Deportations have been at the center of a debate over whether to provide a path to citizenship for people living in the U.S. illegally, the most contentious part of immigration revamp bill that the Senate passed last year.

Republicans should be careful what they wish for when it comes to raising the minimum wage.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he wont consider raising the national minimum wage to a level lower than $10.10 an hour, even as a way to coax support from reluctant Democrats seeking re-election this year.

Advocates for undocumented immigrants in the U.S. are insisting that President Barack Obama halt most deportations, saying he is expelling people his fellow Democrats would let stay in the country.

The CBO says some workers may be lifted out of poverty but job losses would also be part of the picture.

Yet Republicans and Democrats are lowering expectations of passing major legislation before the November elections.

The House of Representatives voted to suspend the debt limit until March 2015, giving a win to President Barack Obama and Democrats in Congress who insisted that the ceiling be lifted without conditions.

House Republican leaders are proposing an increase in the debt limit for one year that would include benefits for military retirees.