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Andrea Seabrook

Andrea Seabrook covers Capitol Hill as NPR's Congressional Correspondent.

In each report, Seabrook explains the daily complexities of legislation and the longer trends in American politics. She delivers critical, insightful reporting – from the last Republican Majority, through the speakership of Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats' control of the House, to the GOP landslide of 2010. She and NPR's Peter Overby won the prestigious Joan S. Barone award for their Dollar Politics series, which exposed the intense lobbying effort around President Obama's Health Care legislation. Seabrook and Overby's most recent collaboration, this time on the flow of money during the 2010 midterm elections, was widely lauded and drew a huge audience spike on NPR.org.

An authority on the comings and goings of daily life on Capitol Hill, Seabrook has covered Congress for NPR since January 2003 She took a year-and-a-half break, in 2006 and 2007, to host the weekend edition of NPR's newsmagazine, All Things Considered. In that role, Seabrook covered a wide range of topics, from the uptick in violence in the Iraq war, to the history of video game music.

A frequent guest host of NPR programs, including Weekend Edition and Talk of the Nation, Seabrook has also anchored NPR's live coverage of national party conventions and election night in 2006 and 2008.

Seabrook joined NPR in 1998 as an editorial assistant for the music program, Anthem. After serving in a variety of editorial and production positions, she moved to NPR's Mexico Bureau to work as a producer and translator, providing fill-in coverage of Mexico and Central America. She returned to NPR headquarters in Washington, D.C. in the fall of 1999 and worked on NPR's Science Desk and the NPR/National Geographic series, "Radio Expeditions." Later she moved to NPR's Morning Edition, starting as an editorial assistant and then moving up to Assistant Editor. She then began her on-air career as a weekend general assignment reporter for all NPR programs.

Before coming to NPR, Seabrook lived, studied and worked in Mexico City, Mexico. She ran audio for movies and television, and even had a bit part in a Mexican soap opera.

Seabrook earned her bachelor's degree in biology from Earlham College and studied Latin American literature at UNAM - La Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico. While in college she worked at WECI, the student-run public radio station at Earlham College.

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  • In the past week, President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner have begun a new round of sparring over the U.S. debt ceiling. It's part of a number of problems involving debt, taxes and spending that are all slated to come to a head in early 2013. And solutions aren't likely before Election Day.
  • "...the fundraiser has 35,000 bucks in checks sitting in her pocket right now. And we're going to talk about public policy while we take the checks."
  • We imagine the lobbyist stalking the halls of Congress trying to use cash to influence important people. But often, the Congressman is stalking the lobbyist, asking for money.
  • The man driving the investigation into the GSA is Republican Darrell Issa. He took the top seat on the House oversight committee after the GOP won the majority. Over the past year and a half, Issa has led several splashy investigations. But he's also been dogged by allegations of his own.
  • In the last decade, Pelosi has raised close to $300 million for Democrats. We recently traveled with Pelosi on a fundraising trip.
  • While superPACs are turning out to be some of the biggest moneymakers this election season, President Obama, so far, has stayed old school. He is raising funds for his traditional campaign committee, Obama for America, and a party fund that he can use.
  • On Friday, President Obama stopped by the Democrats' retreat in Maryland, where he recapped the themes of his State of the Union address and previewed the Democrats' election message: They've done everything they can, they'll say, and Republicans have played politics.
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