Politics & Government

Tea Party May Be Losing Steam, But Issues Still Boil

9:56am December 07, 2012

by Don Gonyea

While the movement loses popularity nationwide, it's still a force in the GOP. When it comes to fiscal cliff negotiations, however, Tea Party members in Congress seem resigned to the fact that any eventual deal will be one they won't like. That doesn't mean the Tea Party spirit can't be recharged.

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Politics & Government

Michigan Likely To Become A Right-To-Work State

5:42am December 07, 2012

by Rick Pluta

The Michigan House and Senate have passed the legislation in different versions, and may take final action on the bills next week. Michigan could become the 24th state to say workers cannot be forced to pay union dues even if they work for a business or government employer with union representation.

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Politics & Government

South Carolina's Jim DeMint To Leave U.S. Senate

5:19am December 07, 2012

by Brian Naylor

Republican Senator Jim DeMint announced Thursday that he is resigning his seat from South Carolina to become president of the right-leaning Heritage Foundation, a Washington think tank. What will his departure mean for the Senate and for South Carolina?

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House Speaker John Boehner appears at a news conference after a House Republican conference meeting Wednesday on Capitol Hill.

Boehner Faces Conservative Backlash Over 'Fiscal Cliff' Talks

6:40pm December 06, 2012

by Tamara Keith

As House Speaker John Boehner tries to work with President Obama to prevent automatic tax increases and spending cuts, he is taking heat from members of his own party. Some conservatives think he gave up too much, too soon in his opening offer.

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Fixing The Budget, While Protecting The Middle Class

1:58pm December 06, 2012

House Republicans and the White House are at a stalemate over how best to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff. As the deficit deadline approaches, the priority for Senate Budget Committee member Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), is to protect the middle class.

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Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan testifies about the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing Wednesday in Washington, D.C.

White House To Seek Emergency Sandy Funds

10:24am December 06, 2012

by Brian Naylor

The Obama administration is expected to ask for $50 billion to $60 billion. Top administrators told Congress Wednesday that they want at least some of that money to go toward preventing the kind of devastation caused by Sandy and other recent storms.

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House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, takes questions as House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., look on during a Capitol Hill news conference on Wednesday.

Obama And House GOP Engage In Fiscal Cliff Talks, Only Briefly With Each Other

6:30pm December 05, 2012

by Mara Liasson

The president and House Republicans continued to snipe at each other Wednesday over the impending set of automatic tax hikes and spending cuts known as the fiscal cliff. President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner later spoke briefly by phone for the first time in a week, according to reports.

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Alan Krueger, chairman of the president's Council of Economic Advisers, warns that consumer spending will drop if Congress and the White House fail to reach a deal on spending cuts and tax increases.

Looming Spending Cuts Would Hit Hard All Over

6:09pm December 05, 2012

by Jim Zarroli

If Congress fails to reach an agreement on tax increases and spending cuts this year, it will mean sharp reductions in a broad swath of federal spending, from defense and Medicare to education and unemployment benefits. Economists say the cuts would be a serious setback for the economy as a whole.

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Politics & Government

The Election, Gay Marriage And The GOP

2:25pm December 05, 2012

NPR's Political Junkie Ken Rudin recaps the week in politics and talks with Walter Olson, senior fellow at the Cato Institute, about the role of Republicans in passing same-sex marriage initiatives. Dallas Morning News senior political reporter Wayne Slater discusses the passing of longtime Texas Congressman Jack Brooks.

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Social Security's COLA At Stake In 'Fiscal Cliff' Talks?

10:34am December 05, 2012

by NPR Staff

The Republican plan to avert the "fiscal cliff" includes a proposal that would change the way inflation is calculated. The change could result in savings of billions, but its getting pushback from Democrats and groups like AARP.

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