Apr 07 The Need for a Long-Term Budget Fix By Elizabeth Shell I wrote yesterday about a chat with the former head of President Clinton's Council of Economic Advisers, Martin Baily, now of the Brookings Institution. Most striking to me, was his suggestion that there could conceivably be an upside to… Continue reading
Feb 25 Watch Shields, Brooks on Collective Bargaining’s Future, Shutdown Chances, Libya Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks discuss the week's political news, including possible 2012 Republican presidential candidates, state budget crises, the threat of a federal government shutdown on March 4 and U.S. response to the… Continue watching
Feb 25 Watch Govs. Daniels, Schweitzer on Looming Federal Government Shutdown Governors across the U.S. are struggling to balance budgets and slash spending in a tough economic climate. Judy Woodruff talks to Republican Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels and Democratic Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer about the collective-bargaining battle and what impacts a… Continue watching
Feb 22 Watch Showdown Over Bargaining Rights, State Budgets Spreads Beyond Wisconsin Indiana lawmakers followed their Wisconsin counterparts' example by leaving the state to halt a bill that would curb the influence of labor unions. Gwen Ifill talks to reporters in New Jersey, Indiana and Ohio, where state budget deficits are going… Continue watching
Feb 18 Watch Wisconsin Public Workers Union Rights Go Head-to-Head with State Budget Woes A push to reduce state workers' benefits and eliminate collective bargaining caused a furor this week as protesters descended on Wisconsin's Capitol. Judy Woodruff examines the predicament with Jonathan Williams of the American Legislative Exchange Council and Randi Weingarten of… Continue watching
Feb 17 Watch Medicaid Recipients Nervous as States Start Chopping to Fill Budget Holes Governors across the U.S. are desperately looking for ways to fill huge budget gaps. Most are required by law to balance their budgets, which means big cuts in state spending on all programs, including Medicaid. That has many recipients worried. Continue watching
Feb 17 Watch Senate Pair Risks Backlash Seeking Bipartisan Fix for Deficit, Debt Crisis As debate continues over President Obama's budget proposal, Sens. Saxby Chambliss and Mark Warner discuss their bipartisan approach to addressing the debt crisis -- and the pitfalls they face in doing so. Continue watching
Feb 17 States Facing Huge Increases in Medicaid Bills in 2012 Federal stimulus funds that support Medicaid will dry up in June, leaving state governments to support much more of the program. The PBS NewsHour has obtained budgetary data revealing how much Medicaid costs will increase for each state in fiscal… Continue reading
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 15 Watch Rand Paul: ‘Our Whole Economy Is Equal to Our Debt Now’ Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, a co-founder of the Senate Tea Party Caucus, speaks with Gwen Ifill about President Obama's 2012 budget proposal, plus his vision for further spending cuts and bringing down the U.S. national debt. Continue watching