Fiscal Cliff

Lawmakers are engaged in a playground game of "who goes first," daring each political party to let the year end without resolving a Jan. 1 confluence of higher taxes and deep spending cuts that could rattle a recovering, but-still-fragile economy.

Lawmakers say it'll be time to get back to work when they and President Barack Obama return to Washington on Thursday following the Christmas holiday.

Efforts to save the nation from going over a year-end "fiscal cliff" were in disarray as lawmakers fled the Capitol for their Christmas break. "God only knows" how a deal can be reached now, House Speaker John Boehner declared.

President Barack Obama says he'll press ahead with Congress to prevent across-the-board tax increases set to strike taxpayers Jan. 1 after House GOP leaders unexpectedly put off a vote on legislation calling for higher rates on million-dollar earners.

The national unemployment crises is also a shore area crises as a worried single mother from Barnegat calls Ask the Congressman for solutions Wednesday Night.

President Barack Obama says he is prepared to do "tough things" for a "fiscal cliff" deal and says there is no reason for the talks to fail.

A safety net may be pulled out from under millions of Americans at the end of 2012, unless leaders in Washington choose to renew the program that has been keeping them afloat.

There's a lull in the fiscal cliff talks as the White House and leading congressional Democrats have rejected the "Plan B" presented by House Speaker John Boehner.

President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner pushed ahead on negotiating a broad deal to avert the "fiscal cliff," even as the GOP leader readied a backup plan Tuesday to pressure the White House with little time left to avoid a double hit on the economy.

President Barack Obama is narrowing a "fiscal cliff" negotiating gap with House Speaker John Boehner by backing off what had once been ironclad positions.