Budget Battles
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Mnuchin, Powell Say Economy Needs More Coronavirus Aid
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The Shutdown Threat Just Got Real
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A Deal to Avoid a Shutdown in October
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Pelosi Doubles Down on $2.2 Trillion Demand
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Trump Urges GOP to Go for ‘Much Higher Numbers’ on Covid Relief
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A New Attempt to Kickstart Stimulus Talks
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Biden’s Tax Plan: Who Really Pays More?
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Lawmakers Reach Deal to Avert Shutdown
By Michael RaineyHouse Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said Tuesday evening that she had reached an agreement with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on a three-month funding deal that would avert a shutdown of the...
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Pentagon Used Coronavirus Funds for Military Supplies: Report
By Michael RaineyAs part of the $2 trillion Cares Act in March, Congress allocated $1 billion to the Defense Department to help it “prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus.” According to a Washington Post...
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Mnuchin, Powell Say Economy Needs More Coronavirus Aid
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell told lawmakers Tuesday that Congress’s early response to the coronavirus pandemic helped support the economy — but that more...
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Justice Dept. Labels Three Cities as 'Anarchy' Jurisdictions, Targets for Funding Cuts
The Justice Department said Monday that New York City, Seattle and Portland, Oregon, would be designated as jurisdictions “that have permitted violence and destruction of property,” opening up the...
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The Shutdown Threat Just Got Real
By Michael RaineyLast week’s tentative deal to prevent a shutdown of the federal government when the fiscal year ends at midnight on September 30 fell apart late Friday, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)...
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Pandemic Legislation Will Boost GDP by 4.7% This Year: CBO
By Michael RaineyThe four major laws passed by Congress to address the coronavirus pandemic will boost real domestic gross product by 4.7% in 2020 and 3.1% in 2021, the Congressional Budget Office said Friday. The “...
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Judge Orders Halt to Changes at US Postal Service
By Michael RaineyChief Judge Stanley A. Bastian of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington on Thursday night granted a request to block operational changes at the U.S. Postal Service...
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Lawmakers Back Off a Deal to Avoid a Shutdown in October
By Michael RaineyUPDATE : The Washington Post's Erica Werner is reporting that the tentative deal has fallen apart: "A possible deal on a stopgap spending bill to avert a pre-election government shutdown looked...
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Congress Still Doesn’t Have a Deal on Stopgap Spending Bill
Congress has just two major items on its agenda before the November elections: That stalled coronavirus relief deal and a must-pass stopgap spending bill to avoid a government shutdown after...
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Pelosi Doubles Down on Demand for $2.2 Trillion in Coronavirus Relief
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi indicated Thursday that Democrats will keep pressing for a coronavirus relief package of at least $2.2 trillion. “It's hard to see how we can go any lower when you only...
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White House ‘Not Optimistic’ About Reaching Coronavirus Stimulus Deal Soon
White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said Wednesday that he’s “not optimistic” about reaching a coronavirus relief deal with congressional Democrats before the end of September and sought to cast...
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More Than $1 Billion in Suspicious Coronavirus Relief Grants: Report
By Michael RaineyIn some parts of the country, the federal government has provided coronavirus relief grants to more businesses than are eligible to receive them, at a cost of at least $1.3 billion. An analysis by...
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Has Congress Done Enough to Combat Coronavirus Recession? Economists Are Split
Nearly two-thirds of economists surveyed by the National Association for Business Economics say the U.S. is still in the recession that began in February and eight in 10 see at least a 25% chance of...
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US Debt Is Now Larger Than the Economy. Does It Matter?
By Michael RaineyThe national debt is now roughly the size of the U.S. economy, crossing a threshold that has long worried deficit hawks and many economists. At the end of 2019, the federal debt held by the public...
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Trump’s Second Term Agenda Revealed, Sort Of
It’s President Trump’s party now. Yes, we’re referring to this week’s Republican National Convention, where Trump formally was renominated on Monday to take on Joe Biden in November’s presidential...