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 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
Photograph by Daniel Acker/Bloomberg
Hershey Co.'s chocolate kisses.
Lobbyists to Congress on Valentine’s Day: Will You Be Mine?
A portion of the money that sweethearts spend on Valentine’s Day will help companies that sell candy, flowers and cards spread their own love around Capitol Hill. Bloomberg Government analyst Peter Brusoe examined the lobbying costs of companies expected to...
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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 Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
Construction workers in Los Angeles, California.
U.S. Role in Highways Questioned, Answered
The determination to really, finally agree on a long-term plan for highway, waterways and rail improvements and figure out how to pay for them will be on display this week — regardless of whether President Barack Obama makes that perennial...
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Photograph by Joe Raedle/Getty Images
A woman waits for a bus in a flooded street in Miami Beach, Florida, from unusually high tides that some think are due to rising seas caused by climate change.
Range of Change: Obama to Signal Extent of Climate Push
President Barack Obama is sure to bring up climate change in the State of the Union address, energy consultants say, though there’s no consensus on how much emphasis he’ll give to the subject. “They’re going back and forth about how...
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Photograph by Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg
Demonstrators in favor of the Affordable Care Act hold up signs outside the Supreme Court building after the court's ruling in Washington on June 28, 2012.
Last Chance: States’ One Shot at Exchange Control Looms
This week will be the last opportunity for states to retain some control over the new health insurance markets being readied for 2014 as part of the U.S. Affordable Care Act. States still on the fence about building the exchanges...
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Photograph by Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg
A Bank of America Corp. branch in New York City.
Bill to Limit Too-Big-to-Fail Bank Risk Prepared in House
Rep. John Campbell plans to offer legislation aimed at reducing the size of “too-big-to-fail” banks by requiring them to hold more capital including long-term debt. Campbell’s bill comes as a number of lawmakers and regulators from both parties — including Federal Reserve Governor Daniel...
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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 Photographer's Mate Third Class (AW/SW) Danny Ewing Jr./U.S. Navy via Bloomberg
Flight deck personnel direct an aircraft onto Catapult Four after an S-3B Viking, assigned to Anti-submarine Squadron Two Two, takes off from the flight deck of the U.S. Navy's aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman in this file photo.
USS Truman: Sequestration Mission
The USS Harry S. Truman has been assigned a difficult mission with an uncertain outcome: Stay in port to help protect the Pentagon from sequestration. With the automatic spending cuts set to take effect on March 1 unless President Barack...
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Photograph by Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg
Chuck Hagel, nominee for U.S. secretary of defense, listens to a question during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in Washington on Jan. 31, 2013.
Panel Said to Plan Hagel Vote Tomorrow
From Bloomberg Government’s Congress Tracker blog: Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin will seek a vote by the panel tomorrow on Chuck Hagel’s nomination as Defense secretary, according to a committee aide who asked not to be identified. Senate...
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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.
