Trump declares opioid epidemic a public health crisis but doesn’t add any additional funds

Oct 26, 2017
President Donald Trump has long promised to declare the opioid crisis in America a national emergency, freeing up more federal resources to fight the epidemic. Today turned out to the be the day. At the White House this afternoon, the president directed acting Health Secretary Eric Hargan to declare a public health emergency under the […]

Republicans are trying out different ideas for bringing in revenue

Oct 23, 2017
It’s been a busy few days on the tax-and-budget front in Washington, D.C. Late last week, the Senate passed a budget resolution for fiscal year 2018 that allows for $1.5 trillion in tax cuts over the next 10 years. Republican leaders in the House want to vote on it this week. It’s a blueprint for […]

The latest Senate budget deal is approved. Does tax reform come next?

Oct 20, 2017
A roundup of this week's business and economic news.
President Donald Trump (C), with Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (L) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R), delivers remarks during a meeting with members of Congress and his administration regarding tax reform in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on Sept. 5  in Washington, DC.
Shawn Thew-Pool/Getty Images

President Trump plans to declare the opioid epidemic a national emergency. What would that do?

Oct 20, 2017
Next week, President Donald Trump has said he plans to officially declare the opioid epidemic a national emergency. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 91 Americans die from an opioid overdose every day. States were given nearly $500 million in additional funding for opioid addiction treatment earlier this year – so what would […]

Trump won't certify Iran deal

Oct 13, 2017
President Donald Trump announced today he won’t certify Iran’s compliance with the 2015 nuclear agreement. The decision had been flagged in advance by administration officials. The next move is up to Congress. It has 60 days to decide whether or not to reimpose sanctions on Iran that were lifted by the 2015 deal. Any decision […]

If things are booming, does the economy need tax cuts?

Oct 11, 2017
In a tweet today, President Trump today took credit for the run-up in the stock market since the election. Then the president went on to say that “if Congress gives us the massive tax cuts (and reform) I am asking for, those numbers will grow by leaps and bounds.” Is there any evidence that the […]

If there has been a war on coal, Obama’s Clean Power Plan was never the main front

Oct 10, 2017
The Environmental Protection Agency has started the process to repeal the Clean Power Plan, an Obama-era measure to reduce emissions from power plants. In his announcement, Scott Pruitt characterized the repeal as an end to a “war on coal.” But in the real world of energy markets, not a whole lot is expected to change. […]

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Cost of military transgender care in the spotlight

Oct 10, 2017
The future of transgender members of the military remains unclear after President Donald Trump signed a memo barring transgender recruits from serving in the military. The Department of Defense is now reviewing the issue.
39-year-old transgender veteran Ashley Register stands outside her Dover, Delaware home.

 
Megan Pauly/ Delaware Public Media

When it comes to immigration, family ties may no longer bind

Oct 9, 2017
The White House sent Congress a letter yesterday, outlining what it wants in immigration reform. The list of White House wants was long. Just a few items: ending funding for so-called sanctuary cities, the completion of construction of President Trump’s wall along the Mexican border, and reducing the number of refugees the U.S. admits each […]

The rules on government business travel continue to plague the Trump administration

Oct 9, 2017
A travel scandal has already caused one Trump administration official to step down. The Secretary of Health and Human Services resigned just over a week ago. Now, more reports from Politico on travel by Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke have prompted an investigation of his travel as well. Click the audio player above to hear the […]