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...

  • Cliff Deal May Have Set Back Tax Reform for Good

    By Josh Boak, The Fiscal Times

    President Obama and congressional Republicans are both hyping the chances for tax reform this year, but several signs suggest it’s already time to craft an obituary for this perennial initiative...

  • Deductions that Reward the Worst Managed States

    By Liz Peek

    Why not do away with the deduction for state and local taxes? This loophole cost the country $46.5 billion in lost revenue in fiscal 2011, and essentially rewards the fiscal mismanagement of high-tax...

  • Analysis: Market bellwether bodes well for 2013

    Analysis: Market bellwether bodes well for 2013

    By Mike Dolan, Reuters

    LONDON (Reuters) - Seasonal bellwether or just hocus pocus, the first five trading days bode well for 2013. Given the often unfathomable global risks facing investors at the start of any new year, it...

  • More Popular Than Congress: Cockroaches, Traffic, Root Canals

    By The Fiscal Times Staff

    According to a new poll -- and facing low approval ratings after a historically unproductive 112th session and a series of last-minute showdowns over fiscal matters -- Congress is now less popular...

  • Debt ceiling no place for stand on spending: Nasdaq's Greifeld

    Debt ceiling no place for stand on spending: Nasdaq's Greifeld

    By John McCrank, Reuters

    NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. borrowing limit should not be used as leverage by members of Congress to force the Obama administration to cut spending as there will be other opportunities to make a...