Dec 17 Treasury chief can’t rule out shutdown, but expects deal By Associated Press Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin says he can't rule out a possible government shutdown later this week if Congress deadlocks on another temporary Washington spending bill, but thinks it's unlikely. Continue reading
Dec 08 Trump signs 2-week spending bill to avoid government shutdown By Ken Thomas, Associated Press The president signed the two-week spending measure in private at the White House after the House and Senate acted to prevent a government shutdown this weekend. Continue reading
Oct 26 Watch 4:42 News Wrap: House passes GOP budget despite conservative dissent By PBS News Hour In our news wrap Thursday, the House of Representatives narrowly passed a Republican budget and paved the way for tax cuts of up to $1.5 trillion. House Speaker Paul Ryan acknowledged criticism of the plan, and promised that conservatives would… Continue watching
Oct 26 House passes $4T budget in step forward for Trump tax plan By Andrew Taylor, Associated Press The 216-212 vote permits Republicans to begin work on a follow-up $1.5 trillion tax cut and move it through Congress without fear of blocking tactics by Democrats. Continue reading
Oct 25 Republicans face Sophie’s choice between lowering debt and cutting taxes By Lisa Desjardins Republicans are facing an internal divide as two central GOP pillars collide: cutting taxes and reining in the federal budget. Continue reading
Oct 19 Trump sees Republican budget as path to massive tax cuts By Andrew Taylor, Associated Press The $4 trillion plan shelves GOP deficit concerns in favor of the party's tax cut drive, with conservatives and moderates on board. The nonbinding budget plan would set the stage for tax legislation later this year that could pass through… Continue reading
Oct 05 U.S. endured a record fire season. What could be done differently? By Sophie Quinton, Stateline As the wildfire season lengthens and the fires become larger and more dangerous — a trend driven by a number of factors, including climate change — both state and federal natural resource departments are spending more time and money on… Continue reading
Jul 18 House GOP budget plan calls for major cuts to benefits, paving way for tax overhaul bill By Andrew Taylor, Associated Press House Republicans on Tuesday unveiled a 10-year budget blueprint that would dramatically increase military spending while putting the GOP on record favoring Medicare cuts opposed by President Donald Trump. Continue reading
Jul 02 Illinois House leader: Revenue vote now set for weekend By John O'Connor, Associated Press The speaker of the Illinois House on Saturday scheduled a key vote on a multibillion-dollar revenue package that would finance an end to the longest state budget crisis since at least the Great Depression, ending a day that turned acrimonious… Continue reading
Jun 30 Illinois facing dire consequences as budget feud continues By Sara Burnett, Associated Press Illinois is hours away from entering its third fiscal year without a state budget, territory that could mean some universities won't be able to offer federal financial aid, road construction and Powerball ticket sales will halt, and the state's credit… Continue reading