Boehner raises possibility of Homeland Security shutdown
House Speaker John Boehner is raising the possibility that the Department of Homeland Security may shut down at month’s end because of a budget impasse, and blaming Senate Democrats if…
Government budgets
Obama sends record $4 trillion spending plan to Congress
By MARTIN CRUTSINGER President Barack Obama sent Congress a record $4 trillion budget Monday that would boost taxes on higher-income Americans and corporations and eliminate tight federal spending caps to…
Obama budget offers contrasts, long-shot deals with GOP
By ANDREW TAYLOR and JIM KUHNHENN With a blend of tax hikes and spending increases, President Barack Obama’s budget spells out a policy agenda that will distinguish him from Republicans…
Obama calls for spending surge, buoyed by rising economy
By JOSH LEDERMAN and ANDREW TAYLOR Declaring an end to “mindless austerity,” President Barack Obama called for a surge in government spending Thursday, and asked Congress to throw out the…
Obama to seek to bust limits on domestic, defense spending
By JOSH LEDERMAN President Barack Obama will seek to bust through spending limits for both domestic and defense programs, the White House said Thursday, negating the effects of across-the-board cuts…
What the credit downgrade to ‘junk’ means for Russia
By NATALIYA VASILYEVA Russia has seen its credit grade cut to “junk” status for the first time in over a decade, a big blow for a country that wants to…
Russia appeals for calm as crisis forces it to cut budget
By JAMES ELLINGWORTH and VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV Russian government officials appealed for calm on Wednesday after predicting budget cuts and a further surge in inflation as the country faces its worst…
Ready, set, showdown: New GOP leader, Obama lining up fights
By CONNIE CASS Not wasting any time, new Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and President Barack Obama are setting course for showdowns over health care, a big oil pipeline, immigration…