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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Never Mind the Facts, What the Economy Needs Are Tax Breaks

Apr 1, 2009 by Craig Jennings

The House and Senate are debating this week and will most likely vote on their respective budget resolutions. As per tradition, the minority party will offer their own budget resolution for a vote. In a Wall Street Journal Op-Ed today, Ranking House Budge Committee Member Paul Ryan (R-WI) introduces America to their spending blueprint, otherwise known as "The Republican Budget: Now with Numbers^TM."

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56 National Organizations Oppose More Tax Cuts for Millionaires

Mar 31, 2009 by Adam Hughes*

The House and Senate are debating the FY 2010 budget resolution on the floor this week and in anticipation of regressive amendments that would expand the cut to the estate tax enacted under the Bush administration, OMB Watch joined 55 other national nonprofit organizations have sent a letter to each senator urging them to oppose any amendment that further erodes the estate tax.

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The Budget Process and You: An In-Depth Guide

Mar 26, 2009 by Craig Jennings

As the FY 2010 budget cycle gets underway, casual readers and even some familiar with the budget process may find themselves looking for more detailed information on the budget process to better understand what's going on in Congress with respect to budgetmaking. Fortunately, for novices and budget aficionados alike, the House Rules Committee has posted myriad CRS reports on not only the budget process, but on the legislative process in general.

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Obama's Agenda Faces Challenges in Congress

President Barack Obama proposed an ambitious agenda when he unveiled his budget outline at the end of February. In addition to significant funding increases for many key public investments including housing, education, and job training, the president also put on the table landmark legislation that would provide universal health care and begin addressing global climate change. There are, however, a number of obstacles that may hinder the implementation of the president's agenda. During the week of March 16, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) revised its deficit projection upward, and fiscally conservative senators and representatives noted their intent to hamper the president's efforts through parliamentary procedure. As Congress begins drafting its budget plans, it remains uncertain whether it will include all of the president's spending proposals.

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Senate Votes to Quit Dithering, Sends '09 Omnibus to Obama

Mar 11, 2009 by Craig Jennings

UPDATE: President Obama has signed the bill into law.

After a couple of days of voting down Republican-offered amendments, the Senate finally agreed last night to end debate on a $410 omnibus spending bill. After the 62-35 vote, the Senate ended the FY 2009 appropriations process by a voice vote.

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Recovery Transparency Meets Mixed Results

Three weeks after President Barack Obama signed into law the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act), states have begun to see federal economic stimulus funds move within their borders. Behind the hundreds of billions of dollars soon to follow are some 25 federal departments, agencies, and administrations that are in charge of allocating the funds. In addition to this unprecedented level of emergency spending is a pledge by Obama to "watch the taxpayers' money with more rigor and transparency than ever." The speed at which the administration and some federal agencies have moved is impressive, even as there has been uneven implementation of transparency efforts.

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IRS Ends Private Debt Collection Program

Mar 6, 2009 by Craig Jennings

An IRS press release brings us some good news this morning.

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The Circle of Life (Insurance)

Mar 4, 2009 by Craig Jennings

It's beautiful, man.

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Will Obama’s Budget Increase Health and Safety Spending?

Mar 3, 2009 by Matthew Madia

An article in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal points out that President Obama’s proposed FY 2010 budget blueprint, released last week, promises boosts in funding for regulatory standard setting and enforcement.

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Obama Releases FY 2010 Budget -- Sort Of

Feb 27, 2009 by Craig Jennings

While not a complete budget with details of the myriad programs and offices the federal government runs, the document released yesterday by the Obama Administration does indicate the general outline of what and how the operations of the federal government are funded.

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