Photograph by Marc Rochette/Bloomberg
A Canadian flag flies over the Berens River in Berens River, Manitoba.
Canadian Invasion Not in the Budget
Lawmakers are agreed: We should not invade Canada. Debate over a Senate Democratic proposal to tap “unspent” Afghanistan war funds to cover the cost of halting budget sequestration veered today into the theoretical. Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois was on...
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Photograph by J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo
Senate Armed Services Committee members, from left, Sen. John McCain, Sen. Kelly Ayotte, Sen. Deb Fischer, and Sen. Lindsey Graham gather on Capitol Hill in Washington, Feb. 12, 2013, prior to the committee's hearing on the looming cuts to the defense budget that could be part of the sequestration.
It’s McCain Versus Inhofe Over Budget Cuts
From Bloomberg Government’s Congress Tracker blog Arizona Republican John McCain is attempting to torpedo a sequester proposal by his successor as the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. McCain said in an interview that he is working with...
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Photograph by Daniel Acker/Bloomberg
A hull section of a U.S. Navy Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) sits in a paint booth during a facility tour in Marinette, Wisconsin, on Feb. 11, 2013.
The Math Behind the Sequester
From Bloomberg Government’s Congress Tracker blog How much is “brutal”? Lawmakers agree that the automatic spending cuts slated to begin March 1 will be big and painful — President Barack Obama yesterday called them “brutal” — though exactly how big...
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Photograph by Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg
Demonstrators in favor of the Affordable Care Act stand outside the Supreme Court building on June 28, 2012.
Obama Says Health Law Cutting Costs; CBO Chief Isn’t So Sure
From Bloomberg Government’s Congress Tracker blog President Barack Obama said in his State of the Union address that his health-care overhaul is taming costs, though Congress’s top budget advisor isn’t so sure. Douglas Elmendorf, director of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget...
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Photograph by Alex Wong/Getty Images
Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and Secretary of State John Kerry during the re-enactment of the swearing-in of Senator William 'Mo' Cowan on Feb. 7, 2013 at the Old Senate Chamber of the Capitol.
Cowan Holds Kerry’s Seat, But Not His Desk
From Bloomberg Government’s Congress Tracker blog: William “Mo” Cowan took John Kerry’s seat. Who gets his desk? Each senator is assigned a desk on the chamber floor, and Kerry — who represented Massachusetts for 28 years and is now secretary...
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Photograph by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Senate Judiciary Committee member Sen. Lindsey Graham during a hearing about gun control on Capitol Hill on Jan. 30, 2013.
Gun-Control Hearing: No Show and Tell
Some Republican senators say that today’s Judiciary Committee hearing on gun control would have been better with some show-and-tell. South Carolina’s Sen. Lindsey Graham and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas fired off a letter to Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy of Vermont complaining...
Read more »Meet Next Year’s New Cardinals
The House Appropriations Committee will have five new subcommittee chairmen next year, thanks to the retirements of Republicans Denny Rehberg and Jo Ann Emerson. Jack Kingston of Georgia will take over Rehberg’s job as head of the Labor, Health and Human...
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Photograph by Aaron M. Sprecher/Bloomberg
A U.S. military transportation vehicle at the Port of Beaumont upon return from deployment overseas.
Defense Cuts, More Around the Cliff — Add That, `Budgeteers’
Don’t forget about the other sequester. While all eyes are on the so-called fiscal cliff, a second round of automatic spending cuts, one that will carve $11 billion out of the Pentagon’s budget, is set to kick in shortly after...
Read more »Earmark Moratorium in Congress Snarls Superstorm Sandy Funding
Expect a really, really detailed funding request. Lawmakers representing areas hit hard by superstorm Sandy are concerned that if they make changes to the Obama administration’s still-unreleased request for more money for ongoing clean-up efforts once the legislation is sent to...
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Photograph by John Moore/Getty Images
Seniors attend a 'Medicare Monday' seminar at the Holly Creek retirement community in Centennial, Colorado.
Remember that $716 Billion?
It wasn’t that long ago that Republicans pilloried Democrats — on the campaign trail, over the airwaves, in countless news releases — for cutting $716 billion out of Medicare. “The money you paid for your guaranteed health care is going to a massive new government program that’s...
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Contributors
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Al Hunt
is a columnist for Bloomberg View and host of the weekly show "Political Capital with Al Hunt" on Bloomberg TV. -
Mark Silva
is deputy managing editor for government news in Washington and editor of Political Capital. He has covered the White House and national politics. -
Emma Fidel
is political editor for Bloomberg.com in Washington. She previously covered financial regulation as a Bloomberg intern. -
Don Frederick
edits political and government coverage for Bloomberg News. He previously worked for more than a decade at the Los Angeles Times' Washington bureau. -
Gregory Giroux
analyzes elections, financing of congressional and presidential elections, political advertising and demographics in Bloomberg's Washington Bureau. -
Julie Bykowicz
covers the influence of money and lobbying in Washington, and covered the state legislature and city crime for the Baltimore Sun for 10 years. -
Jonathan Salant
covers campaign finance and lobbying in Washington. He was president of the National Press Club and started in Washington in 1987. -
Richard Rubin
covers federal tax policy. He worked at Congressional Quarterly and The Charlotte Observer before joining Bloomberg News in 2010. -
Julie Hirschfeld Davis
is a senior political reporter for the Washington Bureau. She covered the 2012 campaign for Bloomberg News and previously covered the White House for the Baltimore Sun. -
Lisa Lerer
covers the White House and covered the 2012 campaign for Bloomberg News. She covered Congress, lobbying and the 2008 campaign for Politico. -
John McCormick
is a national political reporter looking forward to the 2016 presidential campaign, which will be the fifth he's covered. He's also reported for The Des Moines Register and Chicago Tribune. -
Julianna Goldman
covers the White House for Bloomberg News and Bloomberg Television. -
Hans Nichols
covers the White House for Bloomberg News and Bloomberg Television. -
Margaret Talev
covers the White House for Bloomberg News and covered the White House for McClatchy Newspapers. She has covered California and Florida politics. -
Cary O'Reilly
is Editor at Large at Bloomberg First Word and is Washington Daybook columnist for Bloomberg Government and Bloomberg News.
