Sen. Rockefeller wrote to executives of three major cruise lines asking about their standards and the industry's role in the economy.

Complying with President Obama's healthcare law will take nearly 190 million hours per year, according to a new tally released by House Republicans.

The GOP reached that total by adding together the compliance burden in each regulation implementing part of the healthcare law.

They said the annual burden to comply with ObamaCare is enough time to build Mount Rushmore more than 1,500 times over, or to build the Empire State Building 27 times.

Republicans on Capitol Hill are criticizing the Obama administration for preparing to issue waivers under welfare reform starting four years ago.

Leading GOP lawmakers on Tuesday released an internal memo from the Health and Human Services Department (HHS) laying the legal groundwork for its waivers policy.

The memo, dated December 2009, reveals an early desire for an "executive branch power grab," said Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) in a statement. 

The chairman of a key House subcommittee said Tuesday that he's optimistic about the chances Congress could pass a bill this year to replace Medicare's payment formula for doctors.

Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas) said he believes the House is about halfway toward a solution. He said there's no firm timeline to pass a permanent "doc fix," but that he's hoping to finish a bill as soon as possible.

"I think it would be a huge mistake to run this up to New Year's Eve again," Brady said in an interview with The Hill.

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) is bringing back a bill to fight breast cancer with a new commission to identify prevention and treatment strategies for the disease.

The measure, "Accelerating the End of Breast Cancer Act," is designed to help end breast cancer by 2020, Whitehouse said.

"Breast cancer continues to affect too many of our mothers, wives, sisters, and friends," the Rhode Island Democrat said in a statement. "This bill … will help drive our efforts to put an end to this tragic disease." 

The Iowa Democrat was upset about cuts the administration has made to the healthcare law's prevention and public health fund.

House GOP leaders had to pull the bill two weeks ago amid pushback from conservatives in the Republican conference. 

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Christie said the surgery had nothing to do with his political ambitions.