Congress

Social Security has been known as “the third rail of American politics” since the early 1980s, with the idea that touching the program can prove deadly to a politician’s career.

It’s part of an overall mistrust of foreign influence with deep roots in American history.

They say programs designed to help low-income families are only reaching a fraction of those eligible.

Congress failed to pass comprehensive immigration reform, so it’s using the appropriations bill to bulk up the Department of Homeland Security.

Efforts to force parent company ByteDance to either divest or sell off the app would likely meet resistance from China.

Earmarks promise to spend money on specific projects requested by individual members of Congress.

Federal firefighters make as little as $15 an hour. A permanent boost has bipartisan support, but it’s tied up in Congress’ budget fight.

A record number of Chinese migrants are using the established South American trail to reach the U.S. border.

While the passage of legislation in Congress has largely been stalled by political drama, impacts from the CHIPS Act and infrastructure law are starting to be felt.

There have been about 80 debt ceiling battles since 1960. But those decades of drama have never led to an actual default.