Politics

WASHINGTON, March 28 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump offered a preview of his re-election campaign playbook last year when he visited the building site of a multi-billion-dollar cracking unit in western Pennsylvania, hailed as one of the largest construction projects in the country. U.S. President Donald Trump participates in a FOX News Channel town hall

FILE PHOTO: U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) speaks during a signing ceremony after the House of Representatives approved a $2.2 trillion coronavirus aid package at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., March 27, 2020. REUTERS/Tom Brenner WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Friday the House will set up

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. House of Representatives will begin a two-hour debate on a sweeping, $2.2 trillion coronavirus aid bill at 9 a.m. (1300 GMT) on Friday, despite doubts over whether it can quickly pass on a voice vote or will be delayed into the weekend. FILE PHOTO: U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy

CHICAGO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. airlines are preparing to tap the government for up to $25 billion in grants to cover payroll in a sharp travel downturn triggered by the coronavirus, even after the government warned it may take stakes in exchange for bailout funds, people familiar with the matter said. Delta Air Lines passenger planes

DUBAI/SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Global airlines urged the world’s major economies to act quickly to prevent irreversible damage to an industry that has seen demand decimated almost overnight by the coronavirus crisis. Several states have already stepped in to help airlines hammered by the travel slump, with the United States offering $58 billion in aid, Singapore

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she expected the chamber to pass an estimated $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief bill when it meets on Friday, after the Senate overwhelmingly approved the unprecedented economic rescue legislation Wednesday evening. “Tomorrow we’ll bring the bill to the floor. It will pass with strong bipartisan support,” Pelosi,

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Senate’s unanimous passage of a $2 trillion coronavirus relief bill sent the unprecedented economic legislation to the House of Representatives, whose Democratic leaders hope to pass it on Friday. FILE PHOTO: U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) gives a thumbs up while entering the Senate Chamber Floor after Congress

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Republican and Democratic leaders of the U.S. Senate hoped to vote on Wednesday on a $2 trillion emergency package to alleviate the devastating economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, but found themselves fending off critics from the right and left who threatened to hold up the bill. Top aides to Republican President

(Reuters) – Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden said on Wednesday that potential efforts by President Donald Trump to re-open American businesses in time for the Easter holiday could be “catastrophic.” The governors of at least 18 states, including New York and California, have issued stay-at-home directives affecting about half the U.S. population, and shuttering many

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. senators and Trump administration officials have reached an agreement on a massive economic stimulus bill to alleviate the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak, White House official Eric Ueland said early on Wednesday. “We have a deal,” Ueland told reporters after days of negotiations on the package, expected to be worth

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Seven in 10 Americans now consider the coronavirus pandemic to be “a serious threat to me and my family,” according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll that shows how wide, bipartisan segments of the country feel their lives have been turned upside down by the health crisis. A children’s playground is closed

WASHINGTON/CHICAGO (Reuters) – U.S. lawmakers are nearing agreement on a $61 billion rescue package for the aviation sector that would include $25 billion in payroll grants for passenger airlines weathering a sharp falloff in travel demand amid rising coronavirus outbreaks, three people briefed on the matter said. FILE PHOTO: American Airlines passenger planes crowd a

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Treasury secretary and the Senate Democratic leader voiced confidence late on Monday for a deal to be reached soon on a far-reaching coronavirus economic stimulus package that had been stalled in the U.S. Senate as lawmakers haggled over it. Negotiators made great progress on the bipartisan, $2-trillion stimulus measure on

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A far-reaching coronavirus economic stimulus package remained stalled in the U.S. Senate on Monday as lawmakers haggled over its provisions, but the U.S. Treasury secretary voiced confidence a deal would be reached soon. Democrats said the $2 trillion measure contained too little money for states and hospitals and not enough restrictions on

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A far-reaching coronavirus economic stimulus package failed to advance in the U.S. Senate on Monday as Democrats said it contained too little money for hospitals and not enough restrictions on a fund to help big businesses. U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin walks to the meeting with Senate Minority Leader Chuck

WASHINGTON/CHICAGO (Reuters) – A Senate Republican coronavirus stimulus package would provide financial aid to U.S. airports, transit systems and passenger railroad Amtrak, but $50 billion for struggling U.S. airlines would be a loan, not a cash payout, the proposal showed. A passenger wearing a mask sits next to an airpot information screens as the Federal

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Partisan battles in the U.S. Senate stopped a $1 trillion-plus coronavirus response bill from advancing on Sunday, but talks continued over Democrats’ demands for more funding for medical care and state and local efforts to combat the pandemic. The measure failed to get the necessary 60 votes in the 100-member chamber to

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden’s campaign in February spent less than one-third the amount spent by rival Democrat Bernie Sanders, according to disclosures by the campaigns filed on Friday. Democratic U.S. presidential candidates former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders stand together at the start of 11th Democratic

FILE PHOTO: Pat Toomey (R-PA) questions David Marcus, head of Facebook’s Calibra (digital wallet service), during testimony before a Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee hearing on “Examining Facebook’s Proposed Digital Currency and Data Privacy Considerations” on Capitol hill in Washington, U.S., July 16, 2019. REUTERS/Erin Scott (Reuters) – Republican U.S. Senator Pat Toomey

FILE PHOTO: Former Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg appears before supporters after ending his campaign for president in Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S., March 4, 2020. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Billionaire media mogul Mike Bloomberg will transfer $18 million to the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and several of the field

FILE PHOTO: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) speaks to members of the news media while walking into his office in Washington, U.S., March 17, 2020. REUTERS/Tom Brenner WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Thursday introduced a massive new legislative package to combat the effects of the coronavirus outbreak, saying Republicans

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell introduced emergency legislation on Thursday to stem the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, and Republicans and Democrats agreed to meet on Friday to seek an agreement. FILE PHOTO: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) speaks to members of the news media while walking into his

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell introduced emergency legislation to stem the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic on Thursday, and Republicans and Democrats agreed to meet Friday to seek an agreement. FILE PHOTO: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) speaks to members of the news media while walking into his office,

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A Republican proposal introduced in the U.S. Senate on Thursday would grant up to $58 billion in secured loans to help passenger and cargo airlines hit by the coronavirus crisis, but bar cash grants and could result in the government getting equity stakes. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) walks down a

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin testifies before the Senate Finance Committee during a hearing on the President’s FY2021 Budget on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., February 12, 2020. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas/File Photo WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Thursday urged Congress to move quickly to pass a $1 trillion economic relief

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday said he would get involved in the oil price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia at the appropriate time, saying low gasoline prices were good for U.S. consumers even as they were hurting the industry. U.S. President Donald Trump pauses as he answers questions from reporters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passed legislation on Wednesday providing billions of dollars to limit the damage from the coronavirus pandemic through free testing, paid sick leave and expanded safety-net spending. The bill, which was backed by President Donald Trump, now goes to him to be signed into law. Congress and the White

FILE PHOTO: A man walks with his dog on St. Patrick’s Day as public events were cancelled due to the number of coronavirus cases grow around the world, in Dublin, Ireland, March 17, 2020. REUTERS/Jason Cairnduff DUBLIN (Reuters) – Nearly half confirmed cases of coronavirus in Ireland are in the capital Dublin, the health department

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Congress scrambled to limit the economic damage of the coronavirus pandemic, with the Senate preparing to vote Wednesday on a $105 billion aid package and President Donald Trump pushing for a third, $1 trillion plan. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) speaks to reporters while walking to his office, as Mayor Muriel

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – With cases reported in all 50 U.S. states, lawmakers in Washington are scrambling to limit the economic damage from the coronavirus. To do so, they must overcome another plague: partisan gridlock. FILE PHOTO: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) speaks to members of the news media while walking into his office, as