Veliparib and Carboplatin in Treating Patients With HER2-Negative Metastatic Breast Cancer

Inclusion Criteria: * Patients must have histologically or cytologically proven metastatic or locally advanced inoperable breast cancer that fulfills one of the following two criteria: * Triple-negative breast cancer * ER and/or PR positive, HER2 negative if their tumors have been shown to be deficient for the FA pathway, based on FA triple stain immunofluorescence (FATSI) screening * HER negative with a known germline BRCA1/2 mutation * Patients with ER- and/or PR-positive breast cancer will be consented to have their existing, or to be obtained, paraffin-embedded tumor tissue screened for FA deficiency * No more than 3 prior chemotherapy regimens for metastatic disease will be allowed; any number of prior hormone therapies will be allowed; however, at least 4 weeks should have elapsed since prior chemotherapy (6 weeks for mitomycin C and nitrosoureas and 2 weeks for hormone therapy) or radiation therapy (2 weeks for limited field palliative radiation to the bone) * Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status =\< 2 (Karnofsky \>= 60%) * Patients with treated brain metastases and life expectancy of greater than 3 months * Patients with known Gilbert syndrome with abnormal unconjugated bilirubin will be eligible * Absolute neutrophil count \>= 1,500/mcL * Platelets \>= 100,000/mcL * Total bilirubin within normal institutional limits * Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (serum glutamic oxaloacetic acid transaminase \[SGOT\])/alanine aminotransferase …