Blog: The Fine Print / Revenue & Spending

PART: Meet Winchester, Virginia

Mar 13, 2006 by Matthew Madia

PART is still pretty unfamiliar to most followers of federal policy at the national level, so it is interesting to note this story in the Winchester Star newspaper: When kids and families struggle with substance abuse or other issues, it is a total community issue. The Safe and Drug Free Schools Program helps school systems provide support for troubled students and families through services such as violence and drug prevention. But the federal program, which provides for state grants and national programs, has been targeted for elimination in President Bush’s 2007 budget.

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Recent GOP Estate Tax Comments

Mar 13, 2006 by Guest Blogger

Yesterday, four prominent GOP Senators echoed their dedication to repealing the estate tax at a rally in Memphis, TN. Sens. Bill Frist (R-TN), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Sam Brownback (R-KS), and George Allen (R-VA) expressed their commitment to not only repealing the estate tax, but making tax cuts permanent in general.

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Sen. Committee Passes Resolution With ANWR Provision

Mar 10, 2006 by Guest Blogger

The budget resolution approved by the Senate Budget Committee includes a provision opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil exploration, promising to set up a showdown on the floor next week. The provision is contentious because it would protect the provision from filibuster. A letter of objection was signed by prominent Republican Senators including Sens. Lincoln Chafee (R-RI) Norm Coleman (R-MN), Susan Collins (R-ME), John McCain (R-AZ), and Olympia J. Snowe (R-ME), saying:

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House Pension Legislation Makes Some Cuts Permanent

Mar 10, 2006 by Guest Blogger

The pension legislation passed by the House would make some of the 2001 tax cuts permanent without offsetting their costs. These tax cuts include increases in IRA and 401(k) contribution limits and the creation of the “saver’s credit. According to this report, this move would cost about $30 billion between 2006-2015. Most of the costs would occur from 2011 on. Not offsetting these costs, as the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities puts it,

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House Approves Amended Supplemental War Funding

Mar 9, 2006 by Adam Hughes*

Late Wednesday night, the House Appropriations Committee approved a $91 billion supplemental spending bill, which allocated $72.4 billion for the wars and $19.8 billion for hurricane relief. The new funding for the wars will push the total cost over $400 billion since the wars began.

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Senate Budget Mark -- No Tax Reconciliation Instructions

Mar 9, 2006 by Guest Blogger

Senate Budget Committee Chair Judd Gregg (R-NH) unvelied the 2007 budget resolution mark yesterday. Notably it did not contain any reconciliation instructions for tax cuts, which may get in the way of efforts to cut taxes outside of the left-over tax reconciliation bill from last year that Congress is still negotiating. Additionally, it drops Bush's proposal for Medicare cuts and health savings accounts.

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Republican Study Committee's Budget Proposal

Mar 8, 2006 by Guest Blogger

The right-wing House Republican Study Committee has put together their budget alternative, called "Contact for America: Renewed." It calls for a budget even more drastic (and frightening) then the one proposed by the President himself. Their process reform recommendations towards the end of the document however, are particularly interesting, especially in regards to areas such as earmark reform.

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Senate Approves Amendment for LIHEAP Funding

Mar 8, 2006 by Guest Blogger

The Senate approved funding yesterday for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program in a 68-31 vote to accept a second-degree amendment offered by Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME). The amendment provides an additional $1 billion for LIHEAP for this fiscal year, disbursing half of it through both LIHEAP's traditional funding formula and a contingency fund to be released at the discretion of the White House. The focus is now on the House, where a number of conservative members have argued that the added LIHEAP funding this year is not paid for.

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Watcher: March 8, 2006

Mar 8, 2006 by Guest Blogger

New PART Scores Showcase More Contradictions of Program President Restarts Push for Line-Item Veto Senate Rules Committee Passes Process Reforms

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Time Running Out to Raise Debt Limit

Mar 7, 2006 by Matthew Madia

Secretary of the Treasury John Snow sent a letter to Congress Monday saying he has taken "all prudent and legal actions” to stay under the $8.184 trillion debt limit and again strongly urged passage of an increase “immediately." Congress, which must act or else they could default on payments to bond holders or fail to make other scheduled government payments, will most likely pass a debt limit increase. This will mark the fourth time the debt limit has needed to be increased under President Bush. If this new hike is approved, the limit will have jumped by $3 trillion since he took office.

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