Libby Casey

Congress wrapped up its summer work Tuesday without passing legislation to keep the Federal Aviation Administration open. Political bickering has partially shut it down – and may continue to until after Labor Day when Congress returns from its August recess.

All three members of Alaska’s Congressional delegation say they will vote for the deal to raise the debt ceiling and cut spending. The plan announced Sunday night by President Obama slashes spending by about a trillion dollars over the next decade and raises the debt ceiling in time for the U.S. to avoid defaulting on its bills.

The votes still have to come but Sunday night President Obama announced an agreement between Republican and Democratic Congressional leaders. Just what the rank and file membership think will be revealed Monday morning.

Despite a big build-up Thursday and a late night on Capitol Hill, the U.S. House did not vote on a plan to raise the debt ceiling and cut spending. House Speaker John Boehner couldn’t muster enough votes. He has the lukewarm support and promised vote of Alaska’s Congressman Don Young, but conservative Republicans say the plan doesn’t make deep enough cuts, and Democrats are staunchly opposed.

Thursday night, as the House wrestled with its plan, Senator Mark Begich hosted a town hall by telephone.

The U.S. Postal Service is again looking at closing post offices in Alaska to save money. Tuesday, the Postmaster General announced a list of more than 3,600 offices around the country being examined for closure or relocation. Three-dozen of them are in Alaska.

Congressional experts say there’s just one week left until politicians in Washington have to come up with a debt ceiling deal. It's actually two-and-a-half weeks when the U.S. will hit its debt limit, but the Congress needs the extra time to write up a plan and get it passed through the House and Senate.

Wednesday, there was a confirmation hearing for two Alaska women who have been appointed to federal judgeships by President Obama. The hearing went well but the appointments could still get snagged on national politics.

It pulls together top officials from agencies like Energy Department and the Environmental Protection Agency and will be led by Interior Department Deputy Secretary David Hayes.

The U.S. Postal Service was considering closing Juneau’s mail processing center and transferring its operations to Anchorage, but it’s nixed the idea.