CONGRESS

Members of the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday assailed federal agencies for delays in starting capital works projects under the economic stimulus plan, saying they were lessening the impact of the $875 billion program intended to revive the economy.

Lawmakers on both sides of the Capitol pushed for a healthcare reform deal on Tuesday, with Senate Democrats near agreement with three Republicans on a plan unlikely to include a government-run insurance option backed by President Barack Obama.

The Honduran Congress on Monday avoided a vote on whether ousted President Manuel Zelaya can return to power after a coup last month, saying it was a matter for the Supreme Court to decide.

With the smell of fat bonus checks again wafting down Wall Street, the Obama administration and Democrats in Congress on Thursday moved closer to a clampdown on U.S. corporate executive pay.

Congress has picked up the pace of its work on an overhaul of the $2.5 trillion healthcare industry as it tries to pass legislation in each chamber before the August congressional recess.

Saying it was time to get this done, President Barack Obama pressed on Wednesday for swift congressional action on healthcare after a Senate panel approved a bill to overhaul the $2.5 trillion industry.

The Federal Reserve on Thursday launched a robust defense of its independence and warned that efforts in Congress to put monetary policy under political sway would hurt the economy.

The U.S. Congress released a report on Wednesday saying bottled water is less regulated than plain old tap water and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has little power to regulate the safety of bottled water.

Congress is eyeing ways to make sure speculative trading helps commodity markets rather than distorting pricing signals, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a Reuters Television interview Monday.There are concerns, Vilsack said, noting he has spoken about the issue with Tom Harkin, chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee.I suspect that there will probably be an effort to make...

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, facing one of his toughest grillings yet by U.S. lawmakers on Thursday, denied he had ever threatened to fire Bank of America management if they pulled the plug on a planned merger with Merrill Lynch.

Federal Reserve chairman, Ben Bernanke is expected to testify on Thursday about allegations made by Bank of America CEO that the government put pressure on him to go forward with the Merril Lynch acquisition.

Top members of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah movement agreed on Wednesday to hold its first congress in 20 years in August in Bethlehem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Growing worries over budget deficits and government intervention could jeopardize President Barack Obama's proposed healthcare overhaul in Congress as lawmakers bicker over costs and strategies for covering the uninsured.

Senior U.S. lawmakers launched an assault on Thursday on the centerpiece of the Obama administration's financial reform plan -- giving the Federal Reserve new powers to police broad risks in the economy.

Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner urged Congress to act quickly on the Obama administration's regulatory reform proposals, saying past efforts had started too late after the will to act had faded.

The U.S. Congress probably has broad authority to empower regulators to take over big banks and other giant financial companies, even if shareholders and other creditors lose out, analysts said.

President Barack Obama wants the U.S. Congress to send him a sweeping overhaul of the $2.5 trillion U.S. healthcare system by October to help put the struggling U.S. economy on a solid path of growth.

Bank of America Corp Chief Executive Kenneth Lewis has been asked to testify before a congressional committee about when the bank became aware of deteriorating conditions late last year at Merrill Lynch & Co, which prompted a federal bailout.

Days after the makers of Slumdog Millionaire said they had bought an apartment for one of the child actors whose shanty had been demolished, the state's chief minister said he had allotted flats to both child stars.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said Thursday that the Obama administration and Congress will be working together to reduce the nation’s deficits once the recovery is underway.

The U.S. House of Representatives voted on Wednesday to approve legislation to curb sudden credit card interest rate hikes and hidden fees, with President Barack Obama expected to sign it within days.