How much would it cost to #StopTheCuts to all the non-defense programs threatened by sequestration next year? $37 billion. And even if the sequester is averted, funding for these programs would be at historically low levels, following years of reduced funding.

The wealthiest one percent of households – those with an annual income of at least $419,000 a year – pay half the tax rate of households earning less than $18,000, a new report by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) shows. Who Pays? A Distributional Analysis of the Tax Systems in All 50 States, which examines tax rates at the state and local levels, concludes: the lower one’s income, the higher one’s overall effective (actual) state and local tax rate.

Six hard-working Americans joined House Democrats gathered at the Capitol on Tuesday afternoon to share stories of their struggle to find employment in a rough job market. The event, which was scheduled to take place inside the Capitol as a hearing, was abruptly cancelled by House Republican leadership. This forced the unemployed workers and dozens of supporters to relocate the event at the last moment.