CBO releases score of bipartisan gun safety bill showing legislation fully paid for
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) on Wednesday released a cost estimate showing the bipartisan gun safety legislation unveiled the previous day would be fully paid for, the latest boost to the prospects of its passage. The CBO projected the bill would reduce the deficit over ten years by $154 million, with a congressional aide noting that “the legislation is paid for by delaying the implementation for one year of a Trump-era rule relating to eliminating the anti-kickback statute safe harbor protection for prescri
Read MoreDefense & National Security — House panel advances defense spending bill
The House Appropriations Committee held a markup of its defense spending plan, approving a $761 billion bill for fiscal year 2023. At the same time, the House Armed Services Committee is holding negotiations on the annual military authorization bill. We’ll share what’s in both bills, plus Ukraine’s latest pleas for more weapons from the West and delays in the Jan. 6 hearings. This is Defense & National Security, your nightly guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond. For The Hill, I’m
Read MoreUvalde school police chief placed on administrative leave
The Uvalde school system on Wednesday placed school police chief Pete Arredondo on administrative leave, following controversy over how he handled the police response to a mass shooting last month that left 19 children and two adults dead. Hal Harrell, the superintendent of the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District, said in a statement the school had originally wanted to wait until an investigation into the incident was completed, but as of Wednesday he was "still without details of the investigations being conducted by various agencies." "Because of the lack o
Read MoreBiden officials to expand monkeypox testing amid fears of undercounting
The Biden administration announced Wednesday that it is expanding monkeypox testing to commercial laboratories amid fears that the country is undercounting monkeypox cases because of insufficient testing. The Department of Health and Human Services announced that it began shipping moneypox tests this week to five private testing companies: Aegis Science, Labcorp, Mayo Clinic Laboratories, Quest Diagnostics and Sonic Healthcare. The testing through these companies will begin in early July, HHS said. “These commercial laboratories will dramati
Read MoreHouse committee votes to up Biden defense budget plan by $37B
The House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday voted to approve approximately $37 billion more in military spending than President Biden proposed. During a markup of the annual National Defense Authorization Act, the committee voted 42 to 17 to increase top-line spending from $802 billion to about $840 billion. The increase, which was opposed by committee Chairman Adam Smith (D-Wash.), was proposed in an amendment sponsored by Democratic Reps. Jared Golden (Maine) and Elaine Luria (Va.). The billions of extra dollars would go toward more aircraft, ships, ass
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