U.S. Congress
Congress OKs budget stopgap, broader battle begins
Mar 21, 2013 17:11 EDT
US lawmakers approved a funding stopgap on Thursday to keep the US government operating through September and took a step towards adopting a blueprint for a decade of budget austerity.
Key US senator: immigration deal 'very close'
Mar 21, 2013 16:15 EDT
Eight US senators crafting an overhaul of immigration policy are on the verge of finalizing a deal that could bring 11 million undocumented migrants out of the shadows, one of the lawmakers said Thursday.
US House OKs stopgap funding, approves Ryan budget
Mar 21, 2013 11:53 EDT
Congress approved a funding stopgap Thursday to keep the US government operating through September, while the House backed a Republican blueprint that lays out budget austerity for the next decade.
US Senate approves stop-gap funding bill
Mar 21, 2013 01:58 EDT
A bill to avert a US government shutdown has won passage from a divided US Senate after lawmakers cut deals on amendments, setting the stage for the president to sign it this week.
US Senate approves stop-gap funding bill
Mar 20, 2013 22:39 EDT
A divided US Senate came together Wednesday to approve legislation that avoids a government shutdown, with the compromise stopgap likely headed to the president's desk this week.
US Congress hears calls for drone safeguards
Mar 20, 2013 17:46 EDT
Lawmakers and advocates on Wednesday called for safeguards to be placed on the domestic use of drones in order to protect the privacy of Americans.
Assault weapons ban shrivels in US Senate
Mar 20, 2013 05:45 EDT
A proposed ban on assault weapons like the one used in an elementary school massacre last year has been removed from a broader gun control package, with Democrats conceding it would not get through Congress.
China spends massively on cyberspying, US Congress told
Mar 19, 2013 22:51 EDT
China is pouring massive amounts of money and resources into cyberattacks aimed at stealing business secrets, security researchers told a congressional panel.
FBI says budget cuts threaten counterterrorism ops
Mar 19, 2013 20:21 EDT
FBI director Robert Mueller warned that the sharp budget cuts affecting all US agencies, including the federal police force, threaten crucial counter-terrorist operations.
Assault weapons ban shrivels in US Senate
Mar 19, 2013 19:47 EDT
US lawmakers dropped an effort to include a ban on assault weapons in a broader gun control package Tuesday, conceding the difficulties of passing such legislation through Congress.
Obama to nominate Tom Perez as labor secretary
Mar 17, 2013 23:46 EDT
US President Barack Obama will announce Monday the nomination of Assistant Attorney General Tom Perez, a Hispanic American, as the next US secretary of labor, a White House official said.
North Korea has missile that can reach US: lawmaker
Mar 17, 2013 12:55 EDT
Nuclear-armed North Korea has a ballistic missile that could hit the United States, the leading lawmaker on the US House of Representatives intelligence committee warned Sunday.
European stocks fall amid Cyprus talks
Mar 15, 2013 13:35 EDT
Europe's main stock markets fell on Friday in downbeat pre-weekend trading before the outcome of a major eurozone ministers meeting aiming to agree a bailout for the Cyprus government, dealers said.
Key US Democrat under grand jury probe: report
Mar 15, 2013 13:13 EDT
Robert Menendez, the influential head of the US Senate's Foreign Relations Committee, is under investigation by a grand jury in Miami for alleged influence peddling, the Washington Post reported Friday.
European stocks fall before Cyprus talks
Mar 15, 2013 11:32 EDT
Europe's main stock markets fell on Friday in downbeat pre-weekend deals before the outcome of a major eurozone ministers meeting that seeks to agree a bailout for the Cyprus government, dealers said.
US Senate panel backs assault weapons ban
Mar 14, 2013 18:07 EDT
US lawmakers approved a Democratic bill Thursday that would ban assault weapons and high-capacity gun magazines, in a party line vote three months to the day after the Newtown school massacre.
US conservative confab confronts Republican rifts
Mar 14, 2013 18:05 EDT
Still nursing election wounds, soul-searching Republicans gathered Thursday at the first conservative casting call for the US presidential election in 2016, with the party divided over how to broaden its appeal.
Marantis named acting US trade representative
Mar 14, 2013 15:59 EDT
The departing top US trade official Ron Kirk announced Thursday that his deputy Demetrios Marantis will serve as acting US trade representative.
Obama: Deficit 'grand bargain' may be out of reach
Mar 13, 2013 12:01 EDT
President Barack Obama on Wednesday diminished the prospects for a grand bargain with Congress on reducing the deficit, saying the gap between the two parties may be "too wide."
US 'won't balance budget in next 10 years': Obama
Mar 13, 2013 08:31 EDT
President Barack Obama warned America will not balance its budget within a decade because Republican plans to do so would entail slashing social programs many citizens rely on for support.
Facts from the Wikipedia page:
| United States Congress | |
|---|---|
| 111th United States Congress | |
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | Bicameral |
| Houses | Senate House of Representatives |
| Leadership | |
| President of the Senate | Joe Biden, (D) since January 20, 2009 |
| President pro tempore | Robert C. Byrd, (D) since January 4, 2007 |
| Speaker of the House | Nancy Pelosi, (D) since January 4, 2007 |
| Structure | |
| Members | 535 100 Senators 435 MCs plus 5 Delegates and 1 Resident Commissioner |
 | |
| House of Representatives Political groups | Democratic Party Republican Party |
 | |
| Senate Political groups | Democratic Party Independent Independent Democrat Republican Party |
| Election | |
| House of Representatives Last election | November 4, 2008 |
| Senate Last election | November 4, 2008 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| United States Capitol | |
| Website | |
| House of Representatives Website Senate Website | |
