Housing Crisis -- Senate Passes Package: A bill to provide $13 billion in tax breaks for businesses and homebuyers, $6 billion in renewable energy tax credits, $4 billion for cities to purchase and rehabilitate foreclosed properties, $150 million for mortgage counselling, and $30 million for legal assistance for homebuyers passed the Senate 84-12 yesterday. Only the last two of these provisions was offset. There is no companion piece in the House and the president said he opposes it. Budget -- Agencies Will Delay FY 2010 Requests: OMB Director Jim Nussle has instructed ($) federal agencies to not submit FY 2010 budget requests. The instructions, however, are not unprecedented, as president Clinton's OMB Director Jack Lew made a similar move in 2000. But, "it might create a kind of crisis environment in 2009, because they won't have done the planning that is needed," according to former assistant director of CBO Cindy Williams. IRS -- Agency to Combat Identity Theft: Who knew, but fully one quarter of all identity thefts are related to frauldulent tax returns. Such returns have increased 500 percent since 2002, new IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman and National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson told the Senate Finance Committee yesterday. Committee Chair Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) ordered the agency to report back in 90 days on its progress in developing a "comprehensive identity-theft strategy." Story.