It's a done deal: Pres. Trump celebrates after Congress wraps up massive tax package

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump cheered a massive overhaul of U.S. tax laws Wednesday, saying "we broke every record."Flanked by Republican lawmakers, the president took a bow outside the White House shortly after the House finished its last-minute re-vote to pass the $1.5 trillion bill that provides generous tax cuts for corporations and the wealthiest Americans while providing smaller cuts for middle- and low-income families.Democrats call the legislation a boon to the rich that leaves middle-class and working Americans behind.President Trump said the effort had "been an amazing experience" and claimed it resulted in "the largest tax cut in the history of our country."Actually, President Trump's cuts are nowhere near the largest in U.S. historyThe vote was 224-201 and came hours after the Senate's early morning passage along party-lines.Republicans cheered when the vote tally hit the magic number for passage, and again when the final vote was announced.

Paul Ryan tells GOP he has no intention of quitting Speaker's job

WASHINGTON — House Speaker Paul Ryan has told fellow Republicans he has no intention to step down.In a closed-door meeting with rank-and-file members on Tuesday, Ryan indicated that it made no sense to leave "when we're winning and have the momentum."That's according to Rep.

In Kenosha, group urges Ryan, Pelosi to release names of lawmakers who've settled harassment suits

KENOSHA -- A group is calling for House Speaker Paul Ryan and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to take the next step in an ongoing controversy.The group "National Action Network" gathered outside Ryan's office in Kenosha Monday morning, December 11th.They're urging congressional leaders to release the names of federal lawmakers who have settled harassment lawsuits using public money.The group came from Michigan from the district of former Congressman John Conyers, who recently resigned after allegations came to light.

Speaker Paul Ryan: House to require lawmakers to get training to prevent sexual harassment

WASHINGTON — Speaker Paul Ryan has announced that the House will adopt a policy requiring all members of Congress and their staffs to undergo training to prevent sexual harassment.The announcement comes shortly after the Committee on House Administration held a hearing during which two female lawmakers shared stories about current members of Congress engaging in sexual harassment.Ryan says in a statement, "our goal is not only to raise awareness, but also make abundantly clear that harassment in any form has no place in this institution."Earlier Tuesday, Rep.

Report: Paul Ryan challenger paid off delinquent child support

MILWAUKEE — A Democratic challenger to Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan paid off delinquent child support two months after entering the race, a newspaper reported Tuesday.The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported union ironworker Randy Bryce, who calls himself "Iron Stache" and has emphasized his blue-collar background, was delinquent on paying his child support for nearly two years.The state placed a lien on Bryce's property holdings in September 2015 because he had fallen behind on his child support.

20 GOP House members press Speaker Ryan to act quickly on DACA legislation

WASHINGTON — Nearly two dozen House Republicans are pressing Speaker Paul Ryan to act quickly on legislation protecting some 800,000 young immigrants brought illegally to the United States as children.The lawmakers say efforts to grant such deportation protection would easily pass the House, with dozens of Republicans set to join with Democrats in backing any bill.The status of these immigrants is uncertain.

"This will be a game-changer:" GOP tax plan slashes corporate rate, cut for wealthy

WASHINGTON — With fanfare and a White House kickoff, House Republicans unfurled a broad tax-overhaul plan Thursday that would touch virtually all Americans and the economy's every corner, mingling sharply lower rates for corporations and reduced personal taxes for many with fewer deductions for home-buyers and families with steep medical bills.The measure, which would be the most extensive rewrite of the nation's tax code in three decades, is the product of a party that faces increasing pressure to produce a marquee legislative victory of some sort before next year's elections.

Speaker Ryan: Senate is biggest obstacle to passing tax cut

MADISON — House Speaker Paul Ryan said Monday that the biggest obstacle to passing a Republican-authored federal tax overhaul plan is the GOP-controlled Senate because of its narrow majority, but he believes it will prevail this year with bipartisan support.Ryan told the audience at a Wisconsin chamber of commerce luncheon that he remains "bullish" on the $6 trillion tax cut plan passing yet this year because Republicans in both the Senate and House "more or less agree on this, on how it should go.""We spent four months negotiating with the Senate and the White House, what tax reform would look like, at the front end of the situation, at the front end of the process so we can nail the landing at the end of the year," Ryan said. "So I am far more bullish."Ryan's comments came as President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell pledged after a White House meeting on Monday to work together on overhauling taxes.

Speaker Paul Ryan backs President Trump on ending health insurance subsidies

MADISON — House Speaker Paul Ryan says he does not want to "shovel more money at a failing program" to replace federal subsidies that President Donald Trump is eliminating that help make health insurance more affordable.Ryan told reporters Monday that he supports the president's decision last week to end the subsidies.