Budget Battles
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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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Top CEOs Call for Covid Relief, Mask Mandate
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Biden Warns 'More People May Die' if Trump Refuses to Coordinate
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Trump Touts Covid Response as Cases Surge to New Highs
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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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Mnuchin Defends Decision to End Emergency Lending Programs
By Michael RaineyTreasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Friday defended his decision to terminate more than $450 billion worth of emergency lending programs that extended credit to businesses and local governments amid...
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Virus Surge Could Wallop the Economy Again
By Michael RaineyAnalysts at JPMorgan Chase are predicting an economic contraction in the first quarter of 2021, driven by the fall surge of Covid-19 and new restrictions on businesses imposed by state and local...
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Op-Ed of the Day: The Case for Bailing Out Cities and States
Richard Ravitch helped save New York City from bankruptcy in the 1970s. He says there’s plenty of reason to now bail out cities and states facing financial crises as a result of the coronavirus...
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Mnuchin Asks Fed to Return $455 Billion in Unspent Covid-Relief Funds
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Thursday asked the Federal Reserve to allow a number of its emergency lending programs to expire as scheduled at the end of the year and return hundreds of...
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White House Seeks Deal on Confederate Base Names: Report
By Michael RaineyLawmakers are hoping to pass the annual defense authorization bill before the end of the year, but a provision that requires the Pentagon to remove the names of Confederate leaders from military...
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250,000 Dead. Where Are Trump and Congress?
President Trump had no public events scheduled for Wednesday. It was the same on Tuesday, when The Washington Post’s Philip Bump noted that the president’s public calendar has been empty for 10 of...
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12 Million Americans Could Fall Off the ‘Jobless Benefits Cliff’: Report
By Michael RaineyAbout 12 million Americans will lose federal unemployment benefits at the end of the year if Congress fails to pass new legislation, according to a new report from the liberal-leaning Century...
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Mnuchin: Relief Bill Will Be ‘Difficult’ Before Election
In case it wasn’t already clear that a new coronavirus relief bill probably isn’t coming before the election, just take a look at what Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who has been negotiating the...
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Why Big Deficits Are Here to Stay (for Now)
By Michael RaineyFrom billions in income supplements for households to trillions in guaranteed loans for businesses, fiscal policy has taken a central role in the government’s response to the Covid recession...
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McConnell Plans Vote on Narrow Relief Package. Trump Says, ‘Go Big or Go Home!!!’
As the stalemate over another coronavirus relief package continues, these three things all happened on Tuesday: • Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced that the Senate will take up...
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Trump Faces a GOP Revolt Over Stimulus
The faint hopes that were raised last week for another coronavirus relief package faded very quickly, as congressional Republicans and Democrats both rejected a $1.8 trillion White House proposal,...
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Trump Approves $1.8 Trillion Stimulus Offer to Pelosi
He calls her a “nut job.” She questions his mental health. Together, they have to work out a roughly $2 trillion package to rescue the economy. It might sound like a pitch for the worst rom-com ever...