- If the Senate GOP can pass their tax reform package by the end of this week, then they may be able to get a tax bill to President Donald Trump‘s desk by the end of 2017. If not, then the bill could slip into next year [Politico].
- The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office says the Senate GOP tax plan would give big tax breaks to Americans making more than $100,000 a year and add $1.4 trillion to the deficit over the next ten years. Those earning less than $100,000 per year would be worse off [Washington Post].
- The government will run out of money on December 8 unless Congress can pass a new spending measure. Congressional leaders are exploring the idea of adopting a short-term funding package to push the deadline back until late December [Washington Post].
- What’s next for President Trump if Congress can pass tax reform? Nobody seems to know [Politico].
- Nearly a dozen states, including Utah, are bracing for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to run out of money. Five states will run out of funding by the end of the year. Congress seems to be in no hurry to reauthorize the popular program [The Hill].
- Congress is bracing for more sexual harassment allegations to come to light [New York Times].
- Congressional Democrats are in a tough spot with the revelations about the claims of sexual harassment against Michigan Rep. John Conyers. Conyers has stepped down as the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee [Politico].
- Now four women have said they were groped or sexually harassed by Democratic Sen. Al Franken. Franken says he is ashamed but has no plans to step down from office [Minneapolis Star-Tribune].
- It sure as heck looks like Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is readying to run for president in 2020 [Politico].
- Time is running out for Congress to take steps to secure the nation’s voting systems from hackers ahead of the 2018 midterm elections [Politico].
- The current acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has filed suit to prevent President Donald Trump from appointing current White House budget director Mick Mulvaney to temporarily head the agency [Washington Post].
- Melania Trump really, really, really did not want to become First Lady [Vanity Fair].
- George H.W. Bush is now the longest-living U.S. President in history [Time].
- It’s Cyber Monday. Here are some of this year’s best deals for online shoppers [CNN].
On this day in history:
- 1973 – The U.S. Senate votes 92-3 to confirm Gerald Ford as Vice President.
- 1978 – In San Francisco Mayor Geoge Moscone and openly gay city supervisor Harvey Milk are assassinated by former supervisor Dan White.
