All Monitor Breakfast

Sens. Jeff Flake (R) and Michael Bennet (D), who helped craft bipartisan legislation now before the Senate, predict economic and political benefits if Congress enacts immigration reform.

The approval rating for Congress has never been lower, a poll shows. Might that change as the 'the broken branch' of government makes bipartisan headway on vexing issues of immigration and tax reform? 

The chairmen of congressional tax writing committees say the Internal Revenue Service may need to be restructured after the agency was found improperly targeting conservative groups seeking non-profit status.

Sens. Michael Bennet (D) and Jeff Flake (R), two of the Gang of Eight immigration reformers, said Wednesday there's room to amend the immigration reform bill to include some things conservatives want without sacrificing Democratic votes. Other 'gang' members are more worried.

Rep. Tom Price, a major conservative voice in the House, sees 'a greater opportunity' for tax reform in the wake of IRS controversies. He made the comments at a Monitor breakfast Wednesday.

GOP leader Rep. Tom Price explains why he wants to start negotiations with Senate Democrats over how to strike a budget deal. Tea partyers in the Senate are blocking talks.

Sens. John McCain (R) and Charles Schumer (D) help craft the immigration reform bill the Senate is now weighing. Americans will support it if they trust that enforcement is robust enough to prevent a 'future wave' of illegal entries, the senators say.

Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at a Monitor-sponsored breakfast he has doubts about whether US military action in Syria would achieve three key aims.

The Pentagon has not had to do any serious belt-tightening for years, and Gen. Martin Dempsey, the nation's top military officer, says some budget discipline could be beneficial.

Some US lawmakers want the US to establish a no-fly zone over Syria. Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, questioned Tuesday whether that would do much to reduce Syrian attacks on civilians, never mind that it won't be easy.

Sen. Rand Paul says gun control is a legitimate issue for political debate. But he says President Obama has used the parents of children killed in Newtown, Conn., as ‘props.’

Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, a favorite of the Republican Party’s libertarian and tea party wings, is considering a run for president in 2016 to be part of the debate on national issues.

The husband of former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, an advocate of stricter gun laws, warned a fellow Arizonan of repercussions at the ballot box if he votes against a gun control measure to expand background checks. A lot of senators, said Mark Kelly, want a reason 'to get to no.'

GOP Rep. Dave Camp, chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, says he's willing to 'walk down every street' to build consensus in Congress on tax reform.

Dave Camp, House Ways and Means Committee chairman, said Thursday that involving more members of Congress in budgeting and deficit-cutting could yield, if not a 'grand bargain,' at least a modest deal.

In a post-9/11 world, the two top concerns facing the Department of Homeland Security are cyber and aviation threats, said Secretary Janet Napolitano during a Monitor-sponsored breakfast.

It's true that some Republicans, such as Sen. Rand Paul, are showing a new attitude toward immigration reform, said Democratic Rep. Luis Gutierrez during a Monitor-sponsored breakfast.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is out to find some 600 'hackers for good,' but sequester cuts are derailing recruiting drives to build a skilled cyber workforce in government.

Immigration reform legislation may hinge on finding a way to assess how secure the border is. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano on Tuesday explained why that metric is complicated.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano runs a department with 22 agencies and 240,000 employees, and she says not using e-mail helps keep her focused.