Newsletter Archive

Down to the Wire on the Border Emergency

The Senate passed a $4.6 billion emergency border-funding bill Wednesday, setting up a clash with House Democrats, who passed their own version of the legislation on Tuesday.

Plus: Plus, blue state Dems push for a tax break

Pelosi’s Border Bill Sets Up Another Clash with Trump

House Democrats reportedly are set to pass an emergency $4.5 billion border funding bill Tuesday evening, setting up a likely clash with the White House and Senate Republicans.

Plus: Plus, US debt projected to hit 'unprecedented levels'

Bernie Sanders Goes Big on Student Debt Forgiveness

Bernie Sanders is taking the idea of student debt cancelation to a new level. The Vermont senator and Democratic presidential candidate unveiled a plan on Monday that would have the U.S. government pay to entirely eliminate the $1.6…

Plus: Plus, Beto O'Rourke proposes a war tax

Pelosi Drug Plan Under Fire from Both Left and Right

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s burgeoning plan to reduce Medicare drug prices is drawing complaints from both progressives and conservatives, says Roll Call’s Andrew Siddons.

Plus: Plus, $4.5 billion for the border

Is Big Government Making a Comeback?

Reflecting a growing hostility toward major social welfare programs, President Bill Clinton famously announced back in 1996 that “the era of big government is over.” Twenty years later, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton…

Plus: Plus, employers reach a health care turning point 

Reparations for Slavery Get a Fiery Hearing in Congress

The House on Wednesday held the first hearing in more than a decade on reparations — the idea that the descendants of slaves in the U.S. should receive some kind of compensation for the suffering experienced by their ancestors. Among those…

Plus: Plus, Trump's quest to wipe out a federal agency

Republicans Understand ‘Medicare for All’ Better Than Democrats: Poll

The 2020 elections are still more than 500 days away, but the first Democratic debates of the presidential campaign are fast approaching. When the candidates gather on June 26 and 27, it’s clear what voters want them to address: health…

Plus: Plus, why Washington can't tackle the deficit

Trump Promises ‘Phenomenal’ Health Care Plan Soon

In part of his extensive, wide-ranging interview with ABC News’s George Stephanopoulos, President Trump again called Obamacare a disaster and said he plans to release a new health care plan in the coming weeks:

Plus: Plus - Is Trump moving America to the left?

Biden Slams Amazon as Prime Example of a Broken Tax System

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden took aim Thursday at the way companies pay taxes in the U.S., citing Amazon as an exemplar of a deeply flawed system that allows billion-dollar companies to pay little or nothing in federal…

Plus: Plus, states prepare for the next recession

Pelosi Says No Debt Ceiling Hike Without a Spending Deal

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that any deal to raise the debt ceiling will have to come as part of, or after, an agreement to raise spending caps and avoid automatic budget cuts set to take effect for fiscal year 2020.

Plus: Plus, a controversial move by the USDA

7 Ways to Fix America’s Fiscal Mess

Tackling the $22 trillion national debt can be done in very different ways. Underscoring that point, the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, a non-profit, non-partisan organization focused on increasing awareness of America’s fiscal outlook,…

Plus: Plus, more problems for the F-35

Democrats Retreat on a Pay Raise for Congress

It looks like lawmakers may have to wait another year for a pay raise. The nearly $1 trillion spending package moving through the House this week had included a $4,500 per year salary increase for representatives, but the specific bill…

Plus: Plus, the rising fiscal risks of climate change

House Dems Push a $1 Trillion Spending Package

The congressional showdown over 2020 spending is set to enter its next phase this week as House Democrats push ahead with a “minibus” package of five appropriations bills totaling nearly $1 trillion in discretionary spending.

Plus: Plus, the incredible shrinking IRS

A ‘Lost Decade’: How the Recession Crushed State Finances

The U.S. economy entered its 120th consecutive month of growth in June, tying the record for continuous expansion set between 1991 and 2001. But the effects of the painful recession that ended in 2009 are still evident in some parts of the…

Progressives Slam Pelosi Over Drug Plan Secrecy

Congress is pushing forward on legislation to lower prescription drug prices, but it’s still not clear where the various efforts underway will lead.

Plus: Plus, did companies really need to Trump tax cuts?

AOC Puts a Huge Price Tag on Fixing the Climate Crisis

One major selling point of the Republican tax overhaul, which lowered the corporate tax rate to 21% and sweetened the rules for capital expensing, was a promised boost in investment by U.S. firms. A jump in capital expenditures would boost…

Plus: Plus, why Trump’s tax cuts failed to spark an investment boom

Bye-Bye, Trump Tax Cuts?

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden unveiled a climate plan Tuesday that takes its cues from progressive demands for a dramatic change in environmental policy in the U.S. and promises to go “well beyond” the Obama administration.

Plus: Plus, Joe Biden's $1.7 trillion climate plan

Why a $2 Million Drug Could Be a Bargain

We told you last week about a new gene therapy from Novartis, just approved by the Food and Drug Administration, that will treat a rare and fatal childhood disease called spinal muscular atrophy — and will cost $2.1 million.

Plus: Plus, what voters want on health care

Trump's New Tariffs Could 'Cripple' US Automakers

President Trump abruptly announced on Thursday new tariffs on goods imported from Mexico, which he said were intended to pressure the country to stop the flow of immigrants across the U.S. southern border.

Plus: Plus - Is the military stretched too thin?

6 Crucial Facts You Need to Know About US Spending

The Congressional Budget Office provided additional details on federal spending this week to members of the Senate Committee on the Budget, in response to questions submitted by committee members.

Plus: Plus, disaster relief will have to wait a bit longer