Blog Posts and Analysis / Revenue & Spending

Estate Tax Vote Nears; Lobbying Heats Up

In a recent letter to his colleagues, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) reaffirmed his promise to hold a vote on full repeal of the estate tax, writing that one of his major priorities this summer is to "kill the death tax forever." Groups on both sides of the issue are stepping up their efforts leading up to the vote, holding press conferences and events and producing reports, all in the hopes of getting as much attention as possible from legislators around what promises to be a very close battle. You can still add your voice to growing support for the dynasty tax.

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2006 Tax Reconciliation Bill Languishes

Despite claims by the two senior GOP tax writers of a breakthrough last week following daily meetings with Republican leaders, last year's $70 billion tax cut bill remains unfinished. The bill is expected to be finalized and brought to the floor of both the House and the Senate, as long as House Ways and Means Chairman Bill Thomas (R-CA) and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley (R-IA) reach a compromise over how to pay for a small part of the bill that exceeds budget targets.

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Harsh Budget Resolution On Its Last Leg?

There has been little movement on the FY 2007 budget resolution since it was pulled from the House floor before the April congressional recess. Despite a deal late last week between Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) and Appropriations Committee Chairman Jerry Lewis (R-CA) that removed one of three major obstacles to approval in the House, the outlook for the resolution remains bleak.

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White House Misleads Public, Congress on PART Results

In each of the past two years, President Bush has publicly cited a group of 100-plus federal programs in his State of the Union address that he wishes to eliminate or drastically reduce because they are "not getting results." Yet, over two-thirds of these programs have not even been reviewed by the administration's own tool for determining results: the Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART).

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Gearing Up for a May Estate Tax Vote

As the May vote in the Senate to repeal the estate tax approaches, nonprofit advocacy groups around the country are stepping up their campaign to save the nation's most progressive tax and a vital source of revenue. OMB Watch urges individuals to email Senators today and let lawmakers know America favors preserving the estate tax and opposes repeal or back-door "reform" that would amount to repeal.

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House Fails to Agree on Budget; Boehner Retreats

After proposing a sparse budget on March 29 and following a intense and divisive few weeks of behind-the-scenes negotiations, House GOP leaders ultimately pulled the plug on the $2.8 trillion FY 2007 budget resolution late on April 6. House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH), who admittedly spent the week "popping Advil" in preparation for difficult negotiations with his colleagues, failed time and again to emerge from these talks with enough votes to pass the resolution--a significant setback in what was his first real test as the new Majority Leader.

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Harmful Budget Process Plans Could Become Reality

As Congress's work crafting the FY 2007 budget moves forward, Capitol Hill has been abuzz with talk of significantly changing the annual budget process. In the aftermath of the lobbying and ethics scandals of 2005, this year may prove an opportune moment for conservatives to enact damaging budget process changes that would entrench poor policy development mechanisms and alter the balance of power in the federal government. Enhanced Rescission Masquerades as Line-Item Veto

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