Feb 17 Democratic Lawmakers Stall Vote in Wisconsin, Protesters Gather at Capitol Protesters fill the Wisconsin State Capitol Rotunda on Wednesday, demonstrating against Gov. Scott Walker's proposal to eliminate collective bargaining rights for many state workers. Mark Hirsch/Getty Images (View a slide show of the protests.) Updated 3:17 p.m. ET… Continue reading
Feb 17 Federal Spending, Visualized: 2012 Budget Proposal Edition With the unveiling of President Obama's 2012 budget proposal this week, we're updating our post from last week about the many ways news organizations and graphic designers have visualized the federal budget. Below are what some organizations have done… Continue reading
Feb 17 Risking Common Ground in a Partisan-Dominated Budget Battle It's just beginning to emerge in public - with hints from a handful of senators about entitlement cuts - but something does appear to be taking shape that would address the debt monster looming over Washington. This week, the… Continue reading
Feb 17 Republicans Plan Vote to Cut $61 Billion From Budget Speaker of the House John Boehner, R-Ohio, arrives for a news conference at RNC headquarters earlier this week. Photo By Bill Clark/Roll Call. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, may have lost an intra-party skirmish on funding for an… Continue reading
Feb 16 Watch Defense Spending Battles Brewing as House Axes Backup F-35 Engine Funds The Obama administration defended its military budget before Congress, sparking new political conflict between Democrats and Republicans. Jim Lehrer talks with Political Editor David Chalian about the looming battles between the parties. Continue watching
Feb 16 Watch Sen. Bernie Sanders: 'I've Got a Lot of Problems With the President's Budget' Judy Woodruff talks to Sen. Bernie Sanders, the longtime Vermont independent who caucuses with the Democrats and serves on the Senate Budget Committee, about the debate on spending and cuts in the president's budget blueprint for 2012. Continue watching
Feb 16 Budgets and Continuing Resolutions: What's the Difference? If you've been trying to keep track of Capitol Hill this week, you might be confused: Is the House considering President Obama's budget? How much is being cut from the budget? And what is a CR? What's happening is that… Continue reading
Feb 16 Helium 3 Shortage Affects National Security, Medicine Inside a storage room at Andrew's Air Force Base is a cluster of neutron radiation detectors, and alongside them, a tiny amount of plutonium, used for training drills. One detection device fits into a backpack. One is designed for… Continue reading
Feb 16 Military Budget Criticized for Spending Too Much, Not Spending Enough As Defense Secretary Robert Gates appeared on Capitol Hill Wednesday to begin pushing for the Obama administration's defense budget, the Pentagon's spending plans were already taking flak from the political left and right. One side says proposed cuts are not… Continue reading
Feb 16 On Capitol Hill, a Budget Faceoff Reps. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., left, and Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., during Tuesday's House Budget hearing on President Obama's proposed fiscal 2012 budget. Photo by Scott J. Ferrell/Congressional Quarterly/Getty Images. Now that President Obama has unveiled his budget proposal… Continue reading