House Republican leaders are still trying to salvage their bill to raise the nation’s debt ceiling, but senators say it’s dead on arrival in the upper chamber. If no deal is reached by Tuesday the Treasury Department says the U.S. will default on its debt for the first time in the nation’s history.
Texas Governor Rick Perry’s surrogates are actively discussing a potential presidential run for their boss. If Perry decides to jump in the Republican primary he’ll face many hurdles, like fundraising and getting national name recognition. But Matt Laslo reports lawmakers from key primary states say his presence is welcome.
This week President Barack Obama is attempting to revive negotiations to raise the nation’s debt ceiling. Through interviewing lawmakers in the Metropolitan D.C. region, Matt Laslo provided this glimpse of the tough road ahead for negotiators.
The U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan says if Congress doesn’t reauthorize No Child Left Behind he’ll deal with schools directly, which has ruffled some feathers in Virginia. Policy makers on all sides of the issue argue more flexibility is needed in federal education policy, but how flexibility is defined is another debate all together.
Several lawmakers in the Washington, D.C. region say it’s a good thing embattled Democratic Representative Anthony Weiner has now resigned from Congress. Reporters on Capitol Hill were clamoring for news about the story to the ire of many lawmakers who say the national debt and national security ought to take precedent.
U.S. Park Police temporarily closed down the Jefferson Memorial today after dancers defied a judge’s order declaring dancing at the monument illegal. The demonstrators were upset that five people were arrested the previous weekend for busting their moves at the memorial.
Based
on Capitol Hill, Matt Laslo is a freelance reporter who has been
covering Congress, the White House and the Supreme Court for more than
five years.