Appropriations

Feb 8, 2016

Top 400 Taxpayers See Tax Rates Rise, But There’s More to the Story

As Americans were gathering party supplies to greet the New Year, the Internal Revenue Service released their annual report of cumulative tax data reported on the 400 tax r...

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Feb 4, 2016

Chlorine Bleach Plants Needlessly Endanger 63 Million Americans

Chlorine bleach plants across the U.S. put millions of Americans in danger of a chlorine gas release, a substance so toxic it has been used as a chemical weapon. Greenpeace’s new repo...

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Jan 25, 2016

U.S. Industrial Facilities Reported Fewer Toxic Releases in 2014

The Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data for 2014 is now available. The good news: total toxic releases by reporting facilities decreased by nearly six percent from 2013 levels. Howe...

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Jan 22, 2016

Methane Causes Climate Change. Here's How the President Plans to Cut Emissions by 40-45 Percent.

UPDATE (Jan. 22, 2016): Today, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released its proposed rule to reduce methane emissions...

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more news

Bush's Priorities: Entitlements vs. Tax Cuts

Jan 17, 2006 by Guest Blogger

As this excellent column from Bloomberg.com highlights, there is a gap between the administration's rhetoric and reality when it comes to tackling the long-term budget implications of the rising costs of entitlement spending. Bush spent a lot of time last year making a big deal about the unfunded Social Security liability, and the liability for Medicare is expected to be even greater, with the administration estimating an $11 trillion shortfall.

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Federal Government Turn a Surplus

Jan 13, 2006 by Matthew Madia

The federal government posted a budget surplus for December, 2005 for the first time since 2002, according to the Treasury Department. A surge in corporate tax revenues pushed total federal revenues for the month to $241.88 billion, while government spending rose at half the rate of revenues to $230.9 billion.

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FY 2007 Budget Request Will Show Tight Spending Constraints

Jan 11, 2006 by Matthew Madia

The release of the President's budget is less than a month away, and Treasury Secretary John Snow has made it clear the budget will "call for sacrifices, no doubt about it." Like last year's "tough budget," this year's slicing and dicing is an attempt by the administration both to appear tough on spending, as well as help them pare the down the deficit -- a whopping $318 billion last year -- even further.

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Congress Has Yet to Pass Budget, Tax Cuts

The budget and tax reconciliation measures laid out in Congress's April 2005 budget resolution took up a good deal of lawmakers' time and energy throughout last fall, and continue to linger unfinished, even as the release of the president's Fiscal Year 2007 budget rapidly approaches. The House of Representatives, in fact, is scheduled to vote on the final budget bill one week before the president is scheduled to release his budget on Feb. 6.

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Congress to Increase Debt Limit for Fourth Time In Four Years

Jan 10, 2006 by Matthew Madia

Last April Congress called for an increase in the debt limit -- the national debt is expected to hit $8,184 billion in mid-February -- however they have yet to act. Lawmakers are expected to take up the issue in February after voting on final tax and budget reconciliation bills, marking the fourth time during President Bush's presidency the debt limit has needed to be raised.

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$119 Billion Deficit in First Quarter of 2006

Jan 9, 2006 by Matthew Madia

The Congressional Budget Office released the Monthly Budget Review on Friday, in which they reported the federal budget deficit for the first quarter of 2006 as being $119 billion. This figure is fairly close to the shortfall seen in the first quarter last year.

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House Clears Defense Spending Bill

Dec 22, 2005 by Guest Blogger

Today the House cleared the FY 2006 Defense bill by voice vote, but forced another short delay in Congressional adjournment by modifying an extension of expiring Patriot Act provisions which was passed by the Senate. The Senate is now planning on returning at 8:00 this evening (after their long day yesterday) to clear the revised legislation (S 2167). The bill, which is set to expire December 31, would extend 16 provisions of the 2001 anti-terrorism law.

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Senate Finishes Approps Work and Passes Budget Bill

Dec 22, 2005 by Guest Blogger

Yesterday the Senate wrapped up work on the last two appropriations bills, eighty-two days after fiscal year 2006 began (which is the deadline to pass appropriations bills). In their desire to wrap up appropriations work, GOP leaders hammered out a resolution enacted by voice vote, which states that once the House approves a modified version of the FY06 Defense appropriations bill, the Labor/HHS conference report would be deemed passed in the Senate. The bill passed funds FY 2006 health, education and labor programs, as well as defense authorization legislation.

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Cheney Breaks Tie To Pass Budget Bill

Dec 21, 2005 by Guest Blogger

After voting 52-48 on the procedural challenge previously mentioned, the Senate voted 50-50 on the budget cuts bill. The bill they voted on is different from the one which came out of conference in that it does not include some minor language concerning medicaid liabilities and a number of government reports.

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Senate Votes To Uphold Procedural Challenge

Dec 21, 2005 by Adam Hughes*

The Senate voted 52 - 48 not to waive a procedural challenge to the budget cuts bill - and removed some language concerning medicaid liability and a number of government reports. Regardless of how the final vote goes, the House of Representatives will need to act again before the cuts will be finally passed. All Democrats voted with Republican Senators Snowe, Chafee, and Smith to support the procedural challenge.

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