House Votes Again to Shift Sequester to Non-Defense
The House voted Thursday to protect the Department of Defense from across-the-board cuts going into effect Jan. 2. Like a bill the House passed in May, the plan would require deeper cuts in non-defense...
View ArticleSenate GOP Stymies Vets Jobs Bill over Price Tag
President Obama’s Veterans Job Corps initiative was blocked in the Senate Wednesday when Republicans defeated a procedural vote. The legislation would have authorized $900 million to employ veterans in...
View ArticleSenate Plans Weekend Vote on 6-Month Spending Bill
The Senate is moving toward a vote this weekend on a continuing resolution to fund the government through March. The House passed the bill last week. ♦
View ArticleReid: Senators In ‘Serious,’ Bipartisan Fiscal Fix Talks
Eight senators are negotiating a compromise deal to address the “fiscal cliff” that will hit in January when across-the-board spending cuts go into effect and Bush-era tax cuts expire, according to...
View ArticleBipartisan Senate Bill Aims for Workforce Accountability
A new bipartisan bill in the Senate would establish a pilot pay-for-performance program for workforce programs and encourage consolidation of federal training initiatives. Sens. Rob Portman (R-Ohio)...
View ArticleHouse, Senate Leaders Announce 2013 Schedules
The House will continue its three- to four-day DC workweeks in 2013, according to the schedule released by House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.). The Senate plans to be in session five days a week,...
View ArticleReid Plans Vote This Month on Sequester Replacement
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) outlined a plan Thursday to replace the $85 billion in government-wide spending cuts slated to go into effect March 1 and said he plans a vote on the bill at...
View ArticleSenate Appropriations Assigns Subcommittees
The Senate Appropriations Committee formally announced its subcommittee assignments this week. Members of the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies are listed...
View ArticleCasey Becomes Chair of Key HELP Subcommittee
Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) will now chair the Health, Labor, Employment, and Pensions Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety after Sen. Patty Murray stepped down from the post this week. “I will...
View ArticleObama Restarts Sequestration Talks One Week Out
President Obama made calls this week to House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to see if a deal can be reached to avoid the automatic cuts scheduled to go...
View ArticleStopgap Spending Bill Awaits President’s Signature; Hill Moving on Separate...
The House on Thursday quickly approved a fiscal 2013 continuing resolution to keep the government open through Sept. 30, sending the bill to President Obama for his signature. The stopgap spending...
View ArticleHarkin Wants ‘Prompt’ Perez Vetting; GOP Bringing Up Host of Past Issues
President Obama’s nominee for labor secretary will begin meeting with key Senators when they return to Washington in early April. Even though Tom Perez was previously confirmed by the Senate for his...
View ArticleConfirmation Hearing: Perez Testimony Excerpts
Following are excerpts from the opening remarks of Labor Secretary nominee Tom Perez as prepared for delivery to the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee April 18: I am confident...
View ArticlePerez: Workforce System Must be Measured by Outcomes
Tom Perez, the President’s nominee to become the next secretary of labor, said Thursday that his experience leading the workforce system in Maryland taught him it is important to bring together...
View ArticleSenate Edging Closer to WIA Bill Introduction
Staff members working on a bipartisan Senate bill to reauthorize the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) are getting closer to finalizing the language, CWS has learned. Exact timing, however, is still...
View ArticleLabor-HHS Spending Bill Unlikely when House Starts Floor Debate on...
The House will begin voting on FY 2014 appropriations bills as early as June, leaders have said. House Republicans will start with priorities such as defense spending and are not expected to bring up a...
View ArticleCommittee Clears Perez for Contentious Senate Vote
Thomas Perez’s nomination for Secretary of Labor is now headed to the full Senate. The Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee approved the nomination Thursday after weeks of delay. All...
View ArticleHouse Appropriations Chair Feels ‘Boxed In’ on CR
Many federal agencies are likely to be funded through a continuing resolution in fiscal 2014 because of the sharp differences between spending levels the two chambers are using to draft individual...
View ArticleFoxx Committee Continues Focus on Higher Ed
WIA reauthorization is waiting for Senate action, there are signs of modest economic recovery, and the media is focused on Administration scandals, so the committees that oversee workforce have moved...
View ArticleSenate Moving on Labor-H Appropriations in Early July
The Senate Appropriations Committee plans action on the Labor-HHS appropriations bill immediately after the July 4 recess, according to CQ. The current schedule is for a subcommittee markup July 9 and...
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