Hispanic leaders warn GOP not to block Thomas Perez as labor secretary

Hispanic lawmakers and community leaders warned Republicans on Tuesday about the consequences of blocking President Barack Obama’s nomination of Thomas Perez to be labor secretary. | 05/07/13 19:54:34 By - By James Rosen

Medicare fraud targets seniors, scooters: ‘I don’t need it. I don’t want it.’

Dr. Charlotte Kennedy first became suspicious when she received a fax from a medical supply company asking her to authorize a back brace for a 92-year-old patient. She’d recently examined the patient, who never mentioned any back problems. In fact, the woman was an avid gardener. Kennedy had stumbled on a problem that cost Medicare – and taxpayers – $27 billion over the past four years. | 05/07/13 16:14:34 By - By Lindsay Wise

Senate approves online sales tax; House support isn’t so certain

A bill that would authorize states to collect sales taxes for online purchases easily passed the Senate on Monday with bipartisan support, but it faces a tougher hurdle in the House of Representatives. | 05/06/13 19:19:44 By - By Lindsay Wise

Sen. Lindsey Graham shifts support of Obama over national security

Sen. Lindsey Graham’s recent harsh criticism of President Barack Obama over national security is a marked change from the South Carolina Republican’s previous repeated praise of Obama’s performance. | 05/03/13 17:05:54 By - By James Rosen

Rep. Don Young turns to oil cash for his legal defense

Alaska Rep. Don Young is reaching into a legal defense fund bankrolled by a Louisiana oil field services company in order to pay lawyers to defend him in his latest ethics investigation. | 05/02/13 16:11:46 By -

Obama’s bid to squeeze Social Security enrages his core backers

Liberal groups angered by President Barack Obama’s proposed Social Security cuts say they’ll take a page from conservatives’ campaign playbook and work to oust Democratic lawmakers who go along with the plan. | 05/02/13 16:42:19 By - By James Rosen

Congress heads home for recess, leaving to-do list behind

Congress headed home this weekend for a nine-day break, leaving behind much of the trouble it was elected to help ease. | 04/26/13 17:19:54 By - By David Lightman

Congress moves to ease air travel delays, then heads for airport

Congress moved fast Friday to ease delays at airports around the nation triggered by furloughs of air traffic controllers, as the House of Representatives approved by 361-41 a budget fix designed to avert more trouble. | 04/26/13 16:17:01 By - By David Lightman and Curtis Tate

N.C. Rep. George Holding finding his way and not afraid to say ‘no’

George Holding promised voters he’d go to Washington to cut spending, and four months into the job, he hears pitches for what sound like good programs. | 04/25/13 18:08:31 By - By Renee Schoof

Pentagon’s budget cuts could slow F-35 program, Congress told

The on-time rollout of the F-35 fighter jet for its 2017 deadline could be in jeopardy as a result of forced federal budget cuts, testified a key military official to Congress on Wednesday. | 04/24/13 18:33:38 By - By Beena Raghavendran

Flight delays become real consequence of partisan gridlock

Politicians in Washington swapped accusations this week as anticipated mandatory spending cuts began to have their first noticeable impact on the nation’s air travel, with hundreds of flights delayed after airport personnel were forced to take unpaid days off. | 04/24/13 17:03:47 By - By Curtis Tate

Senate bill may require paying sales tax for more online purchases

Sarah Bagby’s 35-year-old independent bookstore so far has weathered the advent of Internet shopping and e-books. Now Bagby, the owner of Watermark Books & Cafe in Wichita, Kan., is closely following debate in Congress over a bill that she says would help her stay competitive with online retailers who are able to undercut her prices by not charging state or local sales taxes. | 04/23/13 17:25:43 By - By Lindsay Wise

Obama push against gun rights senators could backfire

“You’ve got to send the right people to Washington” to deal with gun control, President Barack Obama insists.In fact, the people voters send to Washington next year could prove to be Obama’s nightmare. | 04/23/13 16:19:53 By - By David Lightman

Could Boston suspects’ background impact immigration debate in Congress?

The two brothers suspected of being behind the explosions in Boston have been thrust into the immigration debate just as it is gaining steam in Washington. Some are using the bombing case as justification for holding off talks on overhauling the nation’s immigration laws. | 04/19/13 21:19:55 By - By Franco Ordonez

History, culture, mistrust combined to defeat gun control effort

Why is it so hard for even the most modest gun control effort to succeed? The easy answer is the power of the gun lobby, but the obstacles are far more complex. Growing numbers of people distrust Washington. A deeply rooted gun culture sees big government as a threat to its security, not to mention its constitutional rights. Members of Congress from conservative areas are well aware that votes on gun control, even in baby steps, are politically perilous. | 04/19/13 14:33:23 By - By David Lightman

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