Budget Battles
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Senators Float $908 Billion Stimulus Compromise
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What Biden’s New Economic Team Says About His Agenda
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What Biden’s Pick of Yellen Means for the Economy and Stimulus
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Trump Threatens Veto of Defense Bill
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Virus Surge Could Wallop the Economy Again
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Mnuchin Pulls Plug on Emergency Covid-Relief Programs
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250,000 Dead. Where Are Trump, Pelosi and McConnell?
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Most Small Business Aid Went to Bigger Businesses: Report
By Michael RaineyThe Paycheck Protection Program was meant to help small businesses keep employees on the payroll for up to eight weeks at the height of the pandemic last spring and summer, but larger businesses...
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Congress Pushes Back on Trump’s Threat to Veto Defense Bill
By Michael RaineyIn a pair of tweets late Tuesday, President Trump threatened to veto the National Defense Authorization Act unless lawmakers repeal certain legal protections for social media companies. Trump claimed...
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Pelosi and Schumer Make a Big Concession on Stimulus
Coronavirus stimulus discussions saw some dramatic movement on Wednesday, but it’s not clear yet whether that will translate to real progress toward a deal. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and...
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Centrist Senators Float $908 Billion Stimulus Deal
By Michael RaineyIn an effort to break the stalemate over the next coronavirus relief bill, a bipartisan group of lawmakers on Tuesday released the outline of an emergency spending package totaling $908 billion...
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Long Agenda, Little Time in Washington
By Michael RaineyLame-duck lawmakers returned to Washington this week with some major issues on their plate but just a few legislative days left to address them. Most pressingly, a short-term agreement to fund the...
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What Biden’s New Economic Team Signals About His Agenda
President-elect Joe Biden on Monday announced his picks for top members of his economic team, with choices that signal a strong focus on providing relief for a Covid-stricken economy and help for the...
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What Biden’s Pick of Yellen for Treasury Means for the Economy and Stimulus
Janet Yellen has had a long and distinguished career as an economist, from the halls of academia to the White House to the Federal Reserve. Her next job, as Neil Irwin suggests at The Upshot , may be...
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Trump Threatens to Veto Defense Bill
By Michael RaineyDespite reports last week that the White House was looking to make a deal on the issue, President Donald Trump is threatening to veto the National Defense Authorization Act if it includes a provision...
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Most Americans Say the Country Needs More Covid Aid
By Michael RaineyA substantial majority of Americans think more Covid-19 aid from the federal government is needed, according to new poll data from Pew Research. In a survey of U.S. adults conducted from November 12...
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Biden Backs Pelosi on Massive Stimulus Bill as Former Treasury Heads Call for More Aid
By Michael RaineyJoe Biden is backing House Democrats in their effort to negotiate a multi-trillion-dollar coronavirus relief bill, according to a Biden representative Monday. “The President-elect fully supports the...
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Hopes Fade as Pelosi, Mnuchin Fail to Make a Deal on Stimulus
By Michael RaineyHouse Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin spoke for nearly an hour Monday, but once again were unable to agree on terms for a massive new round of spending to boost the U.S...
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If the Recovery Is Self-Sustaining, Do We Need More Stimulus?
By Michael RaineyAs lawmakers continue to battle over the size and scope of the next coronavirus relief bill, some experts are wondering just how much help the economy really needs. While the White House continues to...
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Pelosi, Mnuchin Point Fingers as Coronavirus Stimulus Talks Stall
Satirical newspaper The Onion published a story Friday saying that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin had announced they would be meeting to put the final touches on a 1...
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Jobless Claims Drop, but Remain Historically High
By Michael RaineyAbout 787,000 people filed initial jobless claims in state unemployment programs last week, the Labor Department announced Thursday, a drop of 55,000 from the week before and well below analysts’...
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GOP Worries Mnuchin Is Giving Away Too Much
By Michael RaineyHouse Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said negotiators were “just about there” on the issue of funding testing and tracing programs for the coronavirus, a key provision in the relief bill she is trying...