2012 Elections

GOP Leaders Take on Far Right Pressure Groups

By Eric Pianin

There have been plenty of theories about why Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) strode onstage at a conservative gathering late last week carrying a rifle. Ostensibly, McConnell, the 72-...
Some CEOs Are Still Cashing In at Our Expense

By Josh Boak, The Fiscal Times

Many of the highest paid CEOs might be ripping off stockholders and taxpayers, according to a study released Wednesday by the progressive Institute for Policy Studies.
Tax Reform Could Be Easier Than Congress Thinks

By Yuval Rosenberg

The conservative-leaning Tax Foundation issued a press release Monday touting some “good news for tax reformers”: An analysis by experts at the foundation found that a plan to dramatically simplify...
‘The Daily Show’ Explains Why Our ‘Chicken$#!&’ Congress Hasn’t Reformed the Tax Code

By Yuval Rosenberg

Congress may be out on its month-long August recess, but that doesn’t mean “The Daily Show” stops its skewering. Last night, host John Oliver took on our broken tax code – and used the issue to take...
How 21 Major Corporations Dodged $93B in Taxes

By Eric Pianin and Josh Boak

Twenty-one of the top 100 publicly traded U.S. corporations – including such big names as Goldman Sachs, Apple and Walt Disney – have avoided paying $93 billion a year in federal taxes by parking...

Obama’s Bargain: Lower Rates for Higher Spending

By Eric Pianin

President Obama intends to make one last pitch for a “grand bargain” of new spending and tax policy on Tuesday that will attempt to marry corporate tax reform with funding for jobs to benefit the...
Ominous Signs for the GOP in 2014

By Bruce Bartlett, The Fiscal Times

The conventional wisdom is that Republicans are in good shape going into next year’s congressional elections. Gerrymandering and the enormous benefits of incumbency virtually guarantee them continued...
Trading Tax Write-Offs for Real Growth

By Andrew Fieldhouse, The Fiscal Times

Overhauling the tax code is a wonky fixation of the D.C. policymaking elite, for good reason — it’s an area loaded with policy nuance, lobbying intrigue and major ramifications for long-term fiscal...
IRS Scandal: How the Brouhaha Went Bust

By Peter Weber, TheWeek.com

Rep. Darrell Issa is still banging the scandal drum. Is anyone listening anymore?
Beer, Burgers, and a Two-Man Blitz on Tax Reform

By Josh Boak, The Fiscal Times

Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) and Rep. Dave Camp (R-MI) are keeping hope alive that the tax code can be rewritten. Both peg the odds of successful reform at more than 50 percent, according to a joint lunch...

The Ryan Budget Plan: More Fantasy than Reality

By Bruce Bartlett, The Fiscal Times

On Tuesday, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) introduced a budget for fiscal year 2013 . It proposes massive changes not merely in the path of federal spending, but the very nature of...
5 Things You Don’t Know about Paul Ryan’s Budget

By Eric Pianin and Michelle Hirsch

A guide to some of the least obvious components of the House Republican budget proposal released yesterday by Paul Ryan.
Ryan’s Plan Could Decimate the Social Safety Net

By Eric Pianin

Pieces of the social safety net could well be shredded if House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s new budget plan ever gains support. Ryan is calling for deep cuts in Medicaid, food stamps and...
Ryan Budget Spurs New Round of Political Warfare

By Eric Pianin and Michelle Hirsch

Once again, Congress is in training for a fiscal fight. And once again, it's Paul Ryan's new deficit cutting budget that has drawn a line in the sand.
How Obama Failed to Clinch the Debt Deal

By Peter Wallsten and Lori Montgomery Wp and Scott Wilson, The Washington Post

Did Obama let a "grand bargain" on debt reduction slip through his fingers? This special report from the Washington Post tells an intriguing story of a bipartisan deal undermined by a politics and...

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