovered that government officials had diverted $18 million secretly to insurgents in Nicaragua known as the Contras.

29. Were describedas a real opportunity for people like white nationalists by the leader of the American Nazi Party.

30. Cited a bible verse calling for President Obama to be killed, his wife widowed, and his children orphaned. Kansas House Speaker Mike ONeal forwardedthe following bible verse in an email referring to Barack Obama:

Let his days be few; and let another take his office

May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow.

May his children be wandering beggars; may they be driven from their ruined homes.

May a creditor seize all he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his labor.

May no one extend kindness to him or take pity on his fatherless children.

ONeal added his own message:At last I can honestly voice a Biblical prayer for our president! Look it up it is word for word! Let us all bow our heads and pray. Brothers and Sisters, can I get an AMEN? AMEN!!!!!!

31. Attempted to gut the House Ethics Committee. One of the first actions of the Republican Congress under President Trump was trying to gut the House Ethics Committee. There was no advance notice or debate. The move received so much public backlash that they backed down twodays later.

32. Blew a hole so big in the budget deficit that a subsequent Republican president approved tax increases. Ronald Reagans tax cuts failed to increase revenue and added to the deficit. In 1990, twoyears into his term, President George H.W. Bush faced a $200 billion budget deficit. In response, he worked with a Democratic Congress on a budget that raised taxes to reduce the deficit.

33. Racially gerrymandered a state (North Carolina) for political gain. When your racist voter suppression law is even too racist for a Republican Supreme Court, you know its racist.

Coda

I could go on, but you get the idea: Republicans are the tip of the spear when it comes to corruption.

The next time you hear someone sayB-b-b-b-but Democrats ... dont let them get away with this idea that somehow both parties are the same. Share with them how Republicans lead on corruption.

David Akadjian is the author of The Little Book of Revolution: A Distributive Strategy for Democracy(now available as an ebook).

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33 things Republicans (and only Republicans) have done to blaze new trails of corruption - Daily Kos

Moments before masking her face with a bandana, a woman shouts at Denver Republicans preparing to take part in Denver's annual PrideFest Parade in a still from a video recorded by a volunteer at the parade on Sunday, June 18, 2017, in Cheesman Park in Denver. (Photo courtesy Denver Republican Party)

A masked protester accosted Denver Republicans preparing to take part in Sundays annual PrideFest Parade, yelling obscenities while attempting to remove a banner featuring a Donald Trump quotation from the county partys parade entry, the partys chairman told Colorado Politics.

We were prepared for a lot of hateful rhetoric, Denver County Republican Chairman Jake Viano said after the incident, which took place Sunday morning in the parade staging area at Cheesman Park. But Viano said he was stunned when a young woman approached the county partys float, an Audi convertible bedecked with a Trump quotation about protect[ing] LGBTQ citizens printed on a rainbow flag background.

We had just started rolling with the parade and were handing out literature, when all of a sudden this young lady rolls up, all dressed in black and throws her face mask on and starts yelling, Viano said, quoting a near-constant stream of obscenities, as three others dressed just like her stood on the periphery. Then she grabbed our lit out of the vehicle, along with a black bag and a glass bottle of juice she grabbed that and threw it on the ground, breaking the glass.

Viano said bystanders helped retrieve the county partys fliers, which reproduced the same Trump quotation depicted on the banners: As president, I will do everything in my power to protect LGBTQ citizens from attacks from the violence and oppression of a hateful foreign ideology. Donald Trump, July 21, 2016, at the RNC.

The woman tried to rip one of the banners from the side of the car but was unsuccessful, he said.

People accompanying a neighboring parade float pulled aside a couple of the women, Viano said, and toldthem to stop this nonsense.

Soon the women your typical Antifas, Viano said, describing them as white women in their early 20s with short-cropped hair, clad all in blank with bandanas covering their faces started heading south, away from the parade route.Viano said he had a 911 dispatcher on the phone for roughly 15 minutes as he followed the women while attempting to describe his location but later returned to the parade when the police never showed up.

We appreciate the police and the job that they do, but we really would have appreciated a response, Viano said. We didnt see anyone on foot or on bicycle, and they never called me back.

Viano said he plans to file a police report.

They were trying their best to quash our First Amendment rights, while we were using our First Amendment rights to show that we do not hate them, Viano said.

The Denver Police Departments on-call public information officer didnt immediately respond to an inquiry from Colorado Politics on Sunday afternoon.

Viano said the Denver Republicans float was received well on the parade route, which traveled along East Colfax Avenue to the state Capitol.

We had a warm welcome, he said. There were a couple sneers and jeers, but overall there were a lot of dropped jaws Wow, the Republicans dont hate gays!

Colorado Republican Party Chairman Jeff Hays was quick to condemn the incident.

This thug represents what we oppose: those who would resort to physical violence to take away our God-given freedoms, stifle our expression and rob us of our rights without having the moral courage to show who they really are, Hays said in a statement.

Viano said he the altercation saddened him as much as anything.

Its sad the degree of polarization weve reached in this country politically, he told Colorado Politics. Ultimately, Democrats and Republicans equally love their country just as much. We just have different philosophies. I would like to see the American people come together to work in conjunction to move this country forward in a positive way.

He added that the Denver Republicans will continue participating in future parades.

Theyre not scaring me off, he said, noting that he was handing out fliers along the parade route and at the PrideFest for hours.

Read more:
Masked protester accosts Denver Republicans displaying Trump quote at Colorado LGBT pride parade - Colorado Springs Gazette

By David Morgan | WASHINGTON

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump and Republican leaders in Congress will soon confront a complex challenge for tax reform: how to limit U.S. corporate tax avoidance schemes that take advantage of low tax rates in foreign countries.

Congressional and administration staff have begun to examine options to address profit-shifting schemes that include so-called transfer pricing, earnings stripping and tax inversions.

A decision on how to handle these in tax legislation could come before Congress leaves town for its one-week July 4 recess on June 29, officials and lobbyists said.

Lawmakers say the current tax code incentivizes profit shifting overseas because of the high 35 percent U.S. corporate income tax rate and rules that allow companies to hold profits abroad tax free until returned to U.S. soil.

Without effective measures against tax avoidance, experts and lobbyists said tax legislation could trigger a new exodus of income and assets abroad. Because Trump and Republicans in Congress also want to end U.S. taxes on foreign earnings, companies could eliminate their U.S. tax bills altogether without restrictions.

Tax reduction strategies have been employed for decades by companies including Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O), Apple Inc (AAPL.O) and Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O).

Independent analysts estimate the federal government misses out on more than $100 billion a year in corporate tax revenues as a result of tax reduction maneuvers. That is equal to one-third of the $300 billion in annual corporate tax revenues.

Many schemes seek lower corporate tax bills through "transfer pricing" - using transactions between business units to shift income abroad. The shift often coincides with the transfer of intangible assets such as intellectual property to low-tax nations where companies can expect single-digit tax rates.

Last week, Senate Finance Committee Democrats asked Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to leave in place regulations adopted under President Barack Obama to combat earnings stripping and tax inversions.

Companies use earnings stripping to shift income abroad as tax-deductible interest payments to foreign affiliates.

Inversions are international mergers in which U.S. companies move their headquarters to foreign countries with low taxes, if only on paper, to lower their U.S. tax bills.

Companies have accumulated some $2.6 trillion in abroad, equivalent to more than three-quarters of the $3.3 trillion in annual government receipts expected this year.

BORDER-ADJUSTMENT TAX

But the most effective measures against corporate tax avoidance schemes, including House Speaker Paul Ryan's controversial border-adjustment tax, or BAT, have proved unpopular, raising the possibility that tax legislation could simply cut the corporate tax rate to 15 percent to reduce the advantages offered by foreign tax havens.

Aside from BAT, which taxes imports but not exports, tax reform discussions are also looking at a minimum tax on profits from tax havens, a tax on intangible income and other measures to discourage companies from shifting profits to low-tax countries where they do little actual business, according to aides and lobbyists.

Lobbyists said none of the options have enjoyed consensus support in Congress. Meanwhile, the idea of a simple rate cut does not sit well with House Republican leaders.

"Even with a low rate, we'll continue to see U.S. jobs and research and headquarters move overseas," said House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady, a leading BAT proponent.

Experts warn that the 15 percent rate sought by Trump is well above a 5 percent effective rate that some corporations pay in countries like Ireland, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.

Brady and Ryan are expected to address the issue in coming weeks with Mnuchin, White House economic adviser Gary Cohn, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch. The six are trying to forge legislation that could be unveiled as early as September.

Trump has pledged the biggest tax overhaul since Ronald Reagan. But Republican infighting over healthcare has delayed the timetable.

(Reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

LONDON Britain's International Trade Secretary Liam Fox said he would meet U.S. trade leaders in Washington on Sunday to talk about the possibility of signing a free trade deal between the two countries soon after Britain leaves the European Union.

LONDON Britain needs a seamless Brexit transition to support jobs and investment by ensuring a new customs arrangement with the European Union that avoids bureaucratic delays to trade, finance minister Philip Hammond said on Sunday.

Read this article:
Republicans debating remedies for corporate tax avoidance - Reuters