Budget

A November Government Shutdown Is Growing More Likely

By Michael Rainey

The dizzying whirl of events in Washington on Wednesday – including a House vote condemning President Trump’s withdrawal of U.S. troops from northern Syria and an explosive meeting at the White House...
Trump Signs Executive Order Aimed at Curbing New Agency Spending

By Yuval Rosenberg

President Trump on Thursday signed an executive order aimed at cutting spending at federal agencies by requiring them to offset any increased outlays on mandatory programs with other cuts. The “...
Trump Suffers Two Legal Defeats on Immigration and Border Policies

By Yuval Rosenberg

The Trump administration suffered a pair of legal defeats on major immigration policies Friday, as a federal judge in Texas ruled that the president acted unlawfully in declaring a national emergency...
House Appropriations Chair Nita Lowey Won’t Seek Reelection in 2020

By Yuval Rosenberg

Rep. Nita Lowey, the New York Democrat who chairs the influential House Appropriations Committee, announced Thursday that she will not seek reelection next year. The 82-year-old Lowey has served in...
The Budget Outlook Isn’t Good — but It Has ‘Improved Substantially Since 2010’: Report

By Yuval Rosenberg

The national debt is now approaching $23 trillion, up nearly $9 trillion from the end of 2010, and the debt held by the public now stands at nearly $17 trillion, up about $7.5 trillion from since the...

Trump Wants States to Experiment With Medicaid — Up to a Point

By Michael Ollove, Stateline

After a series of zigzags, Utah is about to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. At least 10 red states have done the same, but Utah’s experience may be a bellwether showing how far the...
The Navy’s $7 Billion Destroyer Is Now 6 Years Overdue

By Michael Rainey

The U.S. Navy’s Zumwalt-class destroyer program has experienced one problem after another, from a failure to maintain power while at sea to a gun that requires munitions so expensive that the Navy...
Why Huge Deficits Could Be Here to Stay

By Michael Rainey

Even as annual deficits climb back toward the $1 trillion mark, “the deficit fear-factor” continues to recede in Washington, says Bloomberg’s Steve Matthews, reporting on a debate organized this week...
States Get a Third of Their Revenue from Uncle Sam

By Michael Rainey

The federal government provided 32.4% of all state revenues in the 2017 fiscal year, according to a new analysis by the Pew Charitable Trusts. That’s roughly in line with the year before, when...
2019 Deficit Was Just Under $1 Trillion, Highest in 7 Years: CBO

By Yuval Rosenberg

The federal budget deficit for fiscal year 2019 grew to $984 billion, or 4.7% of GDP, the highest since 2012, the Congressional Budget Office estimated on Monday. The total for 2019 is 26% higher...

Defective $5 Part in US Nuclear Bombs Could Cost $725 Million to Fix

By Michael Rainey

Defense officials said Wednesday that an inexpensive electrical capacitor used in some new nuclear bombs in the U.S. arsenal has proven to be defective, requiring a months-long replacement effort...
Senate Again Votes to Block Trump’s National Emergency, but Short of Veto-Proof Majority

By Yuval Rosenberg

The Senate voted 54-41 Wednesday to disapprove of President Trump’s national emergency declaration and his shifting of Pentagon funding toward construction of barriers along the southern border. The...
Trump Food Stamp Rule Could End School Lunches for 500,000

By Michael Rainey

The Trump administration’s effort to tighten the rules for food stamp eligibility could result in a half-million children losing access to free school lunches, according to an unpublished analysis by...
Trump Administration Threatens to Withhold Highway Funds from California

By Yuval Rosenberg

The Trump administration is ramping up it’s war with California . The Washington Post reports that Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler sent a letter Monday to the California...
Senate Republicans Back Trump’s Bid for $5 Billion in Border Wall Funding

By Yuval Rosenberg

Senate Republicans are backing President Trump’s request for $5 billion in funding for his proposed border barriers. On Tuesday, Trump’s Republican allies in the Senate unveiled a $71 billion draft...