Congress defies fiscal discipline
242305
On the campaign trail, members of Congress often promise to eliminate pork-barrel spending. After all, the federal deficit is now up to $413 billion, and the US is waging an expensive war in Iraq.
314571
DEFICIT SPENDING didn&#39;t bother the Bush administration when the issue was tax cuts. Congress had no trouble finding &quot;savings&quot; to supposedly offset new costs when the costs were in a corporate tax bill stuffed with special-interest provisions.
714045
The new Congress convenes with House Republicans, leery of a bruising floor fight, stepping back from plans to significantly relax ethics rules that ensnared Majority Leader Tom DeLay.
265102
Congressional Democrats said they would not bow to pressure and simply make modest changes to the less expensive stimulus plan that was approved by the House last week.
13860
Back in control of the purse strings after more than a decade, congressional Democrats are pursuing billions in new domestic spending, setting up another clash with President Bush, who has threatened to veto any measures that exceed his budget.
355463
David Obey is Congress's man with the pencils -- and the Democrats' point man for holding the line on spending
56626
The federal budget deficit inched up in the first quarter of the fiscal year, congressional budget estimators said Monday, as the growth in tax revenues slowed along with the softening economy.
546877
Democrats and Republicans clashed over deficits and tax cuts Thursday as Congress moved toward sending President Bush an $800 billion boost in the government&#39;s debt limit.
400089
President Bush on Thursday flatly ruled out raising payroll taxes to ensure the solvency of Social Security, as he opened a push for historic changes in the retirement program.
756926
A defiant White House on Monday dared the Democratic-led Congress to take it to court for refusing to provide information and testimony demanded in an investigation into the firing of federal prosecutors.
439893
At first, legislation to raise the minimum wage loomed as a clean, quick triumph for Democrats eager to celebrate their new majority in Congress. Two months later, it stands as an early lesson in the limits of their power.
281533
The US Congress put off sending to President George W. Bush a $388 billion spending measure to fund 14 cabinet-level departments until December while lawmakers argue over how the budget process works.
363623
Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan in a memoir to be released on Monday criticized President George W. Bush and congressional Republicans for abandoning fiscal discipline and for putting politics ahead of sound economics.
372073
The Senate Finance Committeeâs plan, which has no income cap to disqualify high earners from tax rebates, would cost more than the plan agreed to last week.
484457
Americans have resolved to improve their fiscal lot.
577127
David Obey is Congress's man with the pencils  -  and the Democrats' point man for holding the line on spending
100977
Lawmakers defied President George W. Bush on Thursday and gave final congressional approval to legislation to expand federally funded embryonic stem cell research.