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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NPR's Andrea Seabrook reports Secretary of State Colin Powell goes before a key Senate committee today, as members of Congress take stock of the evidence he presented to the United Nations yesterday. Some Democrats say if the United States attacks Iraq, it must maintain a peace-keeping force there for years to come.
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President Bush today releases his budget for fiscal 2004. The proposal includes slashing taxes, reducing funding for many domestic programs, and increasing defense spending by $17 billion. NPR's Andrea Seabrook reports.
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The House votes to extend unemployment benefits for more than 2.5 million Americans, and President Bush quickly signs the measure into law. The action followed that of the Senate Tuesday. The overwhelming vote -- 416 to 4 -- belied the fierce debate over whether the measure went far enough. NPR's Andrea Seabrook reports.
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The 108th Congress convenes with a new Senate majority leader, Sen. Bill Frist (R-TN). Frist, who replaces Trent Lott of Mississippi, is considered a White House favorite, but others criticize his voting record and views. NPR's Andrea Seabrook reports.
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The 108th Congress goes to work with a number of fresh faces in the crowd. In an occasional series charting the course of Congressional "freshmen," NPR's Andrea Seabrook visits with Republican Thaddeus McCotter, representing Michigan's 11th District. McCotter's conservative pedigree goes hand-in-hand with his love of rock 'n' roll music -- see photos of family, staff and new Capitol office.
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Money intended to fund local Homeland Security initiatives is tied up in the congressional appropriations process. That means local governments haven't received funds to help equip emergency workers who would be first-responders to a terror attack. NPR's Andrea Seabrook reports.
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NPR's Andrea Seabrook visits the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. to ask visitors for their opinions on human cloning.
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Two senior U.S. senators -- George Voinovich (R-Ohio) and Russ Feingold (D-Wisc.) -- are asking the Congressional Budget Office to recalculate its 10-year budget projections. If last year's tax cuts are made permanent and spending continues to increase, they say the federal government faces a $900 billion deficit in 2012. NPR's Andrea Seabrook reports.
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Retailers set sales records as the holiday shopping season gets underway. Discounter Wal-Mart had its biggest one-day sales ever, hawking $1.43 billion of merchandise. Trend analyst Shoppertrak says U.S. retailers report a 12 percent sales increase over last year. NPR's Andrea Seabrook reports.
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NPR's Andrea Seabrook visits the mall to survey shoppers, who are already setting sales records this holiday weekend.
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NPR's Andrea Seabrook reports on the Bush administration's decision to cut pay raises for non-military government workers. Cutting the scheduled pay raise one point -- to 3.1 percent -- will save the federal government about $1 billion. The move drew sharp rebukes from union officials. (3:20)
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The Bush Administration proposes opening the government's printing operations to competition. Some insiders at the Government Printing Office are concerned, as are some of the office's clients. NPR's Andrea Seabrook reports.