Upon further review: The newly bulked-up Republican majority in the House is aiming to soften the bite of legislation that grew out of the 2008 financial crisis and put banks and Wall Street under the most sweeping rules since the Great Depression. The House is opening debate today on a bill that would alter sections of the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial overhaul. Most notably, the Republican-led bill would give U.S. banks another two years—until 2019—to ensure that their holdings of certain complex and risky securities don’t put them afoul of a new banking rule. A vote is expected by early Wednesday. The Associated Press has the full story.
Here’s the plan: The U.S. House of Representatives will vote to fully fund the Department of Homeland Security this week while blocking President Barack Obama’s actions on immigration, House Speaker John Boehner told reporters this morning. The $39.7 billion spending bill was expected to pass by Wednesday, when House Republicans leave Washington for a two-day policy retreat in Hershey, Pennsylvania. But its fate in the Senate was uncertain, and it may draw a White House veto. “Our goal here is to fund the Department of Homeland Security. And our second goal is to stop the president’s executive overreach,” Boehner says. Reuters has the full story.
Help wanted: The rapid hiring that made 2014 a stellar year for job gains shows no sign of slowing down. U.S. employers advertised the most job openings in nearly 14 years in November, the Labor Department reports this morning. An Associated Press report suggests businesses are determined to keep adding staff because they are confident that strong economic growth will continue to create more demand for their goods and services. Job openings rose 2.9% to 4.97 million in November, the most since January 2001. More job vacancies generally lead to more hiring. Employers have been slow to fill their openings for most of the recovery, but that started to change last year as companies ramped up their overall hiring. Read the full story.
