House Passes Budget, Averts Government Shutdown
The House has passed a huge stopgap spending bill to keep the government open through the end of September, sidestepping any threat of a government shutdown.
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House Budget Plan Includes Sharp Cuts to Programs for Poor
A familiar budget plan to sharply cut safety-net programs for the poor and clamp down on domestic agencies is cruising to passage in the tea party-flavored House.
Budget Battle Puts Obama Charm Offensive to the Test
House Republicans are sending mixed signals in agreeing to meet with President Barack Obama for talks over the budget impasse.
Budget Deficit Up Sharply But Lower Than Last Year's Pace
The federal deficit likely grew sharply in February from January but stayed below last year's pace through the first five months of the budget year.
GOP Proposal Promises Balanced Budget, Repeal Of 'Obamacare'
The latest Republican budget plan generally resembles prior ones, relying on higher tax revenues enacted in January and improved Medicare cost estimates to promise balance.
Obama Presses Congressional Republicans to Avert Sequester
President Barack Obama is urging congressional Republicans to accept more tax revenue in order to avert the sequester -- an $85 billion, across-the-board budget cut due to take effect March 1 that could derail America's still stuttering economic recovery.
House Votes to Defuse Debt Limit Crisis
The House overwhelmingly passed a bill Wednesday to permit the government to borrow enough money to avoid a first-time default for at least four months, defusing a looming crisis setting up a springtime debate over taxes, spending and the deficit.
President Romney? Gamblers Say Don't Bet on It
We've heard from poll after poll in recent months predicting who would win the presidential race: Barack Obama or Mitt Romney. But poll respondents don't have anything to lose when they give their opinions. Gamblers betting on the outcome do, and they give overwhelming odds to one candidate.
Joe Biden and Paul Ryan: The Candidates You Don't Know
In honor of tonight's festivities, we've put together a collection of candidate trivia, a glimpse of the ways the candidates differ -- and the surprising similarities they share.
5 Things to Watch For in Tonight's Vice Presidential Debate
Tonight, America will witness quite a show because the stakes, frankly speaking, couldn't be higher for both campaigns. So where does the race stand after last week's biblical disaster of a debate for President Obama? It's just about a true toss-up.
Obama Seeks Cash as Romney Expresses Confidence
President Barack Obama made a cross-country swing for cash and Hispanic support Monday amid signs that Republican rival Mitt Romney is cutting into his lead in some key swing states as the campaign enters its final four weeks.
Mitt Romney Close Behind Obama After Debate, Poll Shows
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney stayed within striking distance of President Barack Obama in a Reuters/Ipsos poll on Sunday, two-points behind the Democrat for the third straight day after winning last week's debate in Denver.
Pop Quiz: A Funny Money History of Vice Presidential Candidates
While the presidential candidates are the main event, they are often not as interesting as their running mates. With less of a need to cater to the center, vice presidential candidates can have more fun, be a bit more outrageous, occasionally make some waves financially.
Debate Preview: What Obama and Romney Will Say About Budget Cuts
As Barack Obama and Mitt Romney await tonight's debate, we examine one more key topic they'll go toe-to-toe over: budget cuts. Will they cut Medicare, defense, or the many smaller programs that effect us every day? And how will they spin those budgetary choices? Here's what we may hear.
Economy by the Numbers: Are We Better Off Than We Were in 2008?
This fall, as Americans prepare to mark their ballots, Republicans are hoping that voters' minds will be focused on one (and only one) simple question: Are you better off today than you were four years ago? Unfortunately for the GOP, the answer isn't quite as clear as they'd like.
How Barack Obama Made His Fortune
Obama made his money from a few sources, and has it invested and stored in a few surprising -- but also easy to track -- ways.
International Business Execs Say Obama's Better for World Economy
Twice as many business executives around the world say the global economy will prosper better if incumbent President Barack Obama wins the next election than if his Republican challenger Mitt Romney does, a poll showed on Friday.
How Paul Ryan's Budget Plan Would Affect the Average Family
Republicans in Congress already love Paul Ryan's budget proposals, and now that he's on the presidential ticket, we can expect his fiscal ideas to hold even more sway in a Romney administration. So how would his proposals affect the average U.S. family? Would you be better off in a Romney-Ryan America?
Paul Ryan's Budget vs. President Obama's: How They Differ
Even before Mitt Romney picked him as his running mate, Paul Ryan was a Tea Party star, a fiscal-policy super-wonk and author of the GOP House's budget proposal. Here's a look at some of the ways Ryan's fiscal ideas contrast with President Obama's:
GOP VP Pick Paul Ryan's Medicare Plan Back in Spotlight
Republican Paul Ryan's blueprint for Medicare could prove one of the most polarizing policies of the election. While it's short on details, one thing is clear: It would shift thousands of dollars a year in health care costs back to individual retirees.
Elizabeth Warren Shoots Back on GOP 'Class Warfare'
Earlier this week, Rep. John Fleming (R-La.) complained that he only netted $600,000 in 2010, and thus couldn't afford to pay higher taxes: "Class warfare never created a job," said Fleming. Former Obama administration official Elizabeth Warren, now running for the Senate, is ready with the counter-argument.
Some Actors Say 'Action!' on Higher Taxes for Wealthy
Before President Obama outlined his strategy Monday for America's millionaires to shoulder more of the tax burden, The Price of Fame asked show business types at the recent Toronto International Film Festival this burning question: Should celebrities and other wealthy people pay more in taxes?
Medicare's Next Patient: The Federal Budget Deficit
As the federal super committee looks for $1.5 trillion in cuts, it's clear that fixing the federal budget will mean tackling big items -- including Medicare, America's most popular social program and one of its most expensive.
Pell Grant Backers Rally to Fight GOP Funding Cuts
More than 1 million of America's poorest college students may have to take out bigger loans, find another way to pay tuition, or drop out in 2012, if Republican budget cuts are passed that shrink the government's Pell grant program. But supporters are mobilizing in an online rally Monday for "Save Pell Day."
Time to Kill the Mortgage Interest Tax Deduction?
With proposals from both President Obama and GOP leaders to broaden the tax base, it seems likely that some cherished income tax deductions may be reduced or even eliminated, and one leading candidate for the chopping block is the deduction for mortgage interest.
Ryan's Proposed Budget: The Numbers Don't Add Up
U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan promises his proposed 2012 federal budget is the solution to America's money woes. But is the Tea Party favorite's plan based in reality, or does it rely on impossible numbers and fairy tales?