WASHINGTON — The federal deficit was lower in the first quarter of the 2012 budget year than the same period last year. Yet, the imbalance remains high by historical standards and should keep lawmakers debating tax increases and spending cuts ...

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WASHINGTON — Squeezed by rising living costs, a record number of Americans — nearly 1 in 2 — have fallen into poverty or are scraping by on earnings that classify them as low income. The latest census data depict a ...

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WASHINGTON — Consumers barely increased their spending in October but their incomes rose by the most in seven months. The rise in take-home pay could boost spending during the upcoming holiday shopping season. The Commerce Department said Wednesday that spending ...

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WASHINGTON — Americans are more likely than ever to reach age 90, redefining in a way what it means to be old. People who are 90 or older have nearly tripled in number since 1980, to 1.9 million, according to ...

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State Sen. Rob Garagiola is making it official. The Montgomery County Democrat will begin his campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday at the BlackRock Center for Arts in Germantown. The announcement Friday said Garagiola, who is now ...

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WASHINGTON — A gauge of future economic activity edged up at a slower pace in September, signaling only modest economic growth in coming months. The Conference Board reported Thursday that its index of leading economic indicators rose 0.2 percent in ...

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WASHINGTON — Some 55 million Social Security recipients will get a 3.6 percent increase in benefits next year, their first raise since 2009, the government announced Wednesday. The increase, which starts in January, is tied to a measure of inflation ...

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WASHINGTON — Social Security recipients will get a raise in January — their first increase in benefits since 2009. It’s expected to be about 3.5 percent. Some 55 million beneficiaries will find out for sure Wednesday when a government inflation ...

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WASHINGTON — The U.S. government ran a $1.3 trillion for the budget year that ended last month, the third straight year it has operated more than $1 trillion in the red. The 2011 budget deficit was the second highest on ...

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WOODLAWN — A Social Security Administration employee who was on his lunch break was shot Monday during a robbery near the agency’s headquarters in suburban Baltimore, prompting a temporary lockdown of the complex as police searched for the gunman. Police ...

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