Dec 11 Senate sends Trump defense bill he has vowed to veto By Matthew Daly, Associated Press The final vote was 84-13, mirroring a similarly overwhelming margin in the House that, if maintained in both chambers, would be enough to override a potential veto. Continue reading
Dec 10 European Union strikes deal on landmark budget, virus recovery fund By Lorne Cook, Raf Casert, Associated Press The 1.82 trillion-euro ($2.21 trillion) seven-year budget and recovery package is vital for virus-battered European economies. Hungary and Poland had threatened to veto it over a move to tie the use of EU funds to upholding the rule of law. Continue reading
Oct 16 U.S. budget deficit hits all-time high of $3.1 trillion By Martin Crutsinger, Associated Press The federal budget deficit hit an all-time high of $3.1 trillion in the 2020 budget year, more than double the previous record, as the coronavirus pandemic cut revenues and sent spending soaring. Continue reading
Mar 04 House passes bipartisan $8.3 billion bill to battle novel coronavirus By Andrew Taylor, Associated Press The swift and sweeping bipartisan vote was a relative rarity in a polarized Washington and came just nine days after the president outlined a $2.5 billion plan that both President Donald Trump's GOP allies and Democratic critics said was insufficient. Continue reading
Feb 24 White House is drafting a virus response budget request The request is still being developed but is likely to come this week, a senior administration official confirmed Monday. Continue reading
Feb 14 Analysis: Trump places a big bet on career and technical education By Shaun M. Dougherty, The Conversation The White House wants to nearly double the total federal commitment to provide states with funds for career and technical education – from about US$1.2 billion in the current fiscal year to about $2.1 billion for fiscal 2021. Continue reading
Nov 19 House passes short-term spending measure as talks falter By Associated Press Tuesday’s legislation would avert a Thanksgiving government shutdown but opens the door to a possible shutdown just before Christmas. Continue reading
Sep 19 Watch 5:35 Why the cost of holding prisoners at Guantanamo Bay keeps rising The cost of running Guantanamo Bay’s prison and court system climbed by nearly $90 million from 2013 to 2018, even though the number of prisoners housed there has fallen. Amna Nawaz talks to The New York Times' Carol Rosenberg about… Continue watching
Jul 29 U.S. Treasury projects it will borrow $433 billion this quarter By Martin Crutsinger, Associated Press Market borrowing for this budget year is projected to total $1.27 trillion, a 6.5% increase from the 2018 budget year. Continue reading
May 21 Congressional leaders make progress on debt, spending talks By Andrew Taylor, Associated Press Top leaders of both parties in Congress made better-than-expected progress Tuesday on two must-do items on the legislative agenda: averting automatic budget cuts and meeting a deadline later this year to increase the government's borrowing limit. Continue reading