Need a Break From Russia? Here's Some DC News You May Have Missed…

WASHINGTON -- The White House drama may have dominated headlines this week, but meanwhile on the Hill, Republican lawmakers say it's business as usual, and that they are making great progress on implementing their agenda for the American people.

"Look, this is what I call the white noise of Washington-Beltway media. We're busy doing our work," said House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., on the "Hugh Hewitt Show" this week. 

During his weekly press conference, Speaker Ryan pointed out what the House has accomplished this week while the mainstream media mainly stays fixated on the Russia investigation.

According to Ryan, this week the House:

• Hosted the first major public committee hearing on tax reform
• Moved law enforcement legislation to give police more support and tools  
• Increased sanctions against the Syrian regime
• Approved federal IT reform legislation to reduce wasteful spending and enhance government information security
• Veterans Affairs Committee Approved 11 bills, including legislation to address the VA's broken appeals process

President Donald Trump also signed the 14th Congressional Review Act into law, which rescinds regulations put in place by the Obama administration in his last months of office. When Speaker Ryan was asked this week if he still has confidence in the commander in chief, he responded, "I do."

And the Senate side seems to be moving along, as well. 

"As amazing as it may seem, though a lot of media attention is focused on President Trump and Russia and (former FBI Director James) Comey and everything else, we still have a job to do," Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., told CBN News.

When asked if the ongoing Russia investigation has stalled other legislative progress, Lankford replied, "That's a very small part of my day."

"Whether it's tax policy, health care, or something else, we're still doing those things," said Lankford.

Lankford says he thinks the mainstream media prefers the chase over what's actually happening in Washington right now.

"I'm not sure the media coverage is fair at this point because everyone obsesses about the latest rumor, and they seem to be running through a theme, and everything that feeds that theme they run with it whether it's an anonymous source or whether anyone else has background information on it or not, and suddenly one person writes a story and everyone else covers the story that someone else wrote, and it's dominating the news cycle," said Lankford.

And while the president is overseas next week, the Congressional Budget Office is set to release the long awaited CBO score of the American Health Care Act and move several anti-human trafficking bills.