In Talks, House Majority Weighs Loyalty to Voters

Debt Reckoning

Federal Agencies Brace for Possible Cuts

By RON NIXON

Officials are making plans to lay off workers, shift money and delay contracts if President Obama and Congress fail to make a deal to prevent automatic cuts and tax increases.

Obama, With Blue-Collar Backdrop, Pushes for Higher Taxes on the Richest

By MARK LANDLER

President Obama took to the road again in the fiscal debate, touring a German-owned truck factory in Michigan where a new investment of $120 million was announced.

Obama Approves Health Insurance Marketplaces in 6 States

By ROBERT PEAR

At the same time, the administration rejected the pleas of other states to partially expand Medicaid, causing some Republicans to express disappointment.

113th Congress: This Time, It’s Out With the New

By JEREMY W. PETERS

Instead of fresh faces, many of the recently elected members of the House of Representatives are career bureaucrats and policy wonks with deep histories in politics and government.

The Caucus

Obama and Boehner Talk About Deficits at the White House

By BRIAN KNOWLTON and JACKIE CALMES

President Obama and Speaker John A. Boehner met privately as a top Republican senator said acceding on tax rates for high earners might shift attention to entitlements.

• Following the Debt Talks | Post a Comment | Read

News Analysis

U.N. Ambassador Questioned on U.S. Role in Congo Violence

By HELENE COOPER

Susan E. Rice, a candidate for secretary of state, is close to Rwanda’s president and is being scrutinized over the United States’ position on the Congo conflict.

Sidebar

Same-Sex Issue Pushes Justices Into Overdrive

By ADAM LIPTAK

The Supreme Court’s hearing of two cases on gay marriage could result in a split decision that would provide benefits to couples in some states, but permit other states to forbid same-sex marriages.

Senators Propose Tax Breaks for Storm Cleanup

By RAYMOND HERNANDEZ

Senators Charles E. Schumer of New York and Robert Menendez of New Jersey modeled their Hurricane Sandy measure on 2005 legislation passed to help those affected by Hurricane Katrina.

Fed Is Likely to Sustain Its Stimulus Program

By BINYAMIN APPELBAUM

The Federal Reserve must still determine what to buy and how much to spend, and officials continue to debate the best way to describe when the agency is likely to stop buying.

• Slight Gains on Wall Street 9:52 AM ET

James D. Hodgson, Labor Secretary and Ambassador, Dies at 96

By ROBERT D. McFADDEN

Mr. Hodgson, appointed by President Richard M. Nixon, promoted construction jobs for minority workers and safer American workplaces.

Clinton’s Countless Choices Hinge on One: 2016

By JODI KANTOR

With her tenure as Secretary of State coming to an end, Hillary Rodham Clinton appears to be a figure of nearly limitless possibility, but her next few years could ultimately be defined by her plans for the 2016 election.

Tax Arithmetic Shows Top Rate Is Just a Starter

By JACKIE CALMES

Despite hints that President Obama and House Speaker John A. Boehner might compromise on the tax rate paid by top earners, a host of other tax questions could still derail a fiscal deal.

• Following the Debt Talks | Variations on Obama’s Tax Plan
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New Taxes to Take Effect to Fund Health Care Law

By ROBERT PEAR

As part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the new levies, which take effect in January, include an increase in the payroll tax on wages and a tax on investment income.

Debt Reckoning

How a Fiscal Impasse, in 1990, Was Broken

By JOHN HARWOOD

In 1990, President George H.W. Bush also faced automatic budget cuts and rising deficits, but it was only when he gave up his no-tax pledge that negotiations quickened.

Economic View

In Talks, G.O.P. May Have to Just Say Yes

By ROBERT H. FRANK

Negotiations between the president and Congressional Republicans hinge on a concept outlined in a book called “Getting to Yes.”