All Monitor Breakfast

President Obama's chief economist told reporters at a Monitor-hosted breakfast that 'three broad trends' will largely dictate the course of the US economy in 2015.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal dismisses the idea of limiting the number of Republican primary debates as a push for a less-conservative GOP presidential candidate.

The federal budget for fiscal year 2016, whose drafting Office of Management and Budget Director Shaun Donovan supervised, projects federal debt next year will total $18.6 trillion. Speaking at a Monitor breakfast, Donovan said, 'We are dealing with ... the pig in the python.'

Sen. John McCain is up for reelection in 2016. The new president of the conservative Club for Growth, David McIntosh, told a Monitor breakfast Tuesday the club will 'watch carefully' for primary potential. 

At a Monitor breakfast on Wednesday, Sen. Marco Rubio, the lead Republican critic to opening of diplomatic relations with Cuba, said there is a 'huge threshold' that needs to be crossed before funding can go forward or an ambassador appointed.

GOP Sen. Marco Rubio must decide by early May whether he'll run for reelection to the Senate or run for president. He said Wednesday that former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush's recent announcement about 2016 hasn't affected his own thinking.

Rep. Chris Van Hollen, the top Democrat on the House Budget Committee, commented on the Social Security system as part of his week-long push to carve out a more appealing Democratic economic platform.

If Wednesday's effort by the House to deny funds for the president's executive action on immigration doesn't work, the chair of the House Judiciary Committee says Congress should pursue litigation.

When President Obama took office, Americans by a 2-to-1 margin said government should be doing more. Six years later, 54 percent said government was trying to do too much.

House Intelligence Committee Chair Mike Rogers told reporters at a Monitor-hosted breakfast that the efficacy of torture is both knowable and proven.

Much of the debate following the release of the Senate torture report has centered on whether there is any evidence that the torture produced actionable intelligence. Sen. Carl Levin said Wednesday he has concluded there is no such evidence.

'I wouldn’t put up with some of the stuff that they’re doing,' said Lott, a former Republican Senate majority leader, speaking at a Monitor breakfast with Tom Daschle, a Democratic former Senate majority leader.

Dan Pfeiffer, senior adviser to President Obama, spoke optimistically Friday about still working with Republicans on some issues. Mr. Obama will be traveling across America to talk about his moves on immigration.

EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said Monday that Americans want President Obama to take action on climate change. But a GOP challenge to the administration’s carbon-cutting policies is expected.

RNC Chairman Reince Priebus called the president’s pledge to take executive action on immigration by year’s end without waiting for Congress to act 'a nuclear threat to reject the basis of the separation power doctrine.'

When McDonald took over as secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs this summer, he faced some 100 open investigations. Now, wait times at the notorious Phoenix VA facility are down 37 percent, he said at a Monitor breakfast.

World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, a medical doctor, said that the best way to stop Ebola is to rush people who can help to the African nations at the core of the outbreak. He hailed the New York doctor diagnosed with Ebola as a hero.

Rep. Greg Walden, speaking at a Monitor breakfast Friday, says that national security, both at home and abroad, is 'popping' as an issue with voters.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) says his decision won't hinge on polls or fundraising, but instead will be determined by the questions, 'Do I think I can make a difference, do I think I have something unique to offer?'

At a Monitor-hosted breakfast for reporters, Rep. Sander Levin, the top Democrat on Ways and Means, called corporate tax inversions, like Burger King's move to Canada to lower its taxes, a 'real issue.'