Sean Lengell

Obama’s base: We’ve been ‘thrown under the bus’

Even without a debt-limit deal completed, liberal lawmakers and activist groups are already lining up against the outlines of the agreement, saying President Obama and congressional Democrats are risking Social Security while squandering a chance to force tax increases.

July 31, 2011

Vote looms for a debt-limit deal

President Obama and congressional leaders late Sunday said they've settled on the outlines of a deal to raise the government's borrowing limit, and will pitch the deal to their colleagues Monday to try to tamp down burgeoning rebellions among both Democrats and Republicans.

July 31, 2011

House doesn’t vote on GOP debt bill

Lacking enough support to pass their debt-limit bill, House Republican leaders postponed a scheduled vote Thursday and were working feverishly behind closed doors to try to round up votes, though the delay further complicates matters as all sides struggle to beat an Aug. 2 deadline.

July 28, 2011

Democratic Rep. Wu quits amid sex accusations

Democratic Rep. David Wu has said he is stepping down from the House in the wake of an accusation he had an unwanted sexual encounter with an 18-year-old woman.

July 26, 2011

House GOP revolts against Boehner plan

House Republicans do not have enough support to pass their debt-ceiling increase plan on their own, a top conservative said Tuesday as his party's leaders tried to cobble together a coalition of Republicans and Democrats to put the bill over the top.

July 26, 2011

Parties close gap on cuts, still differ on size of debt hike

Some common ground emerged Monday in talks to raise the government's borrowing limit, with both Republicans and Democrats now focused on immediate spending cuts and a future committee to recommend bigger reductions — though they still disagree on how big the debt increase should be.

July 25, 2011

No debt deal as deadline looms

Significant disagreement remains in negotiations to roll back the nation's debt, lawmakers said Friday, as the clock winds down toward an Aug. 2 deadline to raise the government's borrowing limit and avoid default.

July 22, 2011

Momentum hinted on debt-ceiling agreement

President Obama huddled once again with congressional leaders Thursday to discuss ways to raise the nation's debt ceiling, as pressure mounts for Congress to act before an Aug. 2 deadline or risk defaulting on the government's loans.

July 21, 2011

Obama backs ‘Gang of Six’ debt plan

President Obama on Tuesday seized on a new debt-reduction plan by a bipartisan group of senators that calls for a mix of entitlement reforms and tax revenues, as the clock winds down to an early August deadline to raise the nation's debt ceiling.

July 19, 2011

House GOP readies plan to ‘cut, cap, balance’

House Republicans are prepared for a Tuesday vote on their signature debt-reduction plan that calls for a balanced-budget constitutional amendment, despite Democratic opposition and a White House veto threat.

July 18, 2011

Markets watcher: ‘Starting to get spooked’ over delay in debt deal

While Congress and the White House still have more than two weeks to raise the debt ceiling before the Treasury Department's early August deadline, the financial markets are getting jittery, fearing they won't reach a deal in time.

July 17, 2011

GOP pushes for balanced-budget amendment

Amid the uncertainty and bickering over how to raise the debt limit, congressional Republicans are pushing ahead with balanced-budget proposals that could further complicate - or serve as a key bargaining chip to - a final deal.

July 15, 2011

Lawmakers consider Plan B to pay debts

Capitol Hill lawmakers scrambled Wednesday to come up with backup plans to decide who would still get paid if the government bumps up against its debt limit next month, as the outlook for a deal grew gloomier and following President Obama's warning that Social Security benefit checks could be halted.

July 13, 2011

Grayson to run again for House

Former Rep. Alan Grayson, the fiery one-term liberal Florida Democrat who lost his re-election bid last year, says he will run for his old seat in 2012.

July 12, 2011

Conrad offers own $4 trillion debt reduction plan

As congressional leaders and President Obama met behind closed doors Monday afternoon to discuss ways to tackle the nation's ballooning debt, Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad released basic details of his 2012 budget that calls for lowering the nation's debt by $4 trillion over the next decade.

July 11, 2011