Topic: U.S. Congressional Politics
Top galleries, list articles, quizzes
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Briefing
IRS 101: Seven questions about the tea party scandal
How the tables have turned: The Internal Revenue Service is the one under the microscope now, as revelations emerged Friday that the agency wrongly targeted conservative groups seeking nonprofit status. Here’s an accounting of what has happened, along with the ramifications.
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GMO, Organic, and seven other food labels you should know
A quick, easy guide to nine commonly seen (and misunderstood) food labels, from 'GMO' to 'grass-fed.'
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Immigration reform 101: How does Senate plan address four big questions?
After months of closed-door negotiations, the Senate’s bipartisan “Gang of Eight” offered a legislative summary of its proposal for comprehensive immigration reform. Here is how the Senate gang handled the four hottest immigration flashpoints.
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10 influential authors who came to the US as immigrants
These 10 immigrant authors have all made significant contributions to US literature and culture.
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Get irrational: 3.14 things to do on Pi Day
March 14 is Pi Day, which celebrates the mathematical constant measuring the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter (beginning with 3.14). Pi Day is celebrated internationally, and in 2009 it was decreed an official holiday by the US House of Representatives. Here are 3.14 ways to celebrate.
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Sen. Tom Coburn: How 'Dr. No' helps others say 'yes' (+video)
The Oklahoma Republican, an outsider's outsider, has become an essential player on key issues because if the opposition can cut a deal with Coburn, an unassailable conservative, other conservatives will go along.
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Briefing UN arms trade treaty: Will it receive US Senate approval?
Why the new initiative is so controversial among US conservatives.
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Robert Reich Obama budget: Why entitlement cuts are a 'grand bargain' we don't need
President Obama's willingness to negotiate on Social Security – which Democrats have protected from Republican assaults for almost eighty years – doesn’t bode well, Reich writes.
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Obama budget changes Social Security: Are Republicans on board?
President Obama proposed changes to entitlements including Social Security in his new budget, prompting hopes of a 'grand bargain.' Republicans mixed qualified approval with skepticism.
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Obama’s budget gambit: Return of the 'grand bargain'?
President Obama is for the first time proposing a budget that includes changes to Social Security and Medicare. This infuriates the left but could open the door to compromise with Republicans.
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Bipartisan deal on background checks: Biggest gun control win yet?
Two senators announced a bipartisan deal on a gun control bill that would expand background checks. Its passage is hardly assured, but just the compromise is significant.
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USPS Saturday mail delivery is sticking around, for now
USPS Saturday mail: The Postal Service has given up on trying to get rid of Saturday mail delivery as one way to help control runaway costs at the government agency. So, USPS Saturday mail will continue coming to your home or business, for the time being.
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Six things Obama's budget plan reveals about his priorities
President Obama's $3.78 trillion budget for fiscal 2014 lays out elements of a possible 'grand bargain' with Congress. At the same time, it speaks to his policy priorities.
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Cover Story How dealmaking gets done on Capitol Hill
In the new politics of Congress, deals are no longer fashioned by moderates, who vanished long ago, but by a few lawmakers on the left and right who have the respect, clout, and just enough pragmatism to surmount the culture of division.
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Deals that changed history
A look back at three major pieces of historical federal legislation, started and finished by small groups of men intent on statesmanship.
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Focus Tax reform: Why a kinder, simpler tax code eludes Congress, so far
As Tax Day nears, Americans in the throes of preparing their returns may be dreaming of a simpler tax code. Here's why tax reform is such a tall order for Congress – and how two lawmakers are laying the groundwork for it now.
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Will Senate vote on gun control? Untangling the politics of filibusters (+video)
The Senate will hold a vote on gun control legislation Thursday – but it's only to break a filibuster and allow debate to proceed. Will the bill actually become law? That's a different question.
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Entitlement reform takes step toward reality in new Obama budget
President Obama will unveil a budget Wednesday that includes reforms to entitlements such as Social Security and Medicare. The budget probably won't pass, but it points to a shift in the debate.
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Good news for Chicago Democrats? Robin Kelly is not Jesse Jackson Jr.
In the election to replace Jesse Jackson Jr., Illinois State Rep. Robin Kelly boasts an endorsement by President Obama, backing from New York Mayor Bloomberg, and a political record that is scandal-free.
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USA Update Newtown family members entreat Congress over need for gun controls
Family members of the children and educators killed in the Newtown, Conn., school shooting are on Capitol Hill Tuesday, lobbying on behalf of Obama's push for gun control legislation.
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Obama budget takes heat from all quarters (+video)
Republicans reject any new taxes. Liberals say they'll fight any changes to Social Security and other entitlement programs. Does the Obama administration have any room to maneuver?
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Gang of Eight seem on the verge of bipartisan immigration bill
Both Senators John McCain, R-Ariz., and Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. indicated the bipartisan committee working on immigration reform may be close to proposing a bill.
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Obama's budget offends just about everybody. Is that compromise?
President Obama will unveil his federal budget proposal this coming week. Based on leaked details, the plan already is getting hammered by his own liberal base as well as by Republicans.
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Sen. Scott Brown ... of New Hampshire? Why it could work.
Former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown raised eyebrows by saying he's 'not going to rule out anything' when asked if he'd run for Senate in New Hampshire. He has a house there.
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Bill Nelson, Fla. Sen., declares support for gay marriage
Bill Nelson wrote Thursday in a Tampa Bay Times column, 'The civil rights and responsibilities for one must pertain to all. Thus, to discriminate against one class and not another is wrong for me.'
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Why does Washington keep putting off entitlement reform?
Both the White House and Republicans agree that entitlement reform is necessary to rein in federal deficits, but nothing ever gets started. That could change in the weeks ahead.
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Gun control: Can Obama use Colorado bully pulpit to accomplish anything?
President Obama is pushing gun control in Denver Wednesday and will do the same in Hartford, Conn., next Monday. It's not clear he can move the public to pressure Congress on gun legislation, but it's worth a try, some say.
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Republican Sen. Mark Kirk backs gay marriage: How big a deal?
Sen. Mark Kirk became the second Republican senator in as many months to declare his support for gay marriage. But he's a moderate from a solidly blue state.
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Decoder Wire Caroline Kennedy: Good or bad choice for US ambassador to Japan? (+video)
Caroline Kennedy has largely shunned public political life, spending much of her time working at nonprofit organizations. Is it a good idea to send someone with little diplomatic experience as envoy to an important US ally?
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Focus Medicare: Could Rep. Paul Ryan's reform plan work?
The only big Medicare reform idea that's been pitched in public is called 'premium support,' championed by Rep. Paul Ryan (R). Here's how it would work, and here's why Democrats deride it as a 'voucher.'
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