It has become a United States ritual more predictable than the date of the next presidential election. Barack Obama proposes a budget — and Republicans in Congress declare it dead on arrival.

Despite a week of public grousing and finger-pointing, payroll tax cut conferees and staff still hope their ultimate deal will avoid both a tax increase and a reaffirmation of a do-nothing Congress.

Dear drug policy reformer: One of the most important actions taken by Congress in recent years was the lifting of a ban on the use of federal AIDS grants . . .

WASHINGTON/CLEVELAND (Reuters) - A defiant President Barack Obama on Wednesday took his boldest action yet to show voters he will confront Republicans, announcing he will bypass Congress and install nominees into politically sensitive jobs overseeing consumer lending and the labor force. Obama will make recess appointments placing Richard Cordray in charge of the new Consumer Financial ...

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama announced today that he will circumvent the Senate and appoint a head of the new financial protection bureau while Congress is on break, a move that has Republicans seeing red.