It’s Day Three for the Gorsuch Supreme Court Hearing
Obamacare. The U.S. House is expected to vote Thursday on repealing and replacing much of the Affordable Care Act. The vote would come on the seventh anniversary of Barack Obama signing the Affordable Care Act into law. The bill, which has been revised to try to bring more conservative Republicans on board, would let states require able-bodied Medicaid recipients without dependents to work. Trump has told Republicans they might lose their seats in 2018 if they don’t vote for the bill.
Confirmation hearings. Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch told senators in the second day of his confirmation hearing that he would have “no difficulty” ruling against or for any party. Gorsuch was also asked about his views on torture and his ties to Colorado billionaire Phil Anschutz.
Ebola. Trump wants to kill off a program at the National Institutes of Health that helped contain the Ebola outbreak. The Fogarty International Center in Bethesda, Md., has a budget of $69.1 million. It funds research for Ebola, AIDS, and other diseases.
Sanctuary cities. U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta (R-Penn.) is trying to cut off federal funds to states and local governments that don’t comply with Trump’s crackdown on rounding up undocumented immigrants. His bill, H.R. 83, would cut off funds for at least a year to sanctuary cities. The bill has been referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency lists about 300 sanctuary cities and other local governments. A Trump executive order says sanctuary cities “are not eligible to receive federal grants” except for law enforcement. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly are in charge of enforcing this.