Sean Lengell

HEALTH CARE REPORT: Food safety beefed up

President Obama has called the increasing number of incidents of contaminated food in the country a serious and unacceptable public health hazard and has vowed to strengthen food safety laws and beef up inspection efforts.

March 17, 2009

Baucus out in front on health care overhaul

Max Baucus just might be Washington's most in-demand person in 2009 not named Obama.

March 15, 2009

Health care reform to exceed budget

The White House budget director told Congress Tuesday that the final cost of the administration's health care reform plan will exceed the $634 billion the president has set aside for the effort.

March 11, 2009

HEALTH CARE REPORT: House panel OKs tobacco bill

A long-standing movement on Capitol Hill to impose tighter restrictions on tobacco products took a step closer to law last week when a House panel approved legislation to give the Food and Drug Administration the power to regulate the industry.

March 10, 2009

Health care debate to flood airwaves

Who can be against affordable, quality health care? Want easy access to the doctor of your choice? Who doesn't? And who can say no to better innovations in medicine and medical devices?

March 8, 2009

Senators discuss health care goal

Democrats on Thursday laid out an ambitious schedule for extending health care coverage to all Americans that would have the House and Senate pass separate bills by the end of summer.

March 6, 2009

Geithner, Orszag defend Obama spending plan

Administration officials responded Tuesday to Republican criticism of the tax and spending proposals in President Obama's budget blueprint.

March 4, 2009

HEALTH CARE REPORT: Yeas, nays for Sebelius

President Obama's decision to nominate Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius for Health and Human Services secretary mostly was greeted with applause from health care advocacy groups, unions and the health care industry. But it was scorned by abortion opponents.

March 3, 2009

Emanuel: GOP relies on Limbaugh

UPDATED: President Obama's chief of staff on Sunday called radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh the de facto leader of the Republican Party, saying that party lawmakers look to him for guidance and inspiration in lieu of strong leadership in their own ranks.

March 2, 2009

Gates: Pullout timeline workable

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said Sunday that military commanders wanted President Obama to extend combat troop levels in Iraq beyond his planned 2010 withdrawal deadline, though he expects continued improvements in the country will ensure the plan will succeed unchanged.

March 2, 2009

Emanuel: Limbaugh GOP’s true leader

President Obama's chief of staff on Sunday called radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh the de facto leader of the Republican Party, saying that party lawmakers look to him for guidance and inspiration in lieu of strong leadership in their own ranks.

March 1, 2009

Obama may overturn abortion rule

President Obama has began the process of rescinding a last-minute rule by George W. Bush that strengthened legal protections for health care workers who refuse to perform abortions because of religious or moral objections.

February 28, 2009

Budget provision OKs foreign drugs

President Obama's 2010 budget proposal introduced Thursday reopens some long-standing health care debates, including a plan to legalize the importation of foreign-made drugs and increased spending for a government-sponsored program designed to flag ineffective medical treatments.

February 27, 2009

Rebuttal: Jindal calls spending ‘irresponsible’

UPDATED: Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, who delivered the Republican response to President Obama's first speech to a joint session of Congress Tuesday night, painted Democrats as "irresponsible" for increasing government spending during a time of economic turmoil.

February 25, 2009

HEALTH CARE REPORT: Cabinet whispers

Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, who has pushed for health care reforms in her state and was an early ally of President Obama's bid for the White House, has emerged as the leading contender to head the Department of Health and Human Services.

February 24, 2009

HEALTH CARE REPORT: Life after Daschle

When Tom Daschle's highly publicized tax problems derailed his bid to become secretary of health and human services two weeks ago, it slammed the breaks on the momentum of one of President Obama's biggest campaign promises — health care coverage for all Americans.

February 17, 2009

Obama to ease curbs on CEO pay

Although the president agreed that some limits in executive compensation were needed, the caps inserted into the $787 billion Democrat-crafted stimulus that Congress passed Friday are too restrictive and could be counterproductive, administration officials said on Sunday's political talk shows.

February 16, 2009

Burris denies lying to panel

UPDATED: The freshman Democratic senator was questioned about a filed affidavit that appears to contradict his testimony in January about discussions with Blagojevich associates.

February 16, 2009

Stimulus bill “big step forward,” Axelrod says

The Obama administration pressed for patience Sunday to allow time for the $787 billion economic stimulus package passed by Congress last week to turn around the nation's faltering economy.

February 16, 2009

Gibbs: Stimulus vital for economic recovery

President Obama's chief spokesman said Sunday that he expects the economy to get worse before it gets better but that a massive economic stimulus package passed by Congress two days ago is crucial for its recovery.

February 15, 2009