JOE BIDEN

In an attempt to put it all on the table, the U.S. Senate's top Republican invited President Obama to a GOP lunch at the Capitol to discuss the ongoing dispute over the debt ceiling and related issues, but the White House on Thursday declined the invitation.

If your adjusted gross income is under $250,000, you may get a reprieve, if the Obama administration's latest deficit reduction proposal becomes law after debt ceiling talks have concluded. The administration is now said-to-be seeking to increase taxes on a narrow slice of the mega-rich, such as owners of private jets.

President Obama wants to end a tax break worth $72 billion to U.S. businesses. Doing so would be a big mistake.

President Barack Obama will meet with leaders from both parties Monday, seeking to overcome an impasse in negotiations over a deal to raise the federal debt limit.

President Barack Obama indicated Friday he is ready to take over the budget deficit / debt ceiling negotiations, inviting Senate leaders to the White House next week, as the continuing impasse pushes the U.S. closer to a potential default.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said President Barack Obama should borrow a page from his book and personally engage in budget deficit and debt ceiling talks with lawmakers.

Las Vegas is not only place to roll the dice for really high stakes. Washington, D.C. is another, and the GOP has done exactly that in its deficit reduction talks walkout. It's a bold move, but fraught with risk: it could reshape the U.S.'s social welfare state, or trigger a market-rocking U.S. Government default on its bonds.

A year ago, it seemed implausible, perhaps absurd, to think the U.S.'s two, major parties, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party, would disagree so much that the United States would be at risk of defaulting on its bonds, due to a failure to raise the debt ceiling before the U.S. Government runs out of money in August. Now, incredibly, it appears a U.S. default is possible.

U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Va., announced Thursday morning he is suspending his participation in the bipartisan negotiations to reduce the deficit, saying the talks had reached an impasse over taxes.

President Barack Obama began the steady retreat from Afghanistan Wednesday, saying in a televised speech the United States has largely achieved its goals and the withdrawal of troops will now begin.

How big could the national debt get? Well, to paraphrase a line popularized by actor William Shatner, if Congressional lawmakers can not agree on a deficit reduction package, it’s going to get ‘really big’ -- grow to a total larger than the U.S. economy.

In a speech he'll deliver to the nation Wednesday night, President Barack Obama is expected to announce the initial drawdown. However, regardless of the pace or scale of the withdrawal, the United States will maintain a substantial presence in the country, reflecting a decision on Obama's part to make the Afghanistan effort the lynchpin of his foreign policy.

President Obama is still mulling his options as he prepares to announce a schedule for withdrawing the 33,000 additional troops he committed to Afghanistan upon assuming office.

Republicans are showing an increased willingness to consider eliminating tax breaks as a weapon to reduce the deficit

President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner put aside their political parties and teamed up for a triumphant golf game over Vice President Joe Biden and Ohio Republican Governor John Kasich.

Golf teammates President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner enjoyed some cold drinks after several hours of golf on Saturday, after defeating the team of Vice President Joe Biden and Ohio Gov. John Kasich.

President Barack Obama and John Boehner took to the golf links just outside of Washington D.C. on Saturday as the rancorous political back and forth took a back seat.

President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden teed off against House Speaker John Boehner and Ohio Gov. John Kasich in a Saturday golf game near Washington.

Vice President Joe Biden said yesterday that negotiations on raising the debt ceiling are entering a contentious new phase now that Democrats and Republicans have agreed on cuts favored by both parties.

Republicans and Democrats grappled over the government's annual spending levels on Tuesday as they worked toward a deal that would narrow annual budget deficits and allow the country to continue borrowing at rock-bottom rates.

The chairman of the Federal Reserve warned on Tuesday that a failure to lift the government's borrowing limit could risk a potentially disastrous loss of confidence, giving further impetus to the latest round of deficit-reduction talks by top lawmakers.