Budget Battles
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Battle Over 'Woke' Policies Threatens Defense Bill
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Inflation Slows Again: Soft Landing Ahead?
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US Economy Turns Up the Sizzle
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Border Security Showdown Could Sink Biden’s Aid Package
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Crunch Time for Israel and Ukraine Aid: Can Congress Get It Done?
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Why Mike Johnson Just Met With Trump
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The Next Fiscal Fight Is Just Days Away
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Is the Tax System Broken?
By Michael RaineyHistorically, tax revenues have increased significantly during economic booms as unemployment falls and then declined during slowdowns as unemployment rises, but according to Bobby Kogan, senior...
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Jordan Loses Second Speaker Vote, Says He'll Keep Going
Jim Jordan suffered a second defeat Wednesday in his bid to win the speaker’s gavel — a campaign that now appears doomed to fail even as the firebrand Ohio Republican insists he wants to keep going...
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IRS to Test Free Filing System
By Michael RaineyThe IRS announced Tuesday that it will test its direct tax-filing system in a handful of states next year. The tax agency has been working on the free, electronic alternative to paid tax services...
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Jim Jordan Builds Support Ahead of Speaker Vote
By Michael RaineyWith a vote in the full House scheduled for noon on Tuesday, Rep. Jim Jordan is gaining support in his effort to become the next speaker. “I feel real good about the momentum we have and I think we'...
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Tax Gap Grows to Nearly $700 Billion: IRS
By Michael RaineyThe “tax gap” is getting bigger, according to the latest estimate of the amount of money Americans owe in federal taxes but fail to pay. The IRS said Thursday that Americans failed to pay $688...
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Deficit Rises to $1.7 Trillion in 2023: CBO
By Michael RaineyThe federal budget deficit totaled $1.7 trillion in fiscal year 2023, about $300 billion (23%) larger than the year before, according to a preliminary analysis released by the Congressional Budget...
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IRS Freezes Pandemic-Era Tax Credit
By Michael RaineyAmid growing concerns about fraud, the Internal Revenue Service announced on Thursday a moratorium on new claims for the Employee Retention Credit, a refundable tax credit created by Congress in 2020...
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IRS Announces Crackdown on 1,600 Millionaires
By Michael RaineyThe IRS announced Friday that it is targeting a group of high-income earners and corporations that have failed to pay their taxes in full — including about 1,600 millionaires who owe hundreds of...
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Auditing High-Income Taxpayers Really Pays Off: Analysis
By Michael RaineyA recent paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research provides further evidence that investing more resources in auditing capacity at the IRS provides a positive payoff for the federal...
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GOP Candidates Clash Over Government Spending, Entitlements
Although the opening exchanges of last night’s Republican presidential primary debate aren’t making many highlight reels and recaps, they showed the candidates trying to establish their fiscally...
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IRS ‘Vastly Improved’ in 2023 Filing Season, Taxpayer Advocate Says
The IRS vastly improved its performance and delivered a dramatically better experience for taxpayers this past filing season, according to a new report to Congress. “What a difference a year makes!”...
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Conservatives’ Budget Plan Slashes Spending, Takes Aim at ‘Woke’ Policies
By Michael RaineyThe House Republican Study Committee released a 2024 budget plan Wednesday that would slash federal spending by $16.3 trillion and cut taxes by $5.1 trillion over a decade, while balancing the budget...
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IRS Audits of the Rich Deliver Huge Bang for the Buck: New Study
Republicans have been clamoring to rescind billions of dollars in additional funding provided for the Internal Revenue Service as part of last year’s Inflation Reduction Act. They succeeded to an...
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GOP Tax Plan Could Cost $1.1 Trillion Over 10 Years: Analysis
By Serena T. Cody, The Fiscal TimesThe House Ways and Means Committee is taking up a new package of tax cuts called the American Families and Jobs Act, which has yet to receive a score from the Congressional Budget Office. According...
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House Republicans Unveil Plan for New Tax Cuts
By Michael RaineyFresh off their battle to cut federal spending in exchange for agreeing to raise the debt ceiling, House Republicans on Friday released plans for a new package of tax cuts that would likely reduce...