All DC Decoder
- Funding shortfall for Social Security disability program: Is it real?
Republicans say Social Security’s support for people with disabilities will be 'broke' next year; the Obama budget suggests the system needs only a patch. But both sides agree: Something must be done by 2016.
- Why is Jon Stewart leaving? Rush Limbaugh has an answer
Jon Stewart is leaving the the "The Daily Show" because he sees the future of the Democratic Party, and it isn't pretty, says Rush Limbaugh.
- War against Islamic State: 5 questions Obama will have to address
President Obama has asked Congress to grant him authority to use force against the Islamic State. The proposal raised questions among Republicans and Democrats.
- Senate holds 'interesting' tax reform hearing. Everyone shocked.
Former Sens. Robert Packwood and Bill Bradley dazzled a hearing with their account of how a divided Congress produced the most dramatic overhaul of the US tax code since World War II – with hope for the present.
- With Elizabeth Warren saying no to 2016, Bernie Sanders eyes populist mantle
Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent, swings as hard left as Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts does. But can he appeal to the liberal base?
- Obama criticized for 'Crusades' remark: What did he really mean?
President Obama’s opponents took strong issue with his comments linking Christianity to some violent episodes in the religion’s past. But are they missing his essential point?
- FocusABLE Act shows how Congress can get work done – and how hard it is
Congress is beset by partisanship that has made it virtually impossible to get much done. But the ABLE ACT, which passed at the end of the last Congress and helps children with disabilities, could serve as a model.
- US politics most polarized since Ike was president
The last 10 years – the presidencies of Barack Obama and George W. Bush – have been the most politically polarized of the past 60 years, according to Gallup’s calculations. Can a new Congress and a lame-duck president change that?
- Joe Biden to skip Netanyahu speech, raising stakes in US-Israel drama
Vice President Biden will now be out of the country on March 3, when Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is scheduled to address a joint session of Congress. Congress's invitation was issued without consulting the White House, causing a breach of protocol.
- Why Detroit? The meaning of Jeb Bush’s first 2016 speech.
Jeb Bush pitched himself as a conservative reformer in a speech at the Detroit Economic Club, ahead of an expected presidential campaign. His message: Conservatives care about those 'on the edge of economic ruin.'
- Inside Congress's first formal bipartisan luncheon in two years
Congress used to be a more social place, with members of both parties meeting informally all the time. The rebirth of a bipartisan luncheon Wednesday was an effort to bring back some of that collegiality.
- Thom Tillis questions food workers' mandate to wash hands. Legitimate or gross?
The senator caused hand wringing among health experts by suggesting that requiring restaurant workers to wash their hands after going to the bathroom was government overreach. His remarks come amid a debate over the extent to which the government is responsible for promoting public health.
- Senators fight on Tuesday, lunch on Wednesday. New face of bipartisanship?
While Americans wonder if partisan bickering in Washington will ever stop, that's the wrong question. The battling won’t end. But it can coexist with cooperation.
- Can Republicans govern? Budget 2016 could be biggest test.
Republican leaders vow to show that they can govern effectively by following through on a budget. But that will take compromises both within the Republican caucus and with the president.
- Chris Christie: Can the governors' governor upgrade to the White House?
Chris Christie has raised money, networked, and wheeled and dealed tirelessly for his fellow GOP governors. Now the governors' governor will be trying to leverage that experience for his own ambitions.
- Why Obama's 'dead on arrival' budget isn't such a bad thing after all
Requiring the president and Congress to present public estimates of revenue and spending, debt and deficits, and for Congress to vote on them, is one of the distinguishing strengths of US democracy. Of great concern, however, are possible changes to the Congressional Budget Office.
- Budget 2016: Obama moves left, testing Republicans
President Obama's 2016 budget seeks higher spending on education, roads, and bridges, and a boost to middle class incomes. Republicans want to spend more on defense. The search for common ground is on.
- How these two women guided the Keystone bill through a divided Senate
GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Democrat Sen. Maria Cantwell, even though they disagreed on the outcome, shepherded the Keystone pipeline bill through a divided Senate with trust and good-faith negotiations.
- Romney says no to 2016. Who wins?
Mitt Romney told supporters Friday that he will not run for president in 2016. Jeb Bush is a big winner. But so, too, are Chris Christie, Scott Walker, and Marco Rubio.
- No more ‘sequester’: Can Obama’s budget gambit work?
President Obama previews a key element in his 2016 budget proposal: the end of automatic spending cuts known as the 'sequester.' Many Republicans also don't like the sequester, but they reject Obama's remedy.