Federal Budget Policy

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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House Fails to Pass Budget Again--Approps Move Forward Just the Same

House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) once again failed to bring the budget resolution to the floor last week despite rumors and rumblings from the GOP leadership that passage of the bill was imminent. Having reached a compromise with Appropriations Committee Chairman Jerry Lewis (R-CA), Boehner was still unable to garner enough support from within the Republican caucus to hold a vote. Considering the difficulty of finding agreement in conference with the Senate at this late date, passing the resolution is now bordering on pointless anyway.

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Dishonest Budget Gimmick Enables Passage of Irresponsible Tax Cuts

One day after the House passed the $70 billion tax reconciliation measure, the Senate passed it as well, sending the bill to President Bush for his signature. With these tax cuts, this Congress has once again proven itself to be a body determined to shirk fiscal responsibility and kowtow to the regressive, revenue-draining tax policies of this administration. And it was all made possible by a dishonest budget gimmick.

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Despite Budget Failure, House Moves to Appropriations

May 16, 2006 by Adam Hughes*

Despite lacking a budget resolution, the House of Representatives is expected to take up its first three appropriations bills this week, likely starting with the Agriculture bill on Wednesday. Because they have yet to pass a resolution however, the House will have to establish a discretionary spending cap before they can consider the first appropriations bill on the floor. To do so, the House would likely add a "deeming resolution" to the first bill on the floor.

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Senate Shirks Fiscal Responsibility; Passes Tax Reconciliation Bill

May 14, 2006 by Guest Blogger

Thursday evening the Senate passed the almost $70 billion tax reconciliation bill, by a vote of 54-44. Sens. Rockefeller (D-WV) and Specter (R-PA) did not vote. Democrats who crossed the aisle to vote with Republicans were Nelson (D-FL), Nelson (D-NE), and Pryor (D-AR). Republicans who crossed the aisle were Snowe (R-ME), Chafee (R-RI), and Voinovich (R-OH). Voinovich spoke extensively on May 3 on the Senate floor about the fiscal state of the U.S. and about how this is not the time to be continuing to irresponsibly cut taxes. He said:

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OMB Watch Job Opening

May 14, 2006 by Guest Blogger

Job Opening We are looking to hire a budget and tax policy analyst. Check out the job description and send applications to ombwatch@ombwatch.org.

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House Leaders Fail Again to Pass Budget

May 11, 2006 by Adam Hughes*

Some good news from Capitol Hill after the House and Senate both acted to pass a horrific tax cut bill. The GOP leadership in the House was once again unable to garner the necessary support from the rest of their caucus to pass their version of the FY2007 budget resolution.

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House Passes Tax Reconciliation Bill

May 11, 2006 by Guest Blogger

Last night the House passed the tax reconciliation bill by a vote of 224-185. Fifteen Democrats voted along with Republicans to pass these costly and regressive tax cuts. Two Republicans, Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY) and Jim Leach (R-IA) placed fiscally responsible and compassionate votes by voting against this bill, which will cut almost $70 billion in taxes over the next five years. The Senate is expected to take up the bill today. An editorial in the Washington Post today makes a succinct point about this bill:

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House Approps Committee Approves Allocations

May 10, 2006 by Guest Blogger

Yesterday the House Appropriations Committee approved the 302(b) allocations announced by Chairman Lewis on May 4. Again, the 302(b) allocations for FY07 are the division of about $873 billion in planned discretionary spending among the 11 Appropriations subcommittees. The allocations were approved yesterday by a 37-25 vote (along party-lines), after little discussion. The committee did reject an alternative offered by Democrats, as well as a proposal by Rep. Virgil Goode Jr. (R-VA) to boost funding for military construction and veterans' affairs.

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Budget Back on House Floor Tomorrow!

May 10, 2006 by Adam Hughes*

House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) announced today he wants to bring the budget resolution back to the House floor tomorrow (Thursday) and believes he now can secure enough votes to pass it. Boehner pulled the budget from the floor in March because squabbles within the Republican Party threatened to defeat the bill.

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Congressional Negotiators Reach Deal on Tax Bill

May 10, 2006 by Guest Blogger

GOP negotiators for the House and Senate reached a deal yesterday on the nearly $70 billion tax reconciliation measure. The bill extends Bush's deep tax cuts by extending the 15 percent rate on capital gains and dividends, and also includes a one-year patch protecting 15 million Americans from paying the alternative minimum tax. $67 billion of the $69 billion bill will go toward one of those two priorities.

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