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

Senate to Begin Appropriations Process Week of June 17

Jun 7, 2013 by Patrick Lester

The Senate Appropriations Committee is expected to begin consideration of annual appropriations bills starting the week of June 17, according to The Hill.

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Offshore Tax Havens May Be Addressed at G8 Summit

Jun 7, 2013 by Jessica Schieder

The issue of offshore tax havens appears likely to play a central role at the annual multinational G8 summit, set to begin June 17. On this side of the Atlantic, Apple’s recent high profile testimony before Congress brought media attention to the issue. The hearing called attention to strategies of “tax avoidance” that saved Apple more than $8 billion in taxes in 2009, 2010, and 2011.

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Center for American Progress Report Challenges Austerity

Jun 6, 2013 by Patrick Lester

The Center for American Progress (CAP), an organization that is generally supportive of Obama administration policies, has decided to part ways with the administration on the need for continued deficit reduction. In a new report, "It's Time to Hit the Rest Button on the Fiscal Debate," the organization argues that it is time to shift from deficit reduction to growing the U.S. economy.

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Boehner Charges Obama With Threatening Government Shutdown

Jun 6, 2013 by Patrick Lester

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) accused President Obama of threatening a government shutdown on June 6. The charge came after the administration issued veto threats against two spending bills that are consistent with a broader House GOP effort to shift further budget cuts from defense spending to domestic programs.

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White House Threatens to Veto GOP Spending Bills

Jun 5, 2013 by Patrick Lester

The White House has issued veto threats against two pending House spending bills, one funding the Department of Homeland Security (H.R. 2217) and another funding military construction and veterans affairs (H.R. 2216).

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Are Defense Department Civilians Behind the DOD’s Spending Problem? Not So Much

Jun 5, 2013 by Nick Schwellenbach

On June 3, 25 defense analysts from several think tanks announced that there are three areas of defense reform consensus:

Closing down unnecessary military bases and facilities
Reforming military compensation
Shrinking the number of Department of Defense (DOD) civilian employees

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As Austerity Shrinks Government Budgets, Contractor CEO Pay and Public Costs Set to Rise

In the midst of shrinking federal spending on infrastructure, scientific research, Head Start, and other government programs, the costs of government contractor executives' salaries and compensation are set to soar unless Congress takes action. This is another example of how current government policies transfer resources to the wealthy and away from the programs that broadly support and grow a vibrant middle class.

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Budget Austerity Updates

Navigate: Latest News • Background • Economics of Austerity • International Austerity

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To Avoid More Bridges Collapsing, We Need More Infrastructure Investment

May 24, 2013 by Nick Schwellenbach

The Interstate 5 (I-5) highway bridge collapse—which sent cars and people into the Skagit River without any fatalities—near Mount Vernon in Washington State should be a stark reminder that we urgently need to expand investments into repairing and upgrading our nation’s infrastructure.

The need is immense.

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Why Non-Defense Discretionary Spending Keeps Getting Cut

May 23, 2013 by Nick Schwellenbach

The biggest difference among the three budget plans that official Washington is currently considering is spending for non-defense discretionary programs, which includes education, infrastructure, food safety, environmental protection and other essential public investments the public says it wants government to continue to make. A chart created by the Congressional Budget Office – shows the differences between President Obama and Senate Democrats’ budget plans versus the House Republican spending blueprint.

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