Washington Wire

The good news for President Biden: Americans are finally starting to appreciate the strength of the U.S. economy. The U.S. economy has defied recession forecasts and continued chugging along during Biden's term. For instance, a Wall Street Journal poll released over the weekend found that 31 percent of voters said the economy had gotten better over the past two…

In a new comment letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, AHIP president and CEO Mike Tuffin urged the agency to remedy proposed policy changes that would diminish the value and affordability of coverage and benefits that millions of Medicare Advantage and Part D beneficiaries depend on for better health outcomes and financial security.

The U.S. economy is humming and there are hundreds of thousands of jobs being added every month. In a stunning burst of hiring to start the year, the nation added 353,000 jobs in January, shrugging off the highest interest rates in two decades that have been put in place by the U.S. Federal Reserve in part to cool off hiring and spending. On Thursday, Electronic Arts…

The Federal Reserve of the United States is tasked with administering monetary policy to safeguard and hopefully steer the U.S. economy through calm waters and avoid hitting the rocks of recession or depression. No easy task does the Federal Reserve have. Although many argue an economy is too complicated with too many working parts to pilot by any one entity,…

Slower inflation was supposed to be a sign that the economy was cooling, all part of the Federal Reserve's plan for higher interest rates to restore balance to the economy. For a while, things looked on track. Perhaps nobody summed up the mood around consumers better than Walmart Inc. Chief Financial Officer John David Rainey when he said: "There was largely a…

As inflation gathered force in 2021 and 2022, the Federal Reserve notoriously waited too long to raise interest rates, allowing consumer prices to continue to climb sharply, Fed officials now acknowledge. "The longer they wait, the greater the risk that something goes off the rails," says Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody's Analytics. But Fed Chair Jerome…

As the fight over immigration reached peak chaos in the U.S. Senate earlier this month, the Congressional Budget Office held a press conference nearby. The growing deficit is mainly the result of high interest rates, more people receiving Medicare and Social Security benefits, and rising healthcare costs. One key reason is that they expect rising immigration…

Durkin brings the latest business headlines from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange as markets close for trading Wednesday, February 21. Durkin- reporting from the New York Stock Exchange. Investors are reacting to minutes from the Federal Reserve's January meeting, which indicated that the Fed will hold off on cutting interest rates until it is…

Butch Parrish, a Swainsboro Republican, is the main sponsor of a new health care bill. A long-awaited health care proposal from House leaders would ease health care business regulations in some cases, but the measure is just as notable for what it does not do: expand Medicaid. It also raises the cap on the state's rural hospital tax credit program to $100 million a…

Consumer inflation in the United States cooled last month yet remained elevated in the latest sign that the pandemic-fueled price surge is only gradually and fitfully coming under control. Tuesday's report from the Labor Department showed that the consumer price index rose 0.3% from December to January, up from a 0.2% increase the previous month.

Twice this week, government reports did not show inflation falling as many had expected. And rates will keep rising until the Federal Reserve starts cutting interest rates. Interest rates fell rapidly after the Fed's November meeting when Chairman Jerome Powell all but said a rate cut was a certainty.

Medicare beneficiaries who are having trouble paying their out-of-pocket prescription drug costs would have the option of spreading those costs throughout the year instead of paying all at once, according to guidance issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

The presidential election couldn't be coming at a worse time for the Federal Reserve. If it cuts rates, former president Donald Trump and his supporters will accuse Chair Jerome H. Powell of goosing the economy for President Biden. If it doesn't cut rates, Democrats will say it's holding back the economy and helping Trump.

Some Federal Reserve officials, who were surprised by inflation's rapid descent in 2023, seem to be setting a new bar for interest-rate cuts: a broader pullback in price pressures. Last week, both Richmond Fed President Thomas Barkin and Boston Fed President Susan Collins indicated they not only want the decline in inflation to continue- like many other…

WASHINGTON- From Wall Street traders to car dealers to home buyers, Americans are eager for the Federal Reserve to start cutting interest rates and lightening the heavy burden on borrowers. The Fed is widely expected to do so this year- probably several times. "History tells many stories of inflation head-fakes," said Tom Barkin, president of the Federal Reserve…

Legislation introduced today would expand retirement savings opportunities for millions of workers by requiring businesses with 10 or more employees to offer a workplace retirement plan.