Estate Tax Repeal Advocates Up the Stakes in Estate Tax Debate

In an effort to re-emphasize their dogged commitment to tax breaks for the very wealthy, House Republicans announced last week that they would bring up the issue of permanent estate tax repeal for a vote shortly after they return from their Memorial Day recess - on June 5 or 6.

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House-Passed Superwaiver is Even Worse Than Earlier Versions

The Administration's "superwaiver" proposal that passed the House on May 16 as part of welfare reform (H.R. 4737) would provide cabinet secretaries with new, far-reaching authority to approve state applications to waive federal laws and regulations affecting a number of programs -- even more than earlier versions indicated.

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House Passes $29.6 Billion Supplemental

Before adjourning for its week-long Memorial Day recess, the House passed the President's emergency supplemental appropriations bill on May 24, in a 280-138 vote. Supplemental appropriations bills, such as this one, are common tools to bridge the gap between one fiscal year's appropriations and the next. This $29.6 billion supplemental, $2 billion more than the President's initial $27.1 billion request, will provide added funding for this fiscal year, which ends September 30.

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Stop Permanent Repeal of the Estate Tax

This alert provides background information on the estate tax and 5 action steps you can take to help prevent repeal of the estate tax. Read through the alert and then contact your Senators through this legislative link -- the talking points included in this alert are also available there to provide suggestions for your letter or call to your Senators.

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The Ever Expanding Superwaiver

A superwaiver provision is moving through the House that would bring a huge shift of power to the Executive Branch and states to override congressional authorizations and funding decisions for a variety of low-income programs.

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Nonprofit Organizations Around the Country Oppose Super-Waiver

More than 200 organizations from around the country and representing a variety of concerns and issues joined in sending a strong message to Representatives in Congress to oppose the super-waiver that has been included in the House's TANF reauthorization bills. The full letter, with all 200+ organizations, is provided here. For more information on the super-waiver and why these organizations are concerned, see OMB Watch's Super-Waiver Updates

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Super-Waiver Update

The "super-waiver" has made its way through both the House Ways and Means Committee and the Committee on Education and the Workforce. The two bills will have to be joined in the Rules Committee and will likely be on the House floor the week of May 13. The current list of programs eligible for the super-waiver remains small but significant -- CCDBG, TANF, SSBG, the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act, Wagner-Peyser (Employment Services), and the Job Opportunities for Low-Income Individuals program ? and it is possible that other programs could be added.

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The Deficit is Growing! The Deficit is Growing!

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has issued its latest report on the FY 2002 budget deficit, which is now expected to reach up to $100 billion.

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Update: Super-Waiver is the Wrong Tool for the Job

Since being introduced as part of the TANF reauthorization bills earlier this month, the President’s "super-waiver" provision has undergone several significant revisions. The original provisions included in Rep. Wally Herger's (R-CA) H.R. 4090, and Rep. Buck McKeon's (R-CA) H.R. 4092, TANF bills allowed for governors to request a waiver of any statute or rule applied to any program in the Departments of Labor, HHS, and Education. All that would be required of the governor was a proposal showing how the waiver was neutral in cost. The Secretary of the petitioned department would have 90 days to sign off on the proposal, and if the state received no response within 90 days, the proposal could be deemed approved.

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Supplemental vs. The Budget Deficit

The House Appropriations Committee will not be marking up the President's FY 2002 $27.1 billion supplemental spending request, as scheduled for tomorrow – and, in fact, the delay on the supplemental seems to be indefinite at this point, according to many sources.

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