Nation Topics - Government | The Nation

What really happened on Capitol Hill this week, and a look ahead to the budget battles on the horizon. 

Here are just a few things the Foreign Relations Committee should be asking Obama’s nominee for secretary of state.

Democrats introduced a gun control bill on the first day of the new Congress. But can they overcome the NRA?

Local and state governments are gaining the ability to restore basic services and infrastructure.

When The New York Times first revealed the NSA was wiretapping Americans without a warrant in 2005, it was a scandal. But the government continues to spy with impunity—and what was once illegal has become the law.

Why are US taxpayers still forced to pay billions of dollars for US military bases?

Reports say Sallie Krawcheck is a leading condender for SEC chairman, but her résumé should raise a red flag.

Senate Dems should restore the practice to its proper function: as a tool for public dissent, rather than unchecked, covert obstruction.

How to get yourself to the edge of the fiscal abyss and not jump. 

The recovery could be an opportunity to realign our relationship with the natural world.