The economic climate and border security concerns have fueled the immigration debate in the U.S. congressional elections. This Backgrounder examines races where immigration is playing a role and the potential for reform legislation in the next Congress.

Senator Richard G. Lugar discusses the wide range of policy issues facing the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Max Boot argues that lawmakers should look to history before rushing to cut defense spending.

Michael A. Levi says the U.S. economy was to blame for the Senate's failure to pass a climate bill.

Bryan Walsh examines the reasons behind Congress' failure to pass a cap and trade bill in this TIME blog post.

David S. Abraham says the U.S. Congress contributed to the Gulf oil spill by undermining offshore safety and encouraging risky drilling.

Micah Zenko and Rebecca R. Friedman argue, "Cutting funding for U.S. diplomatic efforts is shortsighted."

Healthcare reform has been seen internationally as a test of President Obama's mettle, writes CFR's global health expert Laurie Garrett, and GOP challenges will force it to be a White House preoccupation until after the November elections.

In a New York Times op-ed, Douglas Holtz-Eakin, former director of the Congressional Budget Office from 2003 to 2005, argues that information claiming the health care bill will save $138 billion dollars is skewed by accounting gimmickry and budgetary games, and laying out his own math, contends the reforms will instead raise deficits by $562 billion.

Robert Carroll of the Tax Foundation outlines the importance of tax deferral and low corporate tax rates for U.S. companies operating abroad to maintain competitiveness, as the provision of tax deferral is targeted for repeal by critics in Congress.

Congress' call for a new federal agency to oversee insurers still relies too heavily on ill-equipped state regulators to stem risks posed by bond insurers, traders, and reinsurers, writes CFR's Marc Levinson.

"People’s expectations for health care are deeply irrational," making this issue such a difficult one to resolve, writes Walter Russel Mead.

Thank you for the opportunity to present my views on Afghanistan today. Last week, in his speech at West Point, President Obama presented the Administration's strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan. His decision came after an intensive, deliberate and far-reaching review of conditions, risks and options available. The course he outlined offers the best path to stabilize Afghanistan and to ensure al Qaeda and other terrorist groups cannot regain a foothold to plan new attacks against our country or our allies. I fully support this approach. It has been welcomed by the Afghan government, which said it will spare no effort to achieve the strategy's key objectives. I hope it will be welcomed here in Congress.

Michael Levi comments what the EPA's recent classification of greenhouse gases as a pollutant means for the Copenhagen Conference.

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

General McChristal talks about the U.S. commitment in Afghanistan.

Listen to Representative Nita Lowey, chair, subcommittee on state, foreign operations, and related programs, House committee on appropriations (D-NY), discuss her views on the U.S. national security apparatus and the balance between civilian and military resources.

As part of a larger publication, assessing the effectiveness of the economic stimulus, Michael Levi and Adam Segal write that the Department of Energy is pursuing a "prudent and sound" strategy for investing their share. The more pressing concern, according to Levi and Segal, is that Congress may forgo funding the department in favor of more "politically attractive" options.

Listen to Representative Edward J. Markey, Chair, Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming; Chair, Energy and Environment Subcommittee, Energy and Commerce Committee, U.S. House of Representatives (D-MA), deliver his insight into the interplay between domestic and international action on climate change.

This session was part of a CFR symposium, Countdown to Copenhagen: What's Next for Climate Change?, which was made possible through generous support from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the Alcoa Foundation, and the Robina Foundation.