December 20, 2015 Obama threatens to wield veto pen to counter GOP-led Congress The new Congress hasn't yet been sworn in, but President Obama already is warning he plans to use his veto pen to counter initiatives from the incoming Republican majority.
December 20, 2015 Paul, Rubio clash over Obama's Cuba policy Flipping the script on a Republican rival, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul on Friday criticized Florida Sen. Marco Rubio as "an isolationist" as the GOP's intra-party feud over President Obama's new Cuba policy intensified. The charge was unusual for the libertarian-minded Paul, often cast as an isolationist himself. On Friday, however, Paul made the case for opening up trade and engagement with communist Cuba.
December 20, 2015 Keystone pipeline to top Senate agenda next year Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell declared Tuesday that approving the Keystone XL pipeline will top the Senate agenda in January, potentially setting up an early veto confrontation with President Barack Obama.
December 20, 2015 Growing divide among Senate Republicans on spending bill? Republican aren’t mincing words about some in their own party as the political divide grows and the deadline to pass a spending bill nears.
December 20, 2015 A look inside the massive $1.1 trillion spending bill School kids, truckers, marijuana smokers and fans of old-fashioned light bulbs are among millions of Americans with something extra riding on passage of a giant spending bill needed to keep the government running. The $1.1 trillion, 1,603-page bill awaiting a Monday Senate vote is mostly spending choices, such as adding $5.4 billion to fight the Ebola virus or trimming the Environmental Protection Agency's budget by $60 million.
December 20, 2015 Obama, McConnell size up prospects for cooperation Facing a new political landscape, President Barack Obama and Sen. Mitch McConnell had a Wednesday appointment to size up prospects for cooperation between Democrats and Republicans who have shown little zest for political deal-making in the more than five years since Obama's first inauguration.
December 20, 2015 Incoming senators talk compromise on jobs, immigration but partisan divide still an issue Newly-elected senators from both parties agreed Sunday on several issues facing the incoming Congress, including job creation and the passage of immigration-reform legislation, but also hinted that elusive bipartisan compromise will be difficult to attain.
December 20, 2015 Can GOP, Obama find common ground? New Congress eyes Keystone, ObamaCare, tax code Constructing the Keystone XL oil pipeline, overhauling the tax code and easing "excessive" regulations blamed for slow economic growth are at the top of the agenda for the new Republican majority in Congress.
December 20, 2015 Reid to remain as Dem leader in GOP takeover Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will seek to lead the Democrats in the next Congress as they hand over the majority to Republicans.
December 20, 2015 Getting fired is Mission: Impossible for federal bureaucrats in the Obama era Federal managers have fired fewer bad employees each year since President Obama took office.