The contentious debate over health care took a new twist Monday as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced his decision to craft legislation including a public insurance option allowing states to opt out.
Senate Democratic leaders met Thursday night with White House officials to consider including a government-funded public health insurance option, along with a provision allowing states to opt out of it, in a health care overhaul bill.
In the wake of the financial meltdown, Wall Street banks remain pariahs in Washington. But Main Street banks are winning big.
Senate Democratic leaders met Thursday night with White House officials to consider including a government-funded public health insurance option, along with a provision allowing states to opt out of it, in a health care overhaul bill.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that Congress is set to consider a measure increasing the amount of money the federal government can lend to small businesses.
A key House committee on Thursday approved the most high-profile part of the White House plan to prevent future financial collapse: The creation of a new agency to regulate consumer financial products.
A preliminary estimate from the Congressional Budget Office projects that the House Democrats' health care plan that includes a public option would cost $871 billion over 10 years, according to two Democratic sources.
There was candid frustration Thursday coming from rank-and-file congressional Democrats about the influence of Maine's Republican senator in the health care reform debate.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi warned her Senate counterparts Thursday that she intends to fight hard for a government-run health care plan as part of any comprehensive overhaul bill.
Prospects for bipartisan cooperation on health care reform faded Wednesday as a key Senate Democrat called his GOP counterparts obstructionist and both conservative and liberal activists attacked the sweeping $827 billion Senate Finance Committee bill.
The contentious debate over health care took a new twist Monday as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced his decision to craft legislation including a public insurance option allowing states to opt out.
Senate Democratic leaders met Thursday night with White House officials to consider including a government-funded public health insurance option, along with a provision allowing states to opt out of it, in a health care overhaul bill.
In the wake of the financial meltdown, Wall Street banks remain pariahs in Washington. But Main Street banks are winning big.
Senate Democratic leaders met Thursday night with White House officials to consider including a government-funded public health insurance option, along with a provision allowing states to opt out of it, in a health care overhaul bill.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that Congress is set to consider a measure increasing the amount of money the federal government can lend to small businesses.
A key House committee on Thursday approved the most high-profile part of the White House plan to prevent future financial collapse: The creation of a new agency to regulate consumer financial products.
A preliminary estimate from the Congressional Budget Office projects that the House Democrats' health care plan that includes a public option would cost $871 billion over 10 years, according to two Democratic sources.
There was candid frustration Thursday coming from rank-and-file congressional Democrats about the influence of Maine's Republican senator in the health care reform debate.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi warned her Senate counterparts Thursday that she intends to fight hard for a government-run health care plan as part of any comprehensive overhaul bill.
Prospects for bipartisan cooperation on health care reform faded Wednesday as a key Senate Democrat called his GOP counterparts obstructionist and both conservative and liberal activists attacked the sweeping $827 billion Senate Finance Committee bill.
A compromise health care proposal widely seen as having the best chance to win Democratic and Republican support would cost $829 billion over the next 10 years, nonpartisan budget analysts concluded Wednesday.
Leading Republicans urged President Obama to make a swift decision in favor of more U.S. troops for the war in Afghanistan after talks between the president and congressional leaders Tuesday.
President Obama will meet with top congressional leaders from both parties Tuesday to discuss a war in Afghanistan that now appears to be at a potential tipping point.
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Thursday endorsed most of the Obama administration's plan to overhaul the regulatory system, except for a consumer agency.
As lawmakers huddled this summer to put together the framework for health care legislation, it quickly became evident that the battle over President Obama's top priority would be neither quick nor easy.
Two members of the Senate Finance Committee plan to put their Democratic colleagues on the spot on Tuesday by offering amendments on whether to give uninsured Americans the opportunity to join a government insurance program.
House Democratic leaders are discussing adding a tax on insurers as a way to reduce the overall price tag of their health care bill.
President Obama took his health care reform message back on the road Thursday, promising a raucous crowd of college students that Congress will pass legislation this year.
The House of Representatives on Tuesday formally admonished Republican Rep. Joe Wilson for shouting "you lie" during President Obama's speech to a joint session of Congress last week.
The struggle over health care reform intensified Thursday as President Obama sought to build on what administration officials hoped was new momentum generated by his prime-time address to Congress.
As Americans paused Wednesday to remember the extraordinary life of Sen. Edward Kennedy, political observers also took note of a rare development caused by his passing.
With health care negotiations stalled until Congress comes back from August recess, a top Democratic strategist says President Obama and his party need to seize control of the debate.
Facing a recent erosion of public support for health-care overhaul, President Obama lashed out at his opponents Saturday for spreading "outrageous myths" on the Internet, television, and at town hall forums.
As President Obama struggles to regain control of the health care debate, he's finding himself caught in a game of tug of war with members of his own party.
A key House committee passed comprehensive health care reform legislation Friday, moving President Obama's domestic priority one step closer to congressional approval.
Members of Congress will come back from their summer break in September to a plate full of health care reform -- that's if they survive the latest rancorous and sometimes violent town hall meetings.
A key Senate committee won't vote on its compromise health care overhaul plan before the upcoming month-long August recess, giving Republicans and some conservative Democrats their desired slowdown in congressional action on President Obama's top domestic priority.
After more than six hours of negotiations among White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, talks between House Democratic leaders and key Blue Dog Democrats broke up Tuesday night without a deal on health-care reform.
House Democratic leaders conceded Monday that concerns raised by fiscally conservative Democrats will prevent the chamber from voting on a health care reform bill before the end of the week, when it is scheduled to begin its August recess.
The issue was: Should they stay or should they go?
House Democrats split sharply over the issue of health care reform Friday as negotiations between a committee chairman and party conservatives broke down.
The top Democrat in the U.S. Senate said Thursday the chamber won't vote on a health care reform bill until after the August recess.
President Obama prepared to take his push for health care reform to the American people in a Wednesday night news conference, with the debate focusing on how much overhaul is needed.
It's always hard to be optimistic about the passage of any kind of health care reform.
The battle to overhaul health care intensified Monday, with President Obama accusing GOP critics of putting politics ahead of policy and a top Republican saying Democrats' plans would undermine the country's economic future.
The fight over health care reform took center stage on Capitol Hill on Friday, as the House Democratic leadership stepped up its push for passage of a bill before the August congressional recess.
What the country could easily see this week was a major success story for the Obama White House: A confirmation drama featuring Judge Sonia Sotomayor that left even Republican critics predicting an easy path to confirmation.
One of several proposals to overhaul the U.S. health care system passed a Senate committee Wednesday, with its ailing chairman praising the $600 billion plan as a step toward his longtime goals.
President Obama will huddle with five top congressional Democrats on Monday afternoon to discuss how to pay for the health care reform bills that are stalled in Congress, largely over the issue of which taxes should be raised to cover the $1 trillion price tag, congressional aides told CNN.
CIA Director Leon Panetta testified to a congressional committee that he was told former Vice President Dick Cheney ordered the intelligence agency to withhold information about a secret counterterrorism program from Congress, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee said Sunday.
CIA Director Leon Panetta recently testified to Congress that the agency concealed information and misled lawmakers repeatedly since 2001, according to a letter from seven House Democrats to Panetta made public Wednesday.
Partisan sniping over allegations that the CIA intentionally misled lawmakers in recent years escalated sharply Thursday, with Republicans accusing Democrats of undermining national security and Democrats charging intelligence officials with illegally concealing information.
President Obama took his case for major health care reform to the airwaves Wednesday night in a nationally televised health care forum while congressional negotiators tackled numerous proposals relating to coverage and cost control.
The struggle over health care reform reached a fever pitch Wednesday as sharp partisan lines were drawn over the politically explosive question of a possible government-funded public plan competing with private insurers' plans.
Congressional Republicans offered what they call a "centrist, practical" plan to overhaul the U.S. health care system Tuesday, one they say would be the cheapest of any option proposed so far.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell took to the Senate floor Wednesday to blast Democrats for setting a start date on Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation hearing.
At 8:30 a.m., Kirsten Gillibrand looks like any other working mom in a minivan dropping off her baby boy at day care and her other son at school.
Anita Hill will always be linked to the Senate confirmation hearings for the Supreme Court.
The House Republican leadership upped the ante Thursday in the ongoing debate over the size and scope of the federal budget, unveiling a proposal to cut spending by $375 billion over the next five years.
With his appointment of Sonia Sotomayor and a fiery speech in Nevada, President Obama bought himself a little breathing space with congressional Democrats after taking a big political hit from them last week.
President Obama and former Vice President Dick Cheney offered competing views on how to keep America safe in back-to-back speeches Thursday.
President Obama will address the future of the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Thursday morning in a speech at the National Archives.
Senate Democrats will pull money to close the Guantanamo Bay military prison from a war funding bill instead of face an onslaught of criticism from Republicans, CNN has learned.
And amid all the talk, there was notable silence: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi decided not to appear on any of the Sunday shows to defend herself after a rocky week.
What do guns have to do with credit cards?
Key Senate negotiators have reached a deal on legislation targeting credit card rates and fees, the lead Democratic senator on the issue said Monday.
Republican congressional leaders tore into President Obama's proposed 2010 budget Thursday, arguing that his spending cuts will do little to stem a rising tide of red ink.
A day after House Democrats rejected the president's funding request to close down the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, a senior Senate Democrat said he and other key senators may support the request.
A bill that targets credit card rate hikes and fees is headed for a final showdown in the Senate as key lawmakers negotiate a possible compromise measure.
Congress approved a $3.4 trillion budget for the coming year Wednesday, approving most of President Obama's key spending priorities including increasing in health care, education and alternative energy spending.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi marked President Barack Obama's 100th day in office with some unsolicited advice for Republican voters, telling them to "take back" their party.
The House of Representatives passed a $3.44 trillion budget resolution for fiscal year 2010 Wednesday, approving most of President Barack Obama's key spending priorities.
Just when it seemed as if the Republican Party's political standing couldn't get any worse, Sen. Arlen Specter decides to ditch the GOP and join the Democratic Party.
After a nearly decade-long effort, the National Congress of Black Women on Tuesday honored Sojourner Truth by making her the first African-American woman to have a memorial bust in the U.S. Capitol.
House and Senate Democrats reached agreement late Monday on a budget resolution for 2010, which includes key spending priorities for the young Obama administration.
Ramping up his campaign to crack down on credit cards, President Obama met Thursday with more than a dozen executives of card-issuing companies to press his case for new consumer protections.
A key House panel on Wednesday advanced a bill to crack down on credit card interest rates and fees amid signs the Obama administration will try to toughen the bill further before it goes to a full vote.
Listen closely and you'll hear squeals of disgust from a watchdog group tracking congressional pork in the nation's capital.
The Senate passed a $3.53 trillion version of the federal budget for fiscal year 2010 late Thursday night in a party-line vote, ending several weeks of acrimonious partisan debate.
The Senate passed a $3.53 trillion version of the federal budget for fiscal year 2010 late Thursday night in a party-line vote, ending several weeks of acrimonious partisan debate.
The House of Representatives passed a $3.55 trillion budget for fiscal year 2010 Thursday night, capping off weeks of acrimonious partisan debate and a long day of voting marked by the defeat of several alternative plans.
In the U.S. Senate, seniority is all: You wait your turn. No one knows that better than Democrat Chris Dodd, the senior senator from Connecticut. "I went through 28 years of sitting next to people who either had the constitution of mules or great longevity," Dodd told Fortune late one afternoon recently in his arch-windowed office on Capitol Hill.
President Obama huddled with Senate Democrats on Capitol Hill Wednesday as the White House fought to save major domestic priorities in its record $3.6 trillion budget from the congressional budget ax.
So far in this new presidency, there's been a lot of what we in Washington call "outreach." As in: outreach to labor, outreach to governors and, most of all, outreach to Republicans.
Democratic leaders scrambling to strip AIG executives of bonuses are having a hard time answering a key question: Why didn't Congress act to prevent the bonuses in the first place?
Senate Democrats want to tax the controversial bonuses doled out to AIG employees who work for the division that led to the company's downfall.
California Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters maintains she did nothing wrong when she sought federal help last fall for a minority-owned bank in which her husband owns stock.
Global warming concerns took center stage Monday as two organizations held rallies to draw attention to an issue that President Barack Obama has promised to place near the top of his agenda.
In the coming days, a compromise version of the economic recovery plan is likely to pass the Senate with a handful of Republican votes.
An $838 billion economic recovery package cleared the Senate on Tuesday in a 61-to-37 vote, setting the way for negotiations with the House on a final bill.
Illinois Sen. Roland Burris reiterated Monday that his sworn testimony regarding his contacts with then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich was not inconsistent with what he later said in an affidavit.
Illinois Republican leaders on Sunday called for a perjury investigation of Sen. Roland Burris, questioning whether he "purposely deceived the public" last month by failing to tell state lawmakers that then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich's brother solicited him for campaign cash.
It's a done deal. Still controversial, but a done deal.
Democratic former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's brother asked Roland Burris to contribute or help raise up to $10,000 in campaign cash before Burris was named a U.S. senator on December 30, according to a Burris spokesman.
"It is time for Congress to act, and I hope they act in a bipartisan fashion," President Obama said when he went to Peoria, Illnois, on Thursday to argue for his economic stimulus plan.
The U.S. Senate gave final approval Friday to a $787 billion recovery package that President Obama hopes will help boost an economy in freefall with a combination of government spending and tax cuts and credits.
We have a deal. This week, House and Senate leaders agreed on a $789 billion stimulus package intended to jumpstart the economy, create millions of jobs, and alleviate some of the financial anxiety suffered by individuals and businesses.
The Senate plans to vote on the $789 billion compromise stimulus late Friday after an all-day debate, Majority Leader Harry Reid said Thursday from the chamber floor.
The Senate plans to vote on the $789 billion compromise stimulus late Friday after an all day debate, Majority Leader Harry Reid said Thursday from the chamber floor.
Negotiators have worked out a disagreement between the Senate and House over education funding in the economic stimulus bill, Democratic leadership sources said Wednesday evening.
Democratic leadership sources say they have worked out a way around the disagreement between the Senate and House over education funding in the economic stimulus bill.
Now that the Senate has passed its economic recovery package, it's time for the really hard part -- trying to reconcile the differences between House and Senate versions of the plan without losing the support needed to pass the final version in both chambers.
Well, that didn't take long. Three weeks into the new administration and the Democrats are squandering their advantage and threatening to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
As the economic stimulus package moves to the Senate, the drumbeat is growing louder for new provisions that directly address the housing crisis.
President Obama faces a tough week: The calls are growing louder for a new bank and housing bailout, and the Senate will take up its version of the economic stimulus package.
President Obama pointed Friday to a "bipartisan" legislative success, at the end of a week in which his economic stimulus bill triggered a partisan divide.
President Obama's economic stimulus plan cleared its first hurdle, but it was hardly the bipartisan victory he hoped for -- not a single House Republican broke ranks to support it.
The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed President Barack Obama's economic stimulus package, sending the $819 billion bill to the Senate, where it will face more opposition from Republicans.
The House on Wednesday evening passed an $819 billion economic stimulus package Wednesday on a party-line vote, despite President Obama's efforts to achieve bipartisan support for the bill.
In a final push before the House votes on an economic stimulus package, President Obama said Wednesday that the country needs immediate action to solve rampant job loss.
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