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President Obama, accompanied by Education Secretary Arne Duncan (left), delivers his back-to school speech on Sept. 28, 2011, at Benjamin Banneker Academic High School in D.C. (Associated Press)

Obama defends handling of illegal immigration

President Obama told a largely Latino audience Wednesday that his administration has not become more aggressive in deporting illegal immigrants, despite statistics to the contrary that he calls misleading.

September 28, 2011

Watchdog: EPA cut corners on global-warming decision

The EPA's internal watchdog said this week that the Obama administration cut corners in evaluating the science it used to back up its 2009 finding that carbon is a dangerous pollutant and can be regulated under existing federal law.

September 28, 2011
Logo of Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

House GOP asks for data on abortion spending

House Republicans have begun an investigation into Planned Parenthood's use of federal funds, questioning whether the national network of abortion providers has proper checks in place to prevent violations of federal law.

September 27, 2011

Senate delays jobs bill to take on China

President Obama is still pressing Congress to pass his jobs-stimulus bill immediately, but Democratic Party leaders in the Senate once again have delayed taking a vote on the legislation and instead will take up a bill to punish China over its currency valuation.

September 27, 2011
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat, is joined by fellow Democrats (from left) Sens. Mary L. Landrieu of Louisiana, Chuck Schumer of New York and Debbie Stabenow of Michigan after Monday's vote on a short-term funding bill. (Associated Press)

Senate OKs stopgap bill to prevent shutdown

The Senate passed a stopgap spending bill Monday night to avert a potential government shutdown after the Obama administration discovered it had enough money in its disaster accounts to last through the end of this month, leaving lawmakers with "nothing to fight about."

September 26, 2011

Obama stumps for jobs stimulus plan

Declaring himself "a warrior for the middle class," President Obama traveled Thursday to a bridge that connects Ohio to Kentucky — the homes of the two top Republicans in Congress — and said they have the power to kill or pass his jobs-stimulus plan.

September 22, 2011
Rep. Lamar Smith (Associated Press)

E-Verify bill stirs broader immigration debate

House Republicans on Wednesday jump-started the immigration debate, pushing through the Judiciary Committee a key immigration-enforcement measure to require businesses to check new employees' work status against a government database — but the fight highlighted deep divides that make it unlikely any bill clears Congress in the near future.

September 21, 2011

Obama: U.N. can’t impose Mideast peace

Struggling to head off a divisive showdown on Palestinian statehood at the U.N. later this week, President Obama on Wednesday told the world body there can be "no shortcut" to peace in the Middle East and called on other countries to insist both sides negotiate a solution rather than have it imposed by the international community.

September 21, 2011
VETO VOW: President Obama said Monday that he would "not support any plan that puts all the burden for closing our deficit on ordinary Americans," and called for higher taxes on the wealthiest. (Associated Press)

Obama ties Medicare cuts to tax hikes on the rich

Seeking to put his stamp on deficit-reduction talks, President Obama on Monday said he will veto any debt plan that cuts Medicare benefits without also imposing higher taxes on the wealthy, and he embraced a broad call that all millionaires be made to pay an effective higher tax rate on income than middle-class families do.

September 19, 2011

Obama calls for broad tax increases

President Obama on Monday proposed a deficit reduction plan that calls for about $3 in new tax increases for every dollar in additional spending cuts as he seeks to put his imprint on the ongoing talks with Congress over reducing the government's staggering debt.

September 18, 2011

Patent bill signing caps week of bipartisan deals

Capping a rare week of bipartisanship in Washington, President Obama on Friday signed into law a measure that is designed to revamp the way patents are won in the U.S., and which its backers said could spur creation of jobs.

September 16, 2011
Democratic Sens. Charles E. Schumer of New York and Barbara Boxer of California arrive Thursday to speak to reporters about legislation funding the Federal Aviation Administration. (Associated Press)

Senate OKs stopgap funding for highways and FAA

In a flurry of bipartisan cooperation late Thursday, the Senate cleared a $7 billion bill to boost federal disaster funding and measures to keep the Federal Aviation Administration and federal highway spending going for the rest of this year, as lawmakers brushed aside conservatives' concerns over the deficit.

September 15, 2011

Boehner advocates rewrite of tax code

House Speaker John A. Boehner on Thursday ruled out tax increases as an option for the deficit supercommittee, but in a broad speech laying out his goals for Congress, he urged the 12-member panel to lay the groundwork for a full rewrite of the U.S. tax code.

September 15, 2011
Rep. Zoe Lofgren

Nationwide use of E-Verify goes before committee

After months on the back burner, the immigration issue returns to the political forefront Thursday when House Republicans take the first steps to require all businesses to verify their employees' work status electronically.

September 14, 2011
Mr. Elmendorf said Tuesday that if the new deficit supercommittee is going to meet its Thanksgiving deadline for a deal, his office will need to see an agreement in early November. The supercommittee held its first hearing Tuesday. (T.J. Kirkpatrick/The Washington Times)

Budget director cuts time for supercommittee to reduce deficit

Congress' chief scorekeeper effectively shortened the window for the new deficit supercommittee to reach a deal, saying Tuesday that if lawmakers are going to meet their Thanksgiving deadline, his office will need to see an agreement at the beginning of November.

September 13, 2011