Federal Government Policy and Business

Washington, Though Still Divided, Comes Together on Trade and Other Issues

The New York Times: WASHINGTON — Partisan peevishness is alive and well on Capitol Hill. But increasingly, Congress, under Republican control, is pressing forward on broad aspects of President Obama’s end-of-term agenda.

On a huge trade agreement, Republicans are pursuing legislation with virtually no Democratic support. Lawmakers from both parties are also considering a major bill to improve the nation’s cybersecurity, rewriting an education law that will affect almost every public school in the country, and overhauling government surveillance to incorporate new protections the president has demanded. Within a month or two, lawmakers in both parties hope to begin negotiating higher spending levels to accommodate White House demands.

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