In an attempt to save money, the Department of Homeland Security is releasing some undocumented immigrants from immigration jails ahead of the automatic budget cuts slated to take effect this Friday. The “low priority” detainees are being released here in the U.S., even though they face the prospect of deportation. The average daily cost of detaining an immigrant is $122 to $164 per detainee, according to the ACLU. - Read more at RT
WILL TAX REFORM OCCUR THIS YEAR? House Republicans think so. Speaker John Boehner today reserved the coveted H.R. 1. legislative spot (typically reserved by the majority for a signature issue) for tax reform, sending a clear message that the GOP isn’t backing down from its goal to rewrite the tax code. - Read more at The Hill
BERNANKE: EITHER WAY, ECONOMY SUFFERS During testimony before the Senate Banking Committee this morning, Fed chairman Ben Bernanke said that changing the composition of the sequester cuts would do little to offset their drag on the economy. The Fiscal Times’ Josh Boak reports that “either way, it’s just shuffling numbers across the federal ledger, Bernanke essentially said. The economy would still suffer a projected 0.6 percent hit to Gross Domestic Product.” - Read more atThe Fiscal Times
SAVING THE FEDERAL BUDGET Pay attention, lawmakers. The Hamilton Project, part of the Brookings Institute, a liberal, Washington-based think tank, compiled a list of the top 15 ways to save the federal budget. - Check it out at The Fiscal Times
