Budget Battles
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150 Top Business Leaders Back Biden's Covid Plan
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Fed's Powell Warns Congress on the Economy
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Two Key Senators Say No to Biden’s Budget Office Pick
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Manchin May Sink Key Biden Nomination
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Democrats Call for IRS Crackdown on the Rich
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Covid Fuels a $24 Trillion Surge in Global Debt
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Biden Brings His Stimulus Pitch to Prime Time
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About That $1 Trillion in Unspent Covid Relief Money
By Michael RaineySome critics of President Biden’s $1.9 trillion relief bill charge that it is too generous, citing among other things the hundreds of billions of dollars that remain unspent from earlier relief...
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The Next Phase in the Stimulus Fight
The House is set to vote on Democrats’ $1.9 trillion Covid rescue plan on Friday, sending the package to the Senate, where it is expected to pass — likely with some revisions, and with zero...
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Tanden Votes Postponed in Latest Sign of Trouble for Biden’s Budget Nominee
Two Senate committees abruptly delayed planned votes Wednesday on Neera Tanden’s imperiled nomination to head the Office of Management and Budget, underscoring the difficulty President Biden’s pick...
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More Than 150 Top Business Leaders Back Biden's Covid Plan
As Democrats press ahead with plans to pass a $1.9 trillion Covid relief package by a process that would bypass the need for Republican support, more than 150 CEOs of large American companies are...
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Fed’s Powell Warns Recovery Has a Long Way to Go
By Michael RaineyAlthough Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is a Republican and was appointed by former President Donald Trump, he is proving to be an important ally for Democrats as they push ahead on another...
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House Budget Committee Advances Biden’s $1.9 Trillion Relief Plan
The House Budget Committee voted Monday to advance a $1.9 trillion Covid relief package, setting up the massive legislation for a full floor vote later this week. The 19-16 committee vote saw one...
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Biden’s Pick for Budget Chief Runs Into More Opposition
The confirmation math just got even more complicated for President Biden’s pick to be his budget director. Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Mitt Romney (R-UT) both said Monday that they will oppose...
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Yellen Defends Biden Stimulus Plan
By Michael RaineyCovid-19 is still driving the economy, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Monday, and the federal government needs to spend what it takes to blunt the effects on the population while bringing the...
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Treasury Tweaks PPP Loan Rules to Focus on Smaller Businesses
By Michael RaineyThe Treasury Department said Monday that it will alter the rules for the Paycheck Protection Program to get more aid to small businesses. For a two-week period starting Wednesday, the program will...
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Biden to Commit $4 Billion to Global Covid Vaccine Fund
By Michael RaineyPresident Joe Biden announced Friday that the U.S. will soon release $2 billion in initial funding to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, a private-public partnership that combats disease in low-income...
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Why Biden’s Ambitious Covid Relief Plan Could Get Cut in Half
By Michael Rainey and Yuval RosenbergPresident-elect Joe Biden’s plan to “rescue” the American economy proposes $1.9 trillion in federal spending to fund a national vaccine program, boost unemployment benefits, provide additional direct...
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Orszag, Rubin and Stiglitz Call for a New Fiscal Framework
The consensus on the dangers of rising debt has shifted dramatically over the last decade. Economists have been reexamining how best to spur recovery and encourage wider-spread prosperity as...
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Biden Unveils $1.9 Trillion ‘American Rescue Plan’
President-elect Joe Biden on Thursday unveiled an economic relief package that calls for $1.9 trillion in aid, including money for $1,400 direct payments to most Americans as well as $350 billion in...
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Unemployment Claims Surge Along With the Coronavirus
By Michael RaineyAbout 965,000 people filed initial jobless claims in state unemployment systems last week, the Department of Labor announced Thursday. The new filings far exceeded economists’ expectations,...
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Democrats Plan a Major End Run Around the GOP
By Michael RaineyYou’ll probably be hearing a lot about “budget reconciliation” in the coming weeks, as Democrats work to pass a substantial spending package in the early days of the Biden administration. The term...