Tuesday night, the President delivered his annual State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress. Article II, Section 3 of the US Constitution requires the President to “from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration ...

The Politics of Health Care PolicyEven before the November 2, 2010 elections catapulted them back into power in the U.S. House of Representatives, members of the Republican leadership were already announcing their intention to repeal “Obamacare” – the health care reform legislation enacted by Congress only eight months earlier – ...

The United States has been borrowing its way out of mounting obligations and lowered revenues for some time. We rely on the federal government to provide a variety of services across the country, including healthcare for veterans, special education programs, and energy grants for those with lower incomes. When tax ...

The American Friends Service Committee and National Priorities Project are preparing to announce the six lucky winners of If I Had a Trillion Dollars (IHTD), a national video contest which asks young people to convey how they would spend the more than $1 trillion dollars spent on the U.S. wars ...

After the November elections, members of Congress returned to Capitol Hill for their “lame duck” session with one huge piece of unfinished business – the Fiscal Year 2011 budget. And while they failed to complete work on the budget – the government is currently running on a “continuing resolution” that ...

p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }a:link { } By Samantha Dana During the holiday season, many of us wish for a “White Christmas” while we “dream by the fire.” For others, the warmth of the season is illusive, with high heating costs and declining income leaving them vulnerable to the cold. ...

p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }a:link { } By Samantha DanaWith the clock ticking away on the last session of the 111th Congress, the Democratic leadership in the House and Senate have a few bills they still need to get passed. The largest, most important one is the budget for the ...

p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }a:link { } By Samantha Dana Yesterday, President Obama signed the Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010 into law with his wife, a strong anti-childhood obesity advocate, by his side. The law has two main goals: to increase the number of students who are able ...

p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }a:link { } By Samantha Dana This week there was a lot of media coverage of the tentative agreement reached between the Obama Administration and congressional Republicans to extend the Bush-era tax cuts. The agreement came after the GOP leadership announced its intention to block any ...

In the topsy-turvy world that is Washington, D.C., these days, Congress is struggling to find a way to fulfill its primary function -- pass a budget.The government is currently being funded by a “continuing resolution.” The current fiscal year – FY 2011 – actually began on October 1, 2010, right ...