In an attempt to improve U.S. relations with the largest nation in Latin America and promote bilateral trade, President Obama just completed an official trip to Brazil. The recent inauguration of Brazilian President Dilma Vana Rousseff, who is Brazil's first female president, offers a new opportunity to deepen economic ties.

Improving this relationship at this juncture is key as the Obama administration has not paid much attention to Latin America so far. While President Obama has come out in favor of passing long-stalled free trade agreements with Colombia and Panama, opposition from labor has left their passage in limbo.

These agreements, along with one with South Korea, may see movement in the coming months because Senate Republicans have vowed not to allow the President's new appointee for American ambassador to China to move forward unless the agreements do. Obama has appointed current Commerce Secretary Gary Locke to replace outgoing Ambassador Jon Huntsman, who is expected to run for the Republican nomination for president in 2012.

While the administration had hoped to promote warmer feelings in Brazil with regard to the United States during the trip, the recent NATO military action against Libya overshadowed the trip in both the American and Brazilian press. The fact that Obama ordered American military involvement while in Brazilian soil has been a major topic of discussion in Brazil.

The governments of both countries, however, have focused on highlighting the importance of the Brazilian-American bilateral relationship during the trip. "In 2010, America's exports to Brazil supported more than 250,000 American jobs," said President Obama. "Today Brazil imports more goods from the United States than from any other nation."

After leaving Brazil, Obama headed to Chile to promote stronger ties between the United States and Chile. He'll do the same in El Salvador when he visits the country later this week.

Rep. Ryan to Introduce GOP Entitlement Reform Plans

With Congress in recess, the Hill has been especially quiet. A number of members of Congress have gone back to the home districts to study local conditions, raise funds and campaign as part of the never-ending election cycle. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has been on a Congressional delegation to Italy to meet Italian Defense Minister Ignazio La Russa and the head of the Chamber of Deputies (Italy's lower parliamentary house) Gianfranco Fini.

Meanwhile, Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI), the chair of the House Budget Committee, has been working with his staff crafting the 2012 House budget resolution. Of particular interest will be how Ryan addresses entitlement reform.

The bulk of the ideas are expected to come from the Fiscal 2010 Republican Alternative Budget, a document that was crafted with achieving consensus in the Republican caucus in mind. According to The Hill, that plan would rein in spending on Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security.

For Medicaid, the proposal would convert federal matching payments for acute care into a block grant to the states in the short term, as a prelude to converting the entire federal share to a grant to the states in the long-term. The grant would be tailored to each individual state and indexed for inflation and population growth.

For Medicare, those 55 years old and older would see no change. Younger beneficiaries would receive a cash payment to buy coverage from an insurance plan similar to what is now available to members of Congress and federal employees.

For Social Security, the GOP included a relatively modest proposal on retirement benefits that would be less far reaching than some Republicans want but could be harder for Democrats to attack.

While Ryan likely would prefer to focus on ideas he previously included in the Ryan Roadmap for America, there was little support within his own caucus for the plan, which included controversial ideas like switching Medicare to a voucher system for workers under 55 and allowing up to one-third of payroll taxes to be invested.

The third source of inspiration was a plan crafted by former Clinton budget director Alice Rivlin and former Senator Pete Domenici (R-NM). However, its impact on Ryan's proposed budget may be limited because it may appear that he is giving too many policy victories to Democrats before negotiations begin. While a member of Obama's Bipartisan Fiscal Commission, Ryan voted against the final plan, in part because it did not include proposals to repeal healthcare reform or switch Medicare to a voucher system.

Ryan and his staff are expected to release his plan and introduce it in committee the first week in April.