Obama's team is warning Congress — and lawmakers' constituents — what is expected to happen if leaders fail to avert $85 billion in automatic budget cuts set to begin March 1.

Outgoing Social Security Commissioner Michael J. Astrue has some parting shots for Congress, the White House and advocates for seniors.

In the final months of his life, Richard Nixon quietly advised President Bill Clinton on navigating the post-Cold War world.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has set the stage for a full Senate vote on Hagel, a former two-term Republican senator from Nebraska and twice-wounded Vietnam combat veteran.

They complain that increasing the federal rate from $7.25 an hour would discourage employers from hiring new workers, hurting the very people Obama aims to help.

In a statement, the California Democrat said senators need to see more classified legal opinions that justify using the unmanned spy planes to kill al-Qaida suspects overseas, including American citizens.

Lawmakers who are shaping the fate of the millions of people in the U.S. illegally were told by one Wednesday that it's time to rewrite immigration laws so that they, too, can live the American dream.

The world must show its resolve in the face of North Korea's nuclear provocations or risk emboldening Iran, which is under scrutiny over its uranium enrichment program, Secretary of State John Kerry said.

Celebrities and environmental activists, including lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and civil rights leader Julian Bond, were arrested Wednesday after tying themselves to the White House gate

One would prohibit any state or local taxation of payroll or earned personal income, and the other would allow the governor to appoint appellate judges, subject to legislative confirmation.

An aide says U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen accidentally exchanged a couple of public tweets with a woman who is the daughter of a friend, but removed them when he realized they weren't private.

The committee deferred the bill for a week in order for the measure's sponsor and the state's legal staff to clarify the term "preference."

A measure to block courts from granting subpoenas for identities of anonymous commenters on news websites has passed the Senate.

President Barack Obama set up high-stakes clashes over guns, immigration, taxes and climate change in a State of the Union address that showcased a newly re-elected president determined to mark his legacy.

Senators are weighing one of President Barack Obama's second-term priorities at the first Senate hearing on a comprehensive immigration overhaul. Many stubborn fault lines are sure to emerge.

A determined Florida centenarian who had to make two trips and wait several hours to vote for President Barack Obama last fall joined first lady Michelle Obama for Tuesday's State of the Union.

A determined Florida centenarian who had to make two trips and wait several hours to vote for President Barack Obama last fall will sit with first lady Michelle Obama during Tuesday's State of the Union.

A businessman and former U.S. Navy SEAL has officially launched his campaign for John Kerry's U.S. Senate seat.

Just about everyone in official Washington is in agreement that big across-the-board spending cuts at the Pentagon and throughout domestic federal programs on March 1 are a bad idea.

The Senate passed a very similar bill last year but the House, which passed its own bill, wouldn't go along with the more expansive Senate version and the bill died.

President Barack Obama will announce in his State of the Union address that 34,000 U.S. troops will be home from Afghanistan within a year, two people familiar with his remarks said Tuesday.

Republicans intend to cast President Barack Obama's second-term agenda as more "big government" and offer a series of steps to boost economic growth and reduce the federal debt.

A Republican congressman says he's invited rocker Ted Nugent, who has referred to President Barack Obama's administration as "evil, America-hating," to the State of the Union address.

Chuck Hagel — Republican, twice-wounded Vietnam combat veteran and former Nebraska senator — faces his first major hurdle in his bid to become the nation's defense secretary

A woman whose Chicago police officer brother was fatally shot in 2010 says it's time for Congress to pass laws keeping guns from criminals