Federal Budget

Budget Battles

  • Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) arrives at Democratic Party caucus meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., January 19, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas/ File Photo

    Factbox: What happens in a U.S. government shutdown?

    By Richard Cowan and Susan Cornwell and Amanda Becker and Richard Cowan and Susan Cornwell and Amanda Becker, Reuters

    In shutdowns, nonessential government employees are furloughed, or placed on temporary unpaid leave. Workers deemed essential, including those dealing with public safety and national security, keep...

  • FILE PHOTO - Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin listens as U.S. President Donald Trump hosts a tax reform industry meeting at the White House in Washington, U.S., October 31, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

    Trump Tries to Sell Tax Reform to Democrats

    By David Morgan, Reuters

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump intensified his efforts to sell Democrats on his tax reform plan on Wednesday even as Senate Republicans edged closer to passing a budget measure that...

  • U.S. President Donald Trump speaks about the Iran nuclear deal in the Diplomatic Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., October 13, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

    Senate Republicans Gain Crucial Support for Budget Vital to Tax Reform

    By David Morgan, Reuters

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Republicans on Monday gained crucial support for a vote on a budget resolution that is vital to President Donald Trump's hopes of signing sweeping tax reform...

  • FILE PHOTO: Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) speaks during a press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., September 12, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

    No Talk of Ousting Speaker Ryan, Key Conservative Says

    By Reuters

    Many Republicans are unhappy with the deal President Donald Trump reached last week with Democratic leaders to raise the government's debt ceiling and allow it to continue financing federal spending...

  • FILE PHOTO: The U.S. Capitol Building is lit at sunset in Washington, U.S., December 20, 2016. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts/File Photo

    Congress sends Trump disaster aid, debt limit increase

    By Richard Cowan and Amanda Becker, Reuters

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill to provide disaster aid, extend the debt ceiling and fund the federal government for three months on Friday, delivering on...

  • Wisconsin Legislative Standoff Continues

    By Michael A. Fletcher, The Washington Post

    A chance to end the legislative standoff that has paralyzed the Wisconsin government for weeks seemed to slip away Monday after Gov. Scott Walker (R) accused the leader of the state Senate Democrats...

  • Jeff Sessions Blasts Obama on Budget Battles

    By Kirk Victor, The Fiscal Times

    Jeff Sessions, the new ranking Republican on the Senate Budget Committee, is taking a hard line against President Obama’s budget policies. Some wonder whether his inflexibility could get in the way...

  • Pension Funds Understated Shortfall by $1.5T

    By Peter Whoriskey, The Washington Post

    he pension funds for state and local workers are understating the amount they’ll owe workers by $1.5 trillion or more, according to some economists – meaning that the benefits are much costlier than...

  • Killing the Shuttle: Will Innovation Be Lost in Space?

    By ERIK SOFGE, The Fiscal Times

    For the past four decades, no program has demanded as much of NASA’s budget as the Space Shuttle. Exact numbers are elusive, but the leading calculation is close to $200 billion in total , with a...

  • GOP House Passes Spending Bill to Avert Shutdown

    By Eric Pianin and Jennifer Depaul

    The House passes a measure to keep the government running for another two weeks to avert a shutdown, while cutting $4 billion of spending for the remainder of the year.