December 20, 2015 Pentagon weighs allowing illegal immigrants to join the military The Pentagon is weighing allowing some immigrants brought illegally to the country as youths to serve in the military, a unilateral step by the Obama administration as immigration legislation remains stalled in the Republican-led House.
December 20, 2015 USDA delays whole grains requirement for schools The Agriculture Department will allow some schools to delay adding more whole-grain foods to meals this year, responding to criticism from school nutrition officials and Congress that the standards were too difficult to put in place.
December 20, 2015 Earmarks may be dead, but pet projects live on Despite a three-year-old ban on earmarks, members of Congress have found ways to bring home the bacon.
December 20, 2015 Flying high: Members of Congress get free reserved parking as well as first-class flights While legislation proposed this week would bar members of Congress from flying first class at taxpayers' expense, Capitol Hill lawmakers have another travel perk not likely to disappear anytime soon: free parking at Washington-area airports.
December 20, 2015 Tea party leader endorses immigration overhaul A national tea party leader is endorsing immigration overhaul legislation including legal status for the 11.5 million people now here illegally.
December 20, 2015 Bill would ban lawmakers from flying first class using taxpayer dollars A bipartisan group of lawmakers has introduced a bill aimed at preventing lawmakers from flying first class using taxpayer money.
December 20, 2015 GOP rep wants to cut funding for federal ‘paramilitary units’ after BLM dispute A Republican congressman wants to crack down on the proliferation of armed law enforcement units within the federal government, on the heels of the standoff last month between supporters of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy and a federal land agency.
December 20, 2015 Sneaking through? Conflicting reports on ‘secret’ immigration plan The comments come amid speculation that GOP leaders are keen to advance a bill, in part because the window may be closing to act on immigration and in part because doing so may help the party with Latino voters.
December 20, 2015 Congress returns to Capitol Hill with full agenda, but limited desire to make big changes in election year Members of Congress return to Capitol Hill on Monday following a two-week recess -- ready to resume negotiations on immigration reform, a minimum-wage bill and other key legislation but with little possibility of agreeing on any major changes in an election year.
December 20, 2015 Boehner mocks Republican colleagues on immigration House Speaker John Boehner reportedly mocked his GOP colleagues for their resistance to immigration legislation during a speech in his home district, in the latest sign he's pushing aggressively to break the logjam in Congress -- in defiance of some in his own party.