John Boehner

House Speaker John A. Boehner called President Obama's upcoming State of the Union speech "pathetic" for rehashing stale Democratic priorities, even as Republicansare doubling-down on their own policy agenda that found little traction outside the GOP-led House. "It sounds to me like the same old policies that we've seen: more spending, higher taxes more regulation - the same policies that haven't helped our economy; they've made it worse," Boehner said on "Fox News Sunday. " "If that's what the president is going to talk about Tuesday night, I think it's pathetic.

Reporting from Baltimore A former plastics salesman, House Speaker John A. Boehner stood before the unwieldy GOP majority with a pitch: Members must stick together like never before, not only for the sake of their agenda in Congress, but for the larger prize of reclaiming the White House this fall. It was a complicated sell at the GOP's annual retreat here as Boehner faced rambunctious lawmakers still intent on changing how Washington does business. Though Republicans said they were humbled and frustrated by last year's bruising political warfare, some in the tea-party-powered majority are ready to go at it again.

Facing Republican resistance to extending a payroll tax holiday, House Speaker John A. Boehner is considering sweetening the package for his party members with legislation that would advance the controversial Keystone XL pipeline. Failure by Congress to approve an extension of the payroll tax break before it expires at the end of the year would result in an average $1,000 annual tax hike on 160 million American workers. The prospect of that politically unpopular outcome has led GOP leaders to coalesce around President Obama's proposal to continue the tax break for 2012.

House Speaker John A. Boehner said his biggest regret since taking the helm with the GOP majority is that he and President Obama were unable to agree to a grand bargain to cut the nation's deficits and debt. Taking a spin through the last year since Republicans won the House, boosting him to the job he long wanted, Boehner reflected on what has come to pass since that November victory. He leads an often unruly majority, with more than 80 freshmen, many of whom won backing from the conservative tea party and unwilling to compromise on core fiscal issues.

House Speaker John Boehner urged the Obama administration to retool its policy with Russia, warning that the country is sliding back to its Soviet ways and will soon be led by a man who “harbors intense Soviet nostalgia.” “The American people deserve a clear, coherent strategy for how we will engage a resurgent Russia,” Boehner said in a speech before the Heritage Foundation on Tuesday, according to prepared remarks. “In Russia's use of old tools and old thinking, we see nothing short of an attempt to restore Soviet-style power and influence.”  Boehner spoke at a conference titled “The Risk of Reset: Why Washington Must Watch its Step with Moscow,” hosted by the conservative think tank.

After a stunning defeat, House Republican leaders are considering dropping or changing their requirement that disaster aid be paid for with spending cuts elsewhere. Republican leaders are racing the clock to avoid a government shutdown after their spending bill for the coming fiscal year, which begins Oct.1, was rejected in a surprise setback. They insisted on spending cuts to cover aid for victims of Hurricane Irene and other recent disasters. Democrats soundly rejected that approach.

No fewer than 70,000 bridges across the country need repair, but the example President Obama highlighted Thursday stands out in one convenient political respect: It connects the states of the two Republican lawmakers who have the power to bottle up his jobs package. Obama stood before the Brent Spence Bridge and issued a challenge to House Speaker John A. Boehner of Ohio and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, prodding them to pass a jobs bill meant to create work for idle construction workers.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, in town as president of the bipartisan U.S. Conference of Mayors, said that try as he might, he could not get face time with House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) to talk job creation. "Unfortunately, after a few weeks of trying, we were unable to get a meeting with Speaker Boehner," Villaraigosa said Tuesday. "They couldn't find time to meet with America's mayors. " Boehner's office did not immediately comment. Villaraigosa is having sit-downs with Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, as well as Democratic leaders Rep. Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada during the D.C. visit.

If that Congress thing doesn't quite work out, House Speaker John A. Boehner might consider a gig doing stand-up comedy. Boehner has long had a reputation as the person with a personality, the guy from Ohio with whom you would actually enjoy playing a round of golf or spending some time at a rubber chicken dinner. On Thursday, he got a chance to display his full wit. After his serious speech to the Economic Club in Washington, where he outlined his program of tax reform, cutting government regulation and no new taxes to pay for a jobs program, Boehner eased back in his chair to take some questions about life as the top Republican legislator.

Republican leaders in Congress are striking a softer, more conciliatory tone, dialing back the hard-line opposition that has defined their recent rise to power but has done little to boost their standing in public opinion polls. The change in style does not necessarily match a shift in substance. Republicans continue to show little willingness to bend on the key issues driving the debate over joblessness, deficits and the role of government. But in their legislative agenda and speeches, including House Speaker John A. Boehner's address to the influential Economic Club of Washington on Thursday, a new approach is clear.