Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) said Sunday that he is optimistic about Congress' ability to reach an short-term budget deal and avert another government shutdown.

"I'm hopeful that even by the end of the week we'll be able to come together and achieve that," he said on ABC's "This Week" when asked about a budget deal. "They key is that we do not have another government shutdown."

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate, said Sunday that Democrats have not yet decided that an extension for longterm unemployment benefits must be part of the budget deal.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) said on Sunday that he has concerns about the use of drones by companies like Amazon to deliver packages to consumers.

"That drone is going to need cameras on it to guide it," Schiff said on CNN's "State of the Union." "I think people are going to have real privacy problems."

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) on Sunday said he is considering a run for president in 2016.

"The thought has crossed my mind," he said on "Fox News Sunday" when asked about a potential 2016 bid.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) said Sunday that he opposes extending the longterm unemployment benefits set to expire at the end of the year.

Nelson Mandela sits in a meeting with Mandela Rhodes Scholars in Johannesburg, South Africa in Jan. 2006.

President Barack Obama's approval rating dropped by 23 percent among Hispanics since December 2012, according to a Gallup poll released Thursday. 

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) said Thursday that think tank Third Way is "flatly wrong" about the solvency of Social Security.

"We could make modest adjustments and make the system financially stable for a century, and we could make somewhat larger adjustments and make the system pay more for seniors who rely on it," she told the Huffington Post. "The conversation for too long has been about whether to cut Social Security benefits a little bit or a lot. And that is flatly the wrong debate to have in mind."

The White House confirmed Thursday that President Obama did meet his uncle, Onyango Obama, and lived with him briefly, after Onyango insisted Tuesday in his immigration hearing that the two had met, according to the Boston Globe.

The administration in Jan. 2012 said that it had no record Obama and his uncle had met, who also goes by the nickname Omar. But White House spokesman Eric Schultz told the Globe Thursday that the White House had not fully researched the relationship before making that statement. This time, press aides checked in with Obama on the nature of their relationship. 

Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) said Thursday that global warming could generate economic benefits for Maine and the rest of the country by opening up the Northern Passage, according to the Bangor Daily News.