As the U.S. Senate debates the healthcare overhaul, experts are divided on whether proposed legislation would stifle U.S. economic and business competitiveness.

CFR.org interviews representatives of the foreign press corps at the Democratic National Convention about what issues appeal to their home audiences.

A tentative agreement on raising the debt ceiling falls far short of the deep reforms needed to improve U.S. spending patterns and the country's global standing, writes CFR's Sebastian Mallaby.

A new proposal by the bipartisan "Gang of Six" to reduce deficits by nearly $4 trillion could gain traction among House Republicans, with polls showing greater public support for raising the debt ceiling as the August 2 deadline approaches, says CFR's Sebastian Mallaby.

President Obama's competing deficit-cutting plan stimulates a crucial debate with Republicans that will have major consequences for U.S. and global growth, but no compromise appears imminent, says CFR's James Lindsay.

The new Congress, featuring a GOP-controlled House and a Democratic-led Senate, is likely to be dominated by partisan squabbles over debts and deficits, sidelining foreign policy, says CFR's James Lindsay.

The U.S. debt ceiling and deficit debate has led to challenges on foreign aid spending, but while aid could be leaner and more effective, CFR's Stewart Patrick argues Congress should look to consolidate programs rather than simply cut them.

While Congress is likely to raise the U.S. debt ceiling ahead of the August 2 deadline, lawmakers will still need to hash out a long-term deficit-reduction package to avoid market disruption and preserve U.S. global standing, says economist C. Fred Bergsten.

The bipartisan deficit reduction plan stresses the need to tighten U.S. foreign policy priorities, even if U.S. allies fail to pick up the slack, says expert Michael Mandelbaum.

Congress has been steadily failing in its responsibilities on national security issues, says CFR's Kay King, and its new leadership should reform over-politicized rules and procedures as a first step.

Jeb Bush says action by Congress on immigration reform faces more favorable conditions than previous attempts, but the complexity of the reforms needed remain a challenge.

James M. Lindsay, an expert on U.S. politics and foreign policy, says President Bush will be regarded as “a below-average president” due to issues like Iraq and immigration reform.

Ethiopia’s U.S. ambassador says his government needs more international help in securing Somalia and is wrongly blamed by Congress for rights abuses.

A Wisconsin congressman says the time is ripe to reform the massive farm bill to make U.S. farmers more independent and competitive

Shannon O’Neil, CFR’s Mexico expert, says Washington’s $1.4 billion multiyear plan to bolster Mexico’s crackdown on drug and criminal rings, while drawing criticism, is likely to win congressional approval. 

Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) calls on the Bush administration to accept Iraq war funding legislation that conditions U.S. engagement on Iraqi government moves toward political reconciliation.

Kenneth M. Pollack says Democrats should give President Bush’s new Iraq plan a chance, but also prepare alternatives.

The presumptive chair of the House International Relations Committee expects no "silver bullets" to emerge from the Baker commission's report on Iraq. But Rep. Tom Lantos hopes the forthcoming report it will be the basis for a bipartisan effort to change the nature of the U.S. involvement in Iraq.

James M. Lindsay, an expert on Congress and American foreign policy, says in the aftermath of the Democratic Party victories in the midterm elections, many politicians are hoping that the “knight in shining armor” to rescue Iraq policy may lie in the special commission headed by former Secretary of State James Baker and former chairman of the House International Relations Committee, Lee Hamilton.

Anthony H. Cordesman, a leading analyst of the Iraq war, says that the Defense Department's latest report to Congress on the status of the Iraq war borders on "deception" by painting an overly upbeat picture. The situation in Iraq has "steadily deteriorated," he says, in large part because the Iraqi political parties have failed to come together.