RICHARD NEAL

Democrats in the House appear on the verge of advancing President Joe Biden’s $1.85 trillion-and-growing domestic policy package.

Democrats have notched a victory in the fight for a national plan for paid leave. But getting it into final legislation could still be an uphill battle.

Democrats are blending finger-pointing, optimism and a renewed push to unstick their stalled legislative agenda as they scramble for Election Day lessons from a jolting loss in Virginia and a closer than expected win in New Jersey.

It’s big, messy and complicated as the Democratic leaders in Congress try to muscle President Joe Biden’s sweeping domestic policy package into law.

Top Democrats say a deal is within reach on President Joe Biden's big domestic bill.

President Joe Biden says he has reached a “historic” framework with Democrats in Congress on his sweeping, though scaled-back domestic policy plan.

"I just wonder, will I be allowed to run for president again if I move to another country?" Trump said in a statement Wednesday.

The Biden administration has reversed course after the previous regime denied the congressional requests.

A new version of the Social Security 2100 Act includes updates that keep President Joe Biden and Republicans in mind. Here's how it would change the program.

President Joe Biden’s big domestic policy bill is now half its original size and being pulled apart and reconfigured as Democrats edge closer to satisfying their most reluctant lawmakers.

A deal within reach, President Joe Biden and Congress’ top Democrats have edged close to sealing their giant domestic legislation.

For more than 55 years, Medicare has followed a simple policy with covered benefits the same, no matter if you’re rich, poor, or in-between.

For more than 55 years, Medicare has followed a simple policy: covered benefits are the same, no matter if you’re rich, poor, or in-between. The so-called “means test” is drawing internal opposition from many Democratic lawmakers, as well as advocacy groups for older people, like AARP. The White House did not respond to requests for comment.

The backdoor and mega-backdoor Roth individual retirement account strategies may be disappearing. Here are some possible solutions, according to advisors.

Pressure is mounting on President Joe Biden to trim back his $3.5 trillion federal government overhaul to win over holdout fellow Democrats.

Democrats plan to revise President Joe Biden’s proposal that all bank transactions of more than $600 be reported to the IRS as banks and privacy advocates come out against the plan.

Congressional Democrats face a daunting assignment.

A House committee has dealt an ominous if tentative blow to President Joe Biden’s social and environment package.

House Democrats have unveiled a sweeping proposal for tax hikes on big corporations and the wealthy to fund President Joe Biden’s $3.5 trillion rebuilding plan.

The proposal differs from a prior Biden administration plan to raise the top combined rate to 43.4% for those with income over $1 million.

House Democrats proposed a 26.5% top corporate tax rate and 39.6% top individual rate as they try to pay for a $3.5 trillion bill.

House Democrats are unveiling a sweeping proposal for tax hikes on big corporations and the wealthy to fund President Joe Biden’s $3.5 trillion rebuilding plan.

A document circulating among House Democrats says high-earning Americans with incomes over $5 million could see a 3% "surtax."

Democrats are starting to push plans for providing paid family and medical leave, easing climate change and bolstering education through House committees.

Congress’ two top Democrats seem like they're leaving the door open to ultimately reducing the $3.5 trillion price tag of President Joe Biden’s plan to boost social and environment programs.

In their plans for their $3.5 trillion federal budget proposal, House Democrats are including measures to help people save for the long-term.

President Joe Biden is refocusing on his $3.5 trillion “build back better” agenda.

Senior Democratic senators are introducing legislation that responds to the ravages of COVID-19 in nursing homes.

Mr. Trump's lawyers claimed the Ways and Means Committee's requests for his tax returns are for political gain.

The Justice Department said the Treasury Department "must furnish" the Trump tax materials to House lawmakers. But it's far from clear that the information will become public.

The Justice Department says the Treasury Department must provide the House Ways and Means Committee former President Donald Trump’s tax returns, apparently ending a long legal showdown over the records.

Data for the 2019 tax year shows that 497 taxpayers have $25 million or more in aggregate IRA balances. Some lawmakers hope to curb use of those tax shelters.

President Joe Biden might have persuaded some of the world’s largest economies to hike taxes on corporations.

The bipartisan measure aims to build on changes already implemented by the Secure Act of 2019.

Rep. Richard Neal, gatekeeper of new tax legislation, will unveil a list of priorities aimed at providing new benefits to working parents.

The Social Security Administration has sent information to the IRS that will help clear the way for almost 30 million people to receive their $1,400 stimulus checks, lawmakers said on Thursday. Saul said the Social Security Administration was initially limited in how much it could do based on how its role is defined by the Social Security Act and the terms outlined in the American Rescue Plan Act. The Social Security Administration said it began working with the IRS on March 17 to get those files to them. More from Personal Finance:About 127 million $1,400 stimulus checks have been sentUsing tax-deferred savings can help you get that $1,400 stimulus checkHow to make sure you don't miss $1,400 stimulus checks in the mailThe Democratic lawmakers called for promptly sending out the outstanding $1,400 checks. In addition to Social Security, that includes those who receive checks from Supplemental Security Income, Veterans Affairs and the Railroad Retirement Board.

As $1,400 stimulus checks go out, some lawmakers are expressing concern that recipients of Social Security and other federal benefits have yet to get the money to which they are entitled. Delays have been reported in sending $1,400 stimulus checks to Social Security, Supplemental Security Income, Railroad Retirement Board and Veterans Affairs beneficiaries who do not typically file tax returns, according to the lawmakers. More from Personal Finance:New batch of $1,400 stimulus payments coming Wednesday, IRS saysHow to make sure you don't miss $1,400 stimulus checks in the mail$1,400 stimulus checks could be garnished for unpaid private debtsThe IRS has not provided a timeline for those payments, according to the letter. The lawmakers asked both agencies to come up with a schedule by Friday, March 26, for when federal beneficiaries will receive the money. A second batch of those $1,400 checks is due to arrive via direct deposit by Wednesday, while more payments have also been sent by mail as a paper check or prepaid debit card.

The Internal Revenue Service says it's delaying the traditional tax filing deadline from April 15 until May 17. The pandemic hit in the middle of last year's tax filing season, setting the agency back in terms of processing. Ad“Never before has the law changed so substantially in the middle of tax filing season," Patrick Thomas, director of Notre Dame Law School’s Tax Clinic, said in a statement. A number of lawmakers and professionals from the tax community have urged the tax filing season be extended to accommodate for these pressures. Rettig is expected to speak to the committee tomorrow about how the IRS is managing this filing season and the need for this extension.

The IRS and Treasury Department will postpone the April 15 tax-filing deadline to May 17, the agencies announced Wednesday. In addition, taxpayers can also delay payment of any money owed the IRS until May 17. Not all states follow the same filing deadline as the federal government. The IRS will provide more guidance on the extended filing season in the coming days, the tax collector said. "Under titanic stress and strain, American taxpayers and tax preparers must have more time to file tax returns."

With the April 15 tax-filing deadline a month away, calls to extend the season are growing. "Millions of stressed-out taxpayers, businesses and preparers would appreciate an extension of the deadline to file their 2020 tax returns." The IRS is answering only 25% of phone calls and has received and processed fewer returns than at the same time last year. Through March 5, the IRS had received nearly 56 million returns and processed nearly 49 million, according to the latest data. Last year, the agency had received nearly 68 million returns and processed 65 million by March 6.

“The scope is both impressive and much needed.”AdSeveral aspects seem targeted at restructuring the country's social safety net and actually lifting people out of poverty. “That is really going to put a dent in child poverty,” Perry said. In promoting the child tax credit expansion, Democrats rallied around an analysis that predicted it would cut nationwide child poverty by 45%. He added, “What we did is unlikely to go away.”AdAt this point, the child tax credit expansion would expire at the end of the year without some sort of congressional intervention. A study by the Tax Policy Center concluded that the relief package would reduce federal taxes in 2021 by an average of $3,000 per household.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., flanked by Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C., left, and Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., holds a news conference ahead of the vote on the Democrat's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 9, 2021. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)(Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of N.Y., pose after signing the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill during an enrollment ceremony on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, March 10, 2021, in Washington. “Help is here,” Biden tweeted moments after the roll call, which ended with applause from Democratic lawmakers. AdThe measure addresses Democrats’ campaign promises and Biden’s top initial priority of easing a one-two punch that first hit the country a year ago. According to a CNN poll released Wednesday, the relief bill is backed by 61% of Americans, including nearly all Democrats, 58% of independents and 26% of Republicans. On the relief bill, progressives had to swallow big concessions to solidify moderate support.

But it faces an all-but-certain Republican blockade in a narrowly divided Senate and is unlikely to become law. Ad“I’ve heard Democrats argue that it’s the unions that built the middle class,” said Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., the senior Republican on the House labor panel. And what this bill does is take away their freedom.”Labor unions have long been a bedrock of Democratic support. “This far-reaching legislation is nothing more than an union boss wish list,” said Foxx, who led Republican debate on the bill. Virginia Republican Rep. Bob Good excoriated the bill, saying it would effectively “funnel money to Democrats” by allowing unions to collect additional dues.

But it faces an all-but-certain Republican blockade in a narrowly divided Senate and is unlikely to become law. Ad“I’ve heard Democrats argue that it’s the unions that built the middle class,” said Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., the senior Republican on the House labor panel. And what this bill does is take away their freedom.”Labor unions have long been a bedrock of Democratic support. “This far-reaching legislation is nothing more than an union boss wish list,” said Foxx, who led Republican debate on the bill. Virginia Republican Rep. Bob Good excoriated the bill, saying it would effectively “funnel money to Democrats” by allowing unions to collect additional dues.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Friday stressed the importance of the minimum wage hike, saying at a press conference that "we will not rest until we pass the $15 minimum wage." House progressives were more enthusiastic about the tax proposal, but cautioned that it was no substitution for a true minimum wage increase. "His own constituents, West Virginians, want a $15 minimum wage. A February poll by the One Fair Wage Coalition, a group which supports a minimum wage hike, found that 63% of West Virginians support raising the minimum wage by 2025. Raising the minimum wage is widely popular across the country, with a 2019 poll by the Pew Research Center showing that 67% of Americans support raising the minimum wage to $15.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Friday stressed the importance of the minimum wage hike, saying at a press conference that "we will not rest until we pass the $15 minimum wage." House progressives were more enthusiastic about the tax proposal, but cautioned that it was no substitution for a true minimum wage increase. "His own constituents, West Virginians, want a $15 minimum wage. A February poll by the One Fair Wage Coalition, a group which supports a minimum wage hike, found that 63% of West Virginians support raising the minimum wage by 2025. Raising the minimum wage is widely popular across the country, with a 2019 poll by the Pew Research Center showing that 67% of Americans support raising the minimum wage to $15.

“We have no time to waste,” Biden said at the White House after the House passage early Saturday. That ships the bill to the Senate, where Democrats seem bent on resuscitating their minimum wage push and fights could erupt over state aid and other issues. Biden said weeks ago that he didn't expect the minimum wage increase to survive the Senate's rules. But those same Senate rules prohibit provisions with only an “incidental” impact on the federal budget because they are chiefly driven by other policy purposes. Republicans oppose the $15 minimum wage target as an expense that would hurt businesses and cost jobs.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Friday stressed the importance of the minimum wage hike, saying at a press conference that "we will not rest until we pass the $15 minimum wage." House progressives were more enthusiastic about the tax proposal, but cautioned that it was no substitution for a true minimum wage increase. "His own constituents, West Virginians, want a $15 minimum wage. A February poll by the One Fair Wage Coalition, a group which supports a minimum wage hike, found that 63% of West Virginians support raising the minimum wage by 2025. Raising the minimum wage is widely popular across the country, with a 2019 poll by the Pew Research Center showing that 67% of Americans support raising the minimum wage to $15.

The new president’s vision for flushing cash to individuals, businesses, states and cities battered by COVID-19 passed on a near party-line 219-212 vote. Biden said weeks ago that he didn't expect the minimum wage increase to survive the Senate's rules. But those same Senate rules prohibit provisions with only an “incidental” impact on the federal budget because they are chiefly driven by other policy purposes. MacDonough decided that the minimum wage provision failed that test. Republicans oppose the $15 minimum wage target as an expense that would hurt businesses and cost jobs.

Katherine Tai, nominee for U.S. trade representative, testifies before a Senate Finance Committee hearing on Capitol Hill, in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021. (Tasos Katopodis/Pool via AP)WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden’s pick to be the top U.S. trade envoy promised to work with America’s allies to combat China’s aggressive trade policies, indicating a break from the Trump administration’s go-it-alone approach. Biden and his team have not indicated — and Tai didn't say Thursday — whether they will keep Trump’s tariffs. Far from coordinating with U.S. allies on trade, Trump sparred with them instead, putting tariffs on imported steel and aluminum and threatening to target European cars, too. She handled negotiations with the Trump administration over a revamped North American trade deal.

Republicans are attacking the Democrats $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package as too costly, economically damaging and overtly partisan. We’re very proud of that,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., told reporters when asked if the overall House bill would include the minimum wage increase. Democratic leaders hope for House passage later this month, with Senate approval and a bill on Biden’s desk by mid-March. Republicans’ amendments spotlighted what they see as political soft spots they can exploit. And while the GOP amendments were beaten back, they forced Democrats to take positions that could tee up GOP campaign ads for the 2022 elections.

The plan faces opposition from Republicans who want to tie new school funding to reopening. Biden's plan for $130 billion in school funding is in addition to more than $8 billion from previous relief packages. Stop ruining their futures and stop playing games.”Scott countered that schools can't make changes needed to reopen safely unless they get the funding in Biden's plan. AdRepublicans also signaled a fight over standardized testing, backing a proposed change to prevent relief funding from being used on academic assessments. The $350 billion portion of the bill before the committee also includes Biden's plan to raise the minimum wage from $7.25, where is has been since 2009.

The proposal would add more detail to President Joe Biden's call for expanding the Child Tax Credit as part of his $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief legislation. The proposal would increase the size of the Child Tax Credit, which under current law provides $2,000 for children under 17 and is distributed annually. Matt Stone | Boston Herald | Getty Images"We are making the Child Tax Credit more generous, more accessible, and by paying it out monthly," Neal said. While Republicans have criticized the $1.9 trillion plan as being too large, it's possible that boosting the Child Tax Credit will gain at least some bipartisan support. According to the Center on Poverty and Social Policy at Columbia University, Biden's economic relief agenda — including the Child Tax Credit boost and other measures — would cut the U.S. child poverty rate in half.

The IRS is delaying the start of the 2020 tax filing season to Feb. 12, according to an announcement Friday from the agency. On that date, the IRS will start accepting and processing last year's tax returns. Normally, the agency opens tax season in late January. And yes, the tax filing deadline is still April 15. "If filing season were opened without the correct programming in place, then there could be a delay in issuing refunds to taxpayers," the IRS said in its announcement.

But the extra unemployment benefits it contains may take weeks to arrive. The legislation provides 11 weeks of additional benefits to the self-employed and workers who exhausted their standard allotment of state benefits. Similarly, New Jersey labor officials said there wouldn't be a gap in benefits, citing the U.S. Labor Department in a tweet on Monday. As things stand, it appears unemployed workers will get 10 weeks of extra benefits — one fewer than the law intended. This was to be the first available week of extra benefits offered by the relief law.

Yet that is what we saw when Democratic and Republican House members came together and introduced legislation to enhance American workers' retirement security. The newly introduced House bill, the Securing a Strong Retirement Act of 2020, includes several proposals from the Insured Retirement Institute and others we support to help workers meet their retirement needs. The pandemic has added obstacles to workers' ability to plan and save for retirement, particularly those close to retirement age. The SECURE Act was the first step toward reversing the looming retirement crisis where too few workers are saving adequately. It also clarifies tax incentives for small-business owners to encourage them to offer a workplace retirement plan.

When JCT staffers disagree with the IRS on a decision, the review is typically kept open until the matter is resolved. Even acknowledging that Trump's taxes were before the panel is verboten. Representatives for the Trump Organization did not respond to messages seeking comment and confirmation that the Joint Tax Committee had reviewed Trump's taxes. Former JCT staffers would not comment on whether they remembered the dispute with Trump, citing confidentiality rules. Neal, the lead force behind a Democratic lawsuit to expose Trump’s taxes, said the Times’ reporting is proof that the documents should be given to Congress.

“Donald Trump needs this election to be about Joe Biden as a choice,” said longtime GOP consultant Alex Conant. Trump’s support over the years has remained remarkably consistent, polls over the course of his presidency have found. Even today, when asked to explain their support for Trump, voters often point to his success in business as evidence of his acumen. Roughly half of Americans pay no federal income taxes, but the average income tax paid in 2017 was nearly $12,200, according to the IRS. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer tweeted an emoji calling on followers to raise their hands “if you paid more in federal income tax than President Trump.”“That’s why he hid his tax returns.

President Donald Trump paid just $750 in federal income taxes the year he ran for president and in his first year in the White House, according to a report in The New York Times. The president’s financial disclosures indicated he earned at least $434.9 million in 2018, but the tax filings reported a $47.4 million loss. Roughly half of Americans pay no income taxes, primarily because of how low their incomes are. But IRS figures indicate that the average tax filer paid roughly $12,200 in 2017, about 16 times more than what the president paid. The president in 2017 paid $145,400 in taxes in India and $156,824 in the Philippines, compared to just $750 in U.S. income taxes.

“Donald Trump needs this election to be about Joe Biden as a choice," said longtime GOP consultant Alex Conant. Trump's support over the years has remained remarkably consistent, polls over the course of his presidency have found. Even today, when asked to explain their support for Trump, voters often point to his success in business as evidence of his acumen. Roughly half of Americans pay no federal income taxes, but the average income tax paid in 2017 was nearly $12,200, according to the IRS. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer tweeted an emoji calling on followers to raise their hands “if you paid more in federal income tax than President Trump.”“That’s why he hid his tax returns.

WASHINGTON – House Democrats are going back to the drawing board on a huge COVID-19 relief bill, paring back the measure in an attempt to jump-start negotiations with the Trump administration. The Democratic-controlled chamber could also pass the $2 trillion-plus measure next week if talks fall through to demonstrate that the party isn't giving up on passing virus relief before the election. The chamber passed a $3.4 trillion rescue measure in May but Republicans dismissed the measure as bloated and unrealistic. Republicans reacted coolly, especially at the prospect of a partisan floor vote if the effort doesn't spark constructive talks. Thursday's developments come as moderate “front line" Democrats in competitive reelection races have been pressing leaders like Pelosi to become more flexible.

WASHINGTON – House Democrats on Wednesday proposed a bill to curb presidential abuses, a pitch to voters weeks ahead of Election Day as they try to defeat President Donald Trump, capture the Senate from Republicans and keep their House majority. Each of the bill’s provisions is a response to actions by Trump or his administration that Democrats see as abuses of presidential power. It builds on an elections and ethics reform package the House passed soon after Democrats reclaimed the majority in 2019. Congress has yet to send to the president any legislation to try to curb foreign election interference after Russia meddled on several fronts in the 2016 presidential contest. “The degradation of our democracy over the past 3 1/2 years is not the work of the president alone,'' Schiff said.

Jake Auchincloss has won a packed primary to become the Democratic nominee in the race to fill the U.S. House seat being vacated by Rep. Joe Kennedy III in Massachusetts. Nearly 1 million voters, skittish over the coronavirus pandemic, used the mail option for Tuesdays primary. He was elected to the Newton City Council in 2015. Kennedy opted not to seek reelection so he could challenge incumbent U.S. Sen. Edward Markey in the Senate Democratic primary, but lost that bid Tuesday, becoming the first member of the Kennedy political dynasty to lose a congressional race in Massachusetts. The few other members of Massachusetts all-Democratic congressional delegation who had faced primary opponents Reps. Richard Neal, Stephen Lynch and Seth Moulton all breezed through Tuesdays runoff.

But some challengers lost, and their overall wins were a modest number compared with the 535 House and Senate members. Kessler wasn't impressed with the three progressive challengers who defeated Democratic incumbents, either. Other high-profile progressive hopefuls lost Senate Democratic primaries in Colorado, Maine and Texas, and House contests in states including Georgia, New York and Ohio. Jamaal Bowman, a Black educator raised by a single mom, defeated House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel of the Bronx and Westchester, New York. They're an effective and well-funded operation now," said Sean McElwee, who does polling and research for progressive Democrats.

Trump moved to continue paying a supplemental federal unemployment benefit for millions of Americans out of work during the outbreak. The previous unemployment benefit, which expired on Aug. 1, was fully funded by Washington, but Trump is asking states to now cover 25%. In addition to the extension of some unemployment benefits, Trump's orders call for a deferral of payroll tax and federal student loan payments and efforts to halt evictions. Trump said the employee portion of the payroll tax would be deferred from Aug. 1 through the end of the year. He added that Trump "does not have the power to unilaterally rewrite the payroll tax law.

FILE - In this March 6, 2020 file photo, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., speaks at a campaign rally in Detroit. Her opponent in the primary was Detroit City Council President Brenda Jones. Y'all, we about to change the world.Beyond signaling momentum, the victories are giving progressives confidence about two upcoming tests. Next week, squad member Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota will face a challenge from a well-funded opponent, Antone Melton-Meaux. In March, Marie Newman knocked off Illinois Rep. Dan Lipinski, an abortion opponent who compared progressive Democrats to a tea party of the left."

WASHINGTON After prodding from Democratic lawmakers, the Trump administration has agreed to give Congress but not the public complete data on the millions of small businesses that received loans from a $600 billion-plus coronavirus aid program. Their concession came with a warning to lawmakers not to divulge confidential loan information to the wider public. Last week, the Treasury Department and SBA relented to pressure from lawmakers and watchdogs and agreed to publicly disclose details on which businesses received loans under the program. Under the new agreement, the agencies will provide the complete data on loans of all sizes to the congressional oversight panels. Economists have said the small business loan program has helped, though its hard to know by how much.

(Leah Millis/Pool via AP)WASHINGTON Compounding the hardships of the coronavirus, some nursing homes have demanded that low-income residents turn over their $1,200 economic stimulus checks, a cash grab lawmakers want to halt. Low-income Medicaid recipients must not be coerced into wrongly handing over their checks for fear of being kicked out of their homes, wrote Neal and Pallone. We are not aware of widespread issues with resident stimulus funds," the American Health Care Association said in a statement. Generally, a Medicaid recipients taxable income is taken into account in determining their eligibility for the program. CMS chief Seema Verma tweeted on Tuesday that nursing homes engaging in this behavior will be subject to enforcement action.

There may be a catch for individuals who typically don't file a tax return but are expecting to receive a stimulus check. "People who typically do not file a tax return will need to file a simple tax return to receive an economic impact payment," the IRS stated. "Low-income taxpayers, senior citizens, Social Security recipients, some veterans and individuals with disabilities who are otherwise not required to file a tax return will not owe tax." More from Personal Finance:Unemployment benefits stalled by confusion, delaysAnswers to your questions about the coronavirus stimulus checksWhich bills to pay during the coronavirus pandemicOn Wednesday, Sens. "We strongly urge you to ensure that economic stimulus payments are automatically sent to vulnerable seniors and individuals who experience disabilities, without these individuals needing to file a tax return," the senators wrote.

Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., has proposed giving taxpayers until July 15 to submit their 2019 income tax returns 90 days from the original April 15 due date. The Tax Filing Relief for America Act, which Senators Steve Daines, R-Mont., and Angus King, I-Maine, are joining Thune in introducing, aims to have the filing deadline coincide with the new July 15 deadline for taxpayers to pay the IRS taxes owed for 2019. Senators Richard Burr, R-N.C., and Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., are co-sponsors. But the federal agency decided to stick with the original April 15 due date for filing the returns. House Ways and Means chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., also called on Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to move the federal income tax filing deadline to July 15.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday unveiled a broad package of proposals to help Americans affected by the coronavirus outbreak, while officials suspended public tours through the Capitol building. A Capitol tour guide points up into the U.S. Capitol Rotunda during a tour on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., March 12, 2020. House Democrats hope to pass this second coronavirus bill through Congress before it begins a scheduled recess at the end of this week. Even before the decision limiting access to the Capitol, the number of visits was falling, said Democratic Representative Donna Shalala, ex-President Bill Clintons secretary of health. Most of my tours have been canceled because people are not coming, Shalala said of her south Florida constituents.

FILE PHOTO: Visitors look up at the domed ceiling while on a tour of the Rotunda at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., February 6, 2019. REUTERS/Mary F. CalvertA Capitol official confirmed that the spreading coronavirus prompted a decision to temporarily stop tourist visits, although the landmark building will remain open for legislative business. The tours would be suspended through the end of March, a congressional official said, adding it was not yet clear when the suspensions would start. House Democrats hope to rush this second coronavirus bill through Congress before it begins a scheduled recess at the end of this week. The House bill is expected to include paid sick leave for workers quarantined or having to stay home to care for family members.

And politicians are using the opportunity to help fix the pensions and health-care benefits for one group of workers: coal miners. The measure would help ensure that the 1974 United Mine Workers of America Pension Plan won't become insolvent. The measure, if passed, would represent a much bigger change compared to the miners' legislation. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., last month put forward their own proposal to help shore up multiemployer pension plans. It also proposes a strategy to stabilize the multiemployer pension system and the long-term solvency of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, a federally chartered entity that supports insolvent pensions.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal (L), Democrat of Massachusetts, speaks about the US - Mexico - Canada Agreement, known as the USMCA, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, December 10, 2019. A House committee cleared a new North American trade deal on Tuesday, setting up approval in the full chamber this week. The House Ways and Means Committee favorably reported the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, a replacement for NAFTA negotiated by the Trump administration and tweaked by House Democrats. Earlier Tuesday, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said the House plans to consider the trade deal on Thursday. The Democratic-held House is set to sign off on the deal only a day after it impeaches Trump.

Just an hour earlier, Pelosi and other Democrats had unveiled articles of impeachment against President Trump. The House is expected to vote on USMCA next week and is all but certain to approve it. Trump and Republican lawmakers have repeatedly criticized Pelosi and her colleagues in recent weeks for not passing the revised trade deal. Congressional Democrats argued that the revisions lacked sufficient enforcement terms to protect unions and workers rights in Mexico. A key sticking point was including measures to ensure that Mexico complies with the trade agreements labor standards.

House Democrats and the Trump administration have reached an agreement to move forward with the White House's replacement for the North American Free Trade Agreement, top Democrats said Tuesday. House Democrats, President Donald Trump, top Senate Republicans and labor leaders all cited progress toward a deal this week. The Trump administration needs to submit ratifying legislation to Congress for the House to move forward with approving the agreement. Once the White House submits text it could do so in the coming days a 90-day window to approve USMCA starts. He added that it "will be the model for American trade deals going forward."

House Democrats and the Trump administration are near a deal on to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement after more than a year of deliberations, sources told CNBC. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will make the final scheduling determinations, and the USMCA vote could come in the immediate aftermath of a vote on articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump, these sources said. The Trump administration delivered proposed changes to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office on Saturday, and House leaders were still studying them. Grassley expects the Finance Committee will get formally briefed on trade developments later this week, he added. The White House has pushed for USMCA's approval in Congress before the end of the year as Trump seeks an economic and political win before the 2020 election.

Nancy Pelosi (right), speaker of the United States of House of Representatives with Richard Neal (left,) Chair to the House Ways and Means Committee. House Democrats and the Trump administration did not come to an agreement on moving forward with President Donald Trump's new North American trade deal during a meeting Thursday. We can reach an agreement on USMCA when the Trade Representative makes the agreement enforceable for American workers," the spokesman said. Neal told reporters it is "possible" the House could vote on USMCA, Trump's replacement for NAFTA, by the end of the year. Before the Democrats huddled with Lighthizer, Pelosi told reporters that "I'm not even sure if we came to an agreement today that it would be enough time to finish" before 2020.

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal discusses his request to IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig for copies of President Donald Trump's tax returns as he talks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., April 4, 2019. REUTERS/Yuri GripasWASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives will move forward with a formal impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, the head of a powerful House committee said on Tuesday. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal told reporters after meeting with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that the chambers top Democrat had decided it was time to move forward, a position he said other committee chairmen supported.

The American flag flying on a former Coast Guard light station off the coast of North Carolina has made it through Hurricane Dorian. (CNN) - The American flag flying on a former Coast Guard light station off the coast of North Carolina has made it through Hurricane Dorian. Live video from the Frying Pan Tower shows that the flag is torn but is still fluttering proudly. The tower is 34 miles off the coast of North Carolina and Hurricane Dorian passed over the area before making landfall on Friday at Cape Hatteras. At one point, about 20 Coast Guard cadets lived on the tower, but it was automated in 1979 and GPS navigation has since made it obsolete.

A former Coast Guard light station off the coast of North Carolina is offering a unique view of Hurricane Dorian's power as the storm moves slowly northeast. SOUTHPORT, N.C. - A former Coast Guard light station off the coast of North Carolina is offering a unique view of Hurricane Dorian's power as the storm moves slowly northeast. The Frying Pan Tower, 34 miles offshore in the Atlantic, is right in the storm's path. Track Hurricane DorianA camera on the tower's helipad, some 85 feet above the ocean, is sending live video as the storm approaches. For years, about 20 Coast Guard cadets lived on the station full time.

Legislators on Capitol Hill are looking to change a Social Security rule that some say leaves public workers, including teachers, firefighters and police officers, in the lurch when it comes to their retirement income. Its mission: to replace the Social Security Windfall Elimination Provision with a new formula that would protect individuals who have worked in jobs not covered by Social Security. "We start Social Security reform by making sure our teachers, firefighters and police receive the Social Security they have earned, just like every other American worker," he added. The rule means certain workers who are eligible for Social Security retirement or disability benefits, but who have also worked for employers who don't withhold Social Security taxes, receive reduced benefits. For example, it does not apply to workers who have 30 or more years of substantial earnings under Social Security.

A congressional debate on a bill to reform Social Security has turned to a key question: whether changes made to the system today will upend millennials' retirement in the future. A committee hearing of the House Ways and Means Committee on Thursday focused on the potential impact of the Social Security 2100 Act. Social Security's trust funds are currently projected to be depleted in 2035, at which point only 80% of estimated benefits will be payable. The Social Security 2100 Act aims to shore up the system by raising payroll taxes on wages over $400,000. "And that's what the Social Security 2100 Act does," he added.

REUTERS/Jonathan ErnstLawyers for President Donald Trump on Wednesday asked a federal judge to temporarily block the House Ways and Means Committee's top Democrat from "requesting or receiving" Trump's New York state tax returns. If Trump "seeks relief after the Committee's Chairman requests his state tax returns, the returns might be disclosed before he can be heard in court," the lawyers said in the Wednesday evening court filing. The lawyers want McFadden to enjoin Neal from making a potential request for Trump's state taxes until Trump "obtains an opportunity for judicial review." Neal's committee opposed Trump's request, according to the court filing, while the New York defendants took no position. Read Trump's court filing below:

About 1.3 million Americans could have their retirement funds at risk if Congress can't come up with the money to pay the benefits people were promised. That is because a number of multiemployer pension plans are on the brink of running out of money. This week, Congress took a stab at solving the problem with the markup of the Rehabilitation for Multiemployer Pensions Act. Retirees' financial futures hang in the balance if nothing is done, according to lawmakers. Certain provisions already exist to help keep multiemployer pension plans functioning.

(CNN) - The Democrat-led House Ways and Means Committee filed a lawsuit on Tuesday to enforce subpoenas and obtain President Donald Trump's tax returns, an escalation in a fight for the President's personal financial information. The lawsuit was filed in D.C. District Court against Treasury and the IRS and their respective leaders, Steve Mnuchin and Charles Rettig. Neal initially made his request for Trump's tax returns on April 3. The complaint argues that the committee is not required to justify its reasons for seeking tax returns under Section 6103, but states that the panel "is investigating the IRS's administration of various tax laws and policies relating to Presidential tax returns and tax law compliance by President Trump, including whether the IRS's self-imposed policy of annually auditing the returns of sitting Presidents is working properly." The Democrats on Neal's committee have argued that they need access to the President's tax returns in order to understand how the IRS administers the presidential audit program.