The field of religious advocacy has mushroomed on Capitol Hill in recent decades, a new survey shows , with the number of groups growing fivefold since 1970 and hundreds of millions spent each year to influence issues from school vouchers and immigration to the right of women overseas to have abortions. Read full article > >

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Religious lobbying groups multiply on Capitol Hill

The nation’s debt in dollars consists of 14 digits. The District’s, 10. But Gaithersburg has only one: zero. Yes, $0. Zilch. Just a 45-minute drive from Capitol Hill, the community is debt-free and has been, more or less, for about four decades. As the country struggles with its $15 trillion debt , Gaithersburg has plugged away with a time-tested budgeting philosophy: Pay as you go and build your financial reserves. Read full article > >

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For a city in Montgomery, staying debt-free is the norm

Tense negotiations over a continuing U.S. military presence in Iraq ended last month. On Capitol Hill, there’s been no end to the tension. Members of the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday used an appearance by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to express deep misgivings about the failure to reach an agreement with the Baghdad government , saying they feared the withdrawal of American personnel would lead to a rise in sectarian tensions and provide an opening to Iran. Read full article > >

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On Iraq pullout, Panetta faces skeptical lawmakers

It finally looks like Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill are ready to agree on something related to the uprising in Libya. All it took was for the revolt to succeed, longtime dictator Moammar Gaddafi to be captured and killed and American involvement to end. On Tuesday, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is to consider a resolution, sponsored by Chairman John Kerry (D-Mass.), along with Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.), applauding Libyans for their successful rebellion and U.S. troops for their “bravery.” Read full article > >

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Mission over, Congress ready to agree on Libya

It finally looks like Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill are ready to agree on something related to the uprising in Libya. All it took was for the revolt to succeed, longtime dictator Moammar Gaddafi to be captured and killed and American involvement to end. On Tuesday, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is to consider a resolution, sponsored by Chairman John Kerry (D-Mass.), along with Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.), applauding Libyans for their successful rebellion and U.S. troops for their “bravery.” Read full article > >

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Mission over, Congress ready to agree on Libya

In her new memoir, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) vows that she will return to Capitol Hill, the Associated Press reports . The memoir, “Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope,” is set for release on Nov. 15th. It was ten months ago that Giffords was shot in the head by a gunman at a constituent event in Tucson, Ariz., during a shooting that left six people dead, including a member of the congresswoman’s staff. Read full article > >

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Gabrielle Giffords pledges return to Congress, some day

For Larry Frankel, veteran D.C. cabbie, driving a taxi is like fishing. You have to know the spots. When Congress is in session, he prowls Capitol Hill at lunchtime; during the evenings, he cruises out-of-the-way restaurants; and in the wee hours, around closing time, he lurks in front of the most popular bars. Read full article > >

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Does it pay to drive a cab in D.C.? A look at the fair wage debate in the nation’s capital

The looming Capitol Hill battle over transportation priorities in a budget-slashing era may have found its lightning rod issue: bike paths, pedestrian walkways and wildflowers planted by the side of the road. The question is this: With the nation facing a transportation crisis that has gotten little attention outside of policy wonks and Washington, should the federal government continue to mandate that states spend federal dollars on pedestrian safety, bicycling trails, landscaping and historic preservation? Read full article > >

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Federal transportation funding mandates — the coming Capitol Hill battle

On Capitol Hill, Thursday was a rare day in which the House could do something important by doing absolutely nothing at all. The task: stave off a government shutdown by passing a budget extension that would get the federal government through the weekend. It wouldn’t require a vote. It wouldn’t even take the whole 435-member House. Read full article > >

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House passes budget extension to avert government shutdown — by doing nothing

Google’s executive chairman, Eric Schmidt, faced a barrage of questions from lawmakers Wednesday about whether his company’s search engine stifles competition as he insisted it has not violated its famous “don’t be evil” motto. Schmidt, who had never testified on Capitol Hill, began his highly anticipated testimony by invoking the memory of Microsoft’s Bill Gates, who walked the same gantlet before the Senate Judiciary Committee’s antitrust panel during the 1990s. Read full article > >

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Google chairman faces Capitol Hill heat for first time

Congress is no stranger to the visiting dignitary. Heads of state and military heroes are always dropping by — even President Obama graced the Capitol last month to deliver a speech. On Thursday, lawmakers will greet another illustrious guest: Bodie , the French bulldog who starred in the bawdy buddy movie “Due Date ,” is slated to appear at the Animal Health Institute’s “Celebrity Pet Night” on Capitol Hill, our colleague Emily Heil reports. Read full article > >

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Cats and dogs on Capitol Hill. Literally, this time.

The great hunt for common ground on Capitol Hill that opened hopefully with the post-summer session of Congress lasted, in all, about a week. It began on Sept. 6, with a letter from House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) to President Obama. It asked that the two sides ease their bickering and look for areas to agree on. Read full article > >

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Congress, Obama’s attempt at compromise is short-lived

Nearly 5,400 former congressional staffers have left Capitol Hill to become federal lobbyists in the past 10 years, according to a new study that documents the extent of the revolving door between Congress and K Street. The data published by the online disclosure site LegiStorm found close to 400 former U.S. lawmakers also have made the jump to lobbying. Read full article > >

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Revolving door of employment between Congress, lobbying firms, study shows

Congressman Leonard Boswell had kenneled his two Rottweilers for the night. Just before bedtime, the 77-year-old Democrat put on his blue-striped robe and removed his hearing aid, turning down the volume on what had been a loud mid-July week of debt-ceiling drama on Capitol Hill. He was getting a glass of water in the kitchen, and even without his earpiece, he could sense some commotion on the main floor of his farmhouse. He rushed to the nearby bedroom to check on his wife of 56 years, Dody. She was in bed — nothing wrong. Read full article > >

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Iowa congressman and his family retell how they fought off a gun-wielding robber

The vast advocacy and fundraising operation that former House speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) built after leaving Capitol Hill more than a decade ago has ceased to exist — a casualty of Gingrich’s decision to run for president in 2012. According to an Aug. 1 filing with the Internal Revenue Service, American Solutions for Winning the Future raised more than $2.4 million during the first six months of the year, but it spent almost $3 million. “It closed down” in July, said longtime Gingrich adviser Joe Gaylord, who had taken over the organization after Gingrich’s departure. “There’s nothing to say. We had difficulty raising money after Newt left. . . . We didn’t want to run the organization into deep, deep, deep debt. So we closed it down.” Read full article > >

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Newt Gingrich’s former group, American Solutions, shutters its doors