A conservative congressman from Oklahoma broke ranks with the Republican Party on Wednesday. Rep. Tom Cole says a tax increase for the top two percent is better than an increase for everyone.

On Thursday, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner held a series of meetings with congressional leaders.

Those were some of the latest developments as lawmakers work to avoid the fiscal cliff.

Francis Rose, host of "In Depth with Francis Rose" on Federal News Radio, discussed how the budget battle could impact federal agencies. Here's his interview with Capital Insider.