The Senate, in the latest round of political maneuvering on a popular campaign issue, Thursday rejected competing Democratic and Republican proposals to prevent student loan rates from doubling to 6.8% in July.
The U.S. Senate unanimously voted to tighten sanctions on Iran on Monday, three days after a dispute over whether to include the threat of American force stalled the legislation.
Congress is reaching a point where it will no longer be able to function at all. Over the past two years, some members of the Republican Party have ramped up the partisan wars on Capitol Hill. They are threatening to bring the legislative process to a standstill.
Top House Republicans attempted to ramp up pressure on Attorney General Eric Holder on Friday with a joint letter demanding the Department of Justice comply with a congressional subpoena for materials on the "Operation Fast and Furious" program.
The GOP-controlled House of Representatives on Friday passed a nearly $643 billion defense bill -- a measure at odds with prior military spending agreements and President Barack Obama's Pentagon plans.
After a high profile political battle this week over legislation to help victims of domestic abuse, its fate appears to be in limbo. And this policy-dispute-turned-election-year-brawl seems to be far from over.
Alabama's governor on Thursday called in lawmakers for a special session in part to further explore changes to the state's anti-illegal immigration law, considered the country's toughest.
Florida Republican Sandy Adams' personal story could help the GOP in its efforts to woo women voters.
The House of Representatives passed the Republican version of the Violence Against Women Act on Wednesday, despite strong opposition from Democrats.
President Barack Obama and congressional leaders met Wednesday to discuss upcoming budget deadlines, one day after House Speaker John Boehner drew a line in the sand over what could be another bitter showdown between the White House and Congress later this year.
Nebraska state Sen. Deb Fischer won the Republican nomination for an open U.S. Senate seat on Tuesday, official results showed, beating two better-funded candidacies for the opportunity to face off against a former U.S. Senator for the open seat in November.
The Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed a bill Thursday that would replace looming Pentagon spending cuts opposed by the GOP with a series of domestic program reductions opposed by congressional Democrats.
Just in case you thought you had time to catch your breath from the culture wars, the issue of marriage for gay couples is back at the ballot box this year. On Tuesday, North Carolinians voted 61% to 39% to ban all forms of relationship recognition for same-sex couples.
Richard Lugar had it all -- a sterling global reputation, bipartisan respect, a fat campaign bank account and 36 years of Senate experience.
Gov. Chris Christie campaigns for Gov. Scott Walker, cracking jokes and reminding crowds of liberal budget deficits.
You would think that President Obama's surprise trip to Afghanistan yesterday and speech to the troops would have quieted -- at least for one night -- the latest installment of the GOP's "Faux Anger Chronicles." While most of the president's critics were silent or praised him for the trip, others didn't disappoint in following along with the fad.
The chairman of the House Financial Services Committee has been cleared of allegations that he used his position to engage in insider trading and improperly profit from the 2008 market meltdown.
If case you had any doubts, don't -- Bill Clinton's fully on board President Barack Obama's re-election effort.
CNN's Candy Crowley reports on the political stir from an Obama campaign ad spotlighting the killing of Osama bin Laden.
Days before the one-year anniversary of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, top surrogates for President Barack Obama and presumptive Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney took to the national stage to argue the politics of the attack.
While loud and raucous rallies are still a part of the tea party toolbox, the movement, which came to life over dissatisfaction with big government and anger over government bailouts and President Barack Obama's health care reform, is evolving.
President Obama targets the youth vote in calling for lower college costs.
The White House said Friday that President Barack Obama would veto a Republican measure passed by the House to extend lower interest rates on federal student loans because it takes money from a health care fund that benefits women.
The House will vote Friday to extend current rates on federally funded college loans for one year, Speaker John Boehner announced on Wednesday in what is seen as an attempt to blunt President Barack Obama's momentum on an issue popular with young voters.
On July 1, the interest rates on student loans subsidized by Uncle Sam will double to 6.8%.
Jay Carney comments on remarks made by Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions and Sarah Palin about the Secret Service scandal.
The GOP-controlled House of Representatives on Thursday passed a $46 billion small business tax cut bill -- an election year measure that has virtually no chance of clearing the Democratic-controlled Senate or surviving a presidential veto.
With the inevitability of Mitt Romney's GOP presidential nomination now assured, the next question looming in this long, twisted election cycle is likely to be this: Which Mitt Romney will be running against President Barack Obama?
A new poll Tuesday showed voters are willing to give Mitt Romney a fresh look now that he is the certain Republican presidential nominee, and the former Massachusetts governor picked up public backing from the top GOP leaders in the House and Senate.
GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney tells supporters why he thinks the so-called Buffett Rule is not a solid tax plan.
Typically when a presidential candidate wraps up his party's nomination after months of reaching out to base voters in the primaries, the question becomes whether he can appeal to the political center for the general election.
GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney takes aim at President Obama's record with women voters. CNN's Jim Acosta reports.
John King and Reince Priebus discuss Rick Santorum's decision to suspend his campaign and what that means for the GOP.
Some leading social conservative groups are praising Rick Santorum following his suspension of his Republican presidential campaign. But their reaction Tuesday didn't mention Mitt Romney, the all-but-certain GOP nominee with Santorum out of the race.
President Obama, while signing the STOCK Act, said there is more that needs to be done to close the deficit of trust.
President Barack Obama signed legislation on Wednesday aimed at restoring Americans' faith in the nation's public institutions at a time they rank at record lows in opinion polls. The act bans insider trading by members of Congress and many executive branch employees.
CNN's Tom Foreman takes to the "magic wall" to break down the top issues for Maryland voters in Tuesday's primary.
Mitt Romney won all three of Tuesday's Republican presidential primaries, putting more distance between himself and his closest contender, Rick Santorum, who indicated he plans to fight on to his home state of Pennsylvania and beyond.
In what must be the most extraordinary statement of his presidency, Barack Obama on Monday blasted the possibility that the United States Supreme Court might overturn the Affordable Care Act. Obama said the court would take an "unprecedented, extraordinary step" if it overturns the law, because it was passed by "a strong majority of a democratically elected Congress."
Mitt Romney explains what a Romney win in Wisconsin could mean for the GOP nomination.
My 91-year-old mother finds a lot of things aggravating. Drugstores that run out of things that are on sale. Typos. And phone calls from Mitt Romney. Quite a few phone calls from Mitt Romney. Also from Rick Santorum. And other people advocating for each of them. She's had enough. Also the television ads. Do they have to run so many?
The House of Representatives passes the GOP leadership's 2013 budget plan 228-191.
After six terms in the Senate, Indiana's Richard Lugar finds himself the latest target of the tea party movement's desire both to have more influence over the policy agenda in Congress and to make the Republican Party more conservative.
With just four days left before the federal money runs out for highway construction projects across the country, House Republicans abruptly postponed a vote on a two-month extension Tuesday, throwing into question how a standoff between Senate Democrats and House Republicans over the transportation bill will get resolved.
Rick Santorum dismisses Mitt Romney's recent attacks, saying he would never vote for President Obama.
A poll released Friday shows Rick Santorum with a comfortable lead over front-runner Mitt Romney in Saturday's Louisiana Republican primary, but he was in a mess over remarks he made about President Obama, which his rivals seized on.
The Illinois primary should be a Republican Party homecoming. After all, this is the Land of Lincoln, home state of the first Republican president.
As the Republican primary reaches its halfway point, the question of inevitability is a main topic of conversation. Is former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who holds a sizable lead in delegates, destined to be the Republican nominee for president in 2012?
Two convicted murderers received driver's licenses and bought cars before being officially pardoned by Haley Barbour.
Investigative documents obtained by CNN show that former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, his wife and his staff may have given preferential treatment to two of the convicted murderers who were among the more than 200 former and current inmates he pardoned in January.
A $109 billion transportation bill won approval Wednesday from the Senate but still faces likely political wrangling in the House.
Maryland became the eighth U.S. state to allow same-sex marriage Thursday as Gov. Martin O'Malley signed legislation he said secures the "human dignity" of all residents, including gay and lesbian couples.
Gov. Martin O'Malley signs into law a bill legalizing same-sex marriage in Maryland.
The campaigns of President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney don't agree on much. But on one subject, officials from both sides are in sync.
CNN contributor Mary Matalin says an upcoming Hollywood-style Obama campaign film will turn off Independent voters.
Super Tuesday is traditionally a turning point in the campaign for the U.S. presidency, but it may pass without having the impact its name implies because the Republican Party has a pesky problem -- it can't decide whom it wants in the White House.
Know your caucuses from your primaries? Your superdelegates from your Super PACs? As Republican presidential hopefuls battle to win the right to take on Barack Obama in November, we've defined the array of words and acronyms that will define this year's election.
Both political parties exploit Super PACs, but what exactly are they? CNN's Kate Bolduan explains.
Political analyst David Leland talks Super Tuesday and what it means for the GOP.
American voters this presidential election year are still stuck with an archaic electoral process that artificially restricts our ballot choices.
Chris Christie called it "the dumbest idea anybody ever had."
RNC Chairman Reince Priebus says that tough primaries are a good thing and that there's still time to woo independents.
President Obama made remarks on energy, saying the Republican strategy is drill, drill, drill.
A day after Republicans signaled possible compromise with the White House on energy issues, President Barack Obama called Thursday for Congress to vote in the coming weeks on ending billions of dollars in subsidies for the oil industry.
Republican leaders and the White House sent signals Wednesday of possible detente on jobs and energy legislation, but they offered few specifics and congressional Democrats questioned whether any progress would ensue.
The president says that the auto bailouts worked, in an address to the United Auto Workers union in Washington.
Two months into the Republican presidential nominating process, many thought that one candidate might have it sewn up by now.
Promises are an inherent part of campaigning. But in a time where distrust of government is at an all-time high, 2012 Republican candidates are using promises of action on Day 1 of their administrations to convince voters of the seriousness of the problems facing the nation and their seriousness about taking immediate action to fix them.
Gov. Chris Gregoire says she'll reach out to Gov. Chris Christie as New Jersey considers legalizing same-sex marriage.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Friday vetoed a bill that would allow same-sex couples to wed, setting up a confrontation with a Democrat-controlled legislature that has vowed to eventually get the bill into law.
A House-Senate conference committee negotiated a compromise on a payroll tax cut extension.
The Senate and the House of Representatives passed a bipartisan deal Friday extending the payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits while also avoiding a Medicare fee cut for doctors for the rest of the year.
Rep. Dave Camp and Sen. Max Baucus announce that Congressional negotiators reached a deal to extend the payroll tax cut.
A bipartisan group of congressional negotiators signed off on an agreement Thursday to extend the payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits while avoiding a fee cut for Medicare doctors for the rest of the year.
House Speaker John Boehner says a payroll tax agreement with Democrats was the only way to prevent a tax hike.
House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, defended Wednesday the decision to move forward with a roughly $100 billion payroll tax cut extension that is not paid for, arguing that it was the only way to prevent a tax hike.
House Speaker John Boehner told his Republican caucus Wednesday that the House will postpone voting on a massive transportation and energy bill until after the congressional recess scheduled for next week, according to multiple House Republican leadership aides.
In a sharp turnaround, House Republican leaders Monday dropped a key demand that the cost of extending the payroll tax cut be offset by spending cuts elsewhere in the budget.
At the CPAC conference, Mitt Romney talks about his business background and his stint as governor of Massachusetts.
Mitt Romney's twin victories Saturday in Maine and in a conservative straw poll were badly needed bright spots for his campaign at the end of what was perhaps the most humbling week of his presidential candidacy, a five-day stretch that exposed the former Massachusetts governor's frail relationship with conservatives.
Rep. Spencer Bachus, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, acknowledged Friday that he is under investigation for possible violations of insider trading laws, but insisted he will be cleared.
Republicans looking to take back the White House in November face a challenging political environment, a trio of conservative political observers said Thursday at an annual gathering of conservative activists.
Rep. Boehner painted the picture of a conservative utopia at CPAC, including a new president, senate, and lower taxes.
Aiming to restore voters' faith in Congress, the Senate overwhelmingly approved a bill Thursday that makes clear it's illegal for members of Congress, their staffs and many executive-branch employees to trade stocks and other securities based on inside information learned on the job.
Peter Schweizer, "Throw Them All Out" author, explains insider trading by members of Congress and the pending Senate bill.
GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney tells Obama it is time to get "out of the way" after his primary win in Florida.
A political battle is shaping up in the Garden State about whether to give gay and lesbian couples the right to wed -- a move that, if approved, would make New Jersey the seventh state in the nation to legalize same-sex marriage.
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords receives a standing ovation prior to Tuesday's State of the Union Address.
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who moved the nation with an improbable comeback after a gunman shot her in the head last year, formally resigned Wednesday in an emotional appearance in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Newt Gingrich's stunningly strong win in the South Carolina primary capped an incredible week in the Republican presidential nominating cycle., but what did we learn from it?
On CNN's Erin Burnett OutFront, John Avlon debunks many of the stereotypes about South Carolina and its voters.
We're in the thick of the South Carolina Republican Primary, and all the ugly old stereotypes are being deployed as shorthand for one very beautiful state.
More than a million people have signed a petition to recall Wisconsin's governor, the state's Democratic Party said Tuesday.
Embattled Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker could face a recall election down the line. Ted Rowlands reports.
The fight over extending a payroll tax cut and long-term unemployment benefits resumes Tuesday as Congress returns to work after its winter break.
Rep. Jeb Hensarling tells CNN's Erin Burnett the Democrats are stalling the payroll tax vote.
For eight consecutive presidential campaigns, from Ronald Reagan's in 1980 to John McCain's in 2008, the winner of the Republican primary in South Carolina went on to win his party's nomination. Not surprisingly, the Republican presidential candidates have begun shaping their appeals to South Carolina voters well before the primary in New Hampshire.
Marilee Walmer is no fan of Mitt Romney's.
On Friday and Saturday, evangelical Christian leaders are in Texas to discuss how best to coordinate their efforts to ensure a true social conservative wins the Republican nomination. Struggling with Mitt Romney's moderate record as governor of Massachusetts (and, in some cases, lingering concerns about his Mormonism), socially conservative Republicans are reportedly searching for a way to stop the front-runner.
On CNN's Erin Burnett OutFront, political strategists examine the enduring appeal of Republican candidate Ron Paul.
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