The Iraqi refugee crisis was a focus of attention again on Capitol Hill and Washington this week. Two key Senate Democrats urged President Bush to do more, while a bipartisan group of House lawmakers urged Iraq's government to sharply increase spending to assist Iraqi refugees who fled sectarian fighting, and those displaced from their homes inside the country.

The House of Representatives is expected to approve a bipartisan resolution Wednesday condemning China's crackdown in Tibet and urging Beijing to hold a substantive dialogue with the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.

U.S. congressional leaders are marking the 40th anniversary of the assassination of civil rights leader, Martin Luther King, Jr.

On a day of new insurgent attacks in Iraq, with at least 40 people killed, members of the U.S. Senate spoke out on the war on American television.

In a congressional hearing, Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte, faced questions from members of Congress on a range of international issues, including Iraq and Afghanistan, the situation in the Middle East, and Darfur. VOA's Dan Robinson reports, a House subcommittee hearing came as the Bush administration seeks to unlock billions of dollars in funding for key priorities.

A U.S. lawmaker and civil rights leader who previously supported Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has announced he will now support her rival, Senator Barack Obama.

The chairman of the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee is to meet with his House counterpart Friday to try to resolve the political standoff over legislation to overhaul wiretapping legislation before current law expires Saturday. President Bush is making a last minute appeal to lawmakers to approve the legislation, saying he would delay his scheduled departure to Africa later Friday if it would help advance the bill. VOA's Deborah Tate reports from Capitol Hill.

A law-maker from Mississippi, John Read, offers restaurants to stop serving food to overweight customers.

In appearances before Congress on Wednesday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and a top military official are expected to underscore decreased violence in Iraq. But as VOA's Dan Robinson reports, they are likely to face strong questioning from lawmakers about ongoing war costs.

Legislation to expand and renew a wiretapping law that expires Friday stalled on the floor of the U.S. Senate Monday amid partisan wrangling. Lawmakers are expected to seek a temporary extension of the measure later this week. VOA's Deborah Tate reports from Capitol Hill.

President Bush is calling on the U.S. Congress to approve a bill to expand and renew a wiretapping law that is set to expire February 1. Action is pending in the Senate, where lawmakers are divided over whether there should be greater civil liberties' protections in the legislation. VOA's Deborah Tate reports from Capitol Hill.

Former Michigan Congressman Mark Deli Siljander has been charged in a terror conspiracy case. The Republican Siljander was a part of a terrorist fundraising ring that sent funds to an al-Qaida and Taliban support who have threatened the United States.