Apr 27 Your Guide to the Debt Commission By Vanessa Dennis The bipartisan debt commission meets for the first time Tuesday. Here, a guide to the U.S. debt problem, the commission's members, and what solutions might be proposed. Continue reading
Feb 26 Health Reform’s Next Step: 23rd Use of Reconciliation? By Dave Gustafson As Democrats weigh the next steps for health reform on the heels of a bipartisan summit on the stalled legislation, one option under discussion is a rarely used Senate procedure known as reconciliation. Continue reading
Feb 03 Watch Obama Jobs Push Focusing on Small Business President Obama is looking to cut the nation's unemployment rate by offering more aid for small business, but a plan to borrow from TARP has some lawmakers balking. Continue watching
Feb 02 Watch Budget Cuts Launch Debate on NASA’s Future Rather than send a man back to the moon, President Obama's proposed budget calls for a far less expensive plan of encouraging private companies to build spacecrafts for NASA to rent. But veterans of the space agency's golden years fear… Continue watching
Feb 02 Watch News Wrap: Christmas Day Plot Suspect Reportedly Cooperating with FBI In other news Tuesday, the Nigerian man accused in the Christmas Day airliner attack is said to be cooperating with the FBI, and White House budget director Peter Orszag defended the administration's $3.8 trillion budget proposal on Capitol Hill. Continue watching
Feb 01 Links to Help Break Down the Budget The budget President Obama released Monday would spend about $3.8 trillion in the 2011 fiscal year (which actually starts this October). Here are a few ways to understand that very large number: The New York Times… Continue reading
Feb 01 Obama: Changing Spending-as-Usual Depends on Changing Politics-as-Usual By Carolyn O'Hara In remarks this morning about his newly unveiled budget for fiscal 2011, President Barack Obama defended his administration’s fiscal record as preventing further economic disaster but declared that “budget common sense” should now guide Washington’s spending. “I’m… Continue reading
Feb 01 Watch Obama Budget Fuels Debate Over Path to Slash Deficit President Obama proposed a $3.8 trillion budget Monday, a plan that would boost spending for education and increase taxes on the wealthy. But the budget deficit would grow to more than 10 percent of GDP before seeking deficit trims. Gwen… Continue watching
Dec 25 Watch Billions in Pension Payments Loom for Struggling State Budgets In a weak economy, many states, cities and towns may be facing billions of dollars in pension liabilities that are currently underfunded. Spencer Michels reports from California on that state's pension challenge. Continue watching