Revenue & Spending

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

Congress Won't Let Little Piggy Go to Market

Aug 2, 2007 by Dana Chasin

According to comments by senior Treasury Department officials yesterday, the Senate's failure to raise the statutory national debt limit -- the House has done so -- threatens to constrain the nation's ability to meet its financing obligations. Treasury says the U.S. will reach its debt ceiling, currently $8.933 trillion, in early October.

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Bush's Budget Veto Madness Explained

Aug 2, 2007 by Dana Chasin

An OMBW Dialogue CRAIG: President Bush makes no sense, he's vetoing the Homeland Security spending bill, but not Military Construction (MilCon), the Ag bill, but not Financial Services for budget reasons. What's up with that? DANA: It looks random, but... wait, haven't his veto statements all said that he wants Congress to pass spending bills totaling not a penny over his $933 discretionary spending topline for FY 2008? CRAIG: Sure, but then why is he vetoing some bills where Congress' 302(b) allocations for FY 2008 exceed his February budget request -- but not others?

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American Medical Association Supports House SCHIP Bill

Aug 2, 2007 by Craig Jennings

In statement released yesterday, AMA stated its strong support for the House version of SCHIP expansion: The American Medical Association applauds the members of the U.S. House of Representatives who voted to pass legislation that preserves access to health care for children and seniors. ... By increasing the tobacco tax and eliminating overpayments to insurance companies offering private Medicare plans, Congress has found two appropriate ways to pay for these important national health care priorities.

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Approps Update

Aug 2, 2007 by Craig Jennings

The White House has issued a veto threat over the FY 2008 Agriculture appropriations. I'm beginning to see a pattern here.

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House Passes SCHIP

Aug 2, 2007 by Craig Jennings

By a 225-204 vote, the House of Representatives yesterday approved the renewal and a $50 billion expansion of SCHIP. Also on Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) filed a cloture motion on the Senate version of SCHIP renewal/expansion.

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Samuelson Watch (Cont'd)

Aug 1, 2007 by Craig Jennings

Matt did a good job this morning of giving the business to Robert Samuelson. Economist/blogger Mark Thoma weighs in as well for good measure. Thoma makes the critical point:

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Budget Summit Ends; No End in Sight for Impasse

Aug 1, 2007 by Dana Chasin

Today's summit meeting on the FY 2008 budget process between President Bush and Congressional leaders has broken and, it's safe to say, the budget process for the year remains as broken as ever. Neither side retreated from its discretionary spending targets and the President showed no sign of backing away from any of his veto threats, leaving open the possibility of a budget showdown or even government shutdown later this year.

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Heritage Seriously Concerned About Fiscal Responsibility- NOT!

Aug 1, 2007 by Matt Lewis

The Heritage Foundation just put out a report on the fiscal responsibility-ness of the Senate's SCHIP bill. It's stupid, but it begins with the fair point that the legislation would sunset, in 2013, the funding increases it would set up.

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HSGAC OKs Nussle; Budget Cmte. Awaits Summit Outcome

Aug 1, 2007 by Dana Chasin

This morning, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee unanimously approved Jim Nussle's nomination to serve as OMB Director. As of this hour, the Senate Budget Committee is still wrestling with whether to hold its vote in the next couple of days or, say "see in you in September." Word is expected later today, after the Congressional-White House "fiscal summit."

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Robert Samuelson Is A Ruthless, Government-Hating Machine

Aug 1, 2007 by Matt Lewis

Robert Samuelson has yet another ridiculous column on the long-term fiscal gap. Here's a list of the things I don't like about it (in order of importance):