Budget

What’s at Stake in the Government Shutdown Fight

By Yuval Rosenberg

Tuesday’s stunningly contentious meeting between President Trump and Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer did nothing to dissipate the uncertainty over a partial government shutdown at...
$733 Billion? $700? $750? Trump Sows Confusion on Defense Spending

By Michael Rainey

President Trump has offered significantly different opinions on future defense spending in the last few weeks, indicating in October that next year’s budget would be cut amid rising deficits and then...
Deficit Climbs to $303 Billion Over First Two Months of Fiscal 2019

By The Fiscal Times Staff

The U.S. budget deficit jumped to $303 billion in October and November, the first two months of the 2019 fiscal year, according to data released by the Congressional Budget Office Monday. Here are...
Inside the Remarkable — and Costly — Decline of the IRS

By Michael Rainey

Weighed down by budget cuts and staff reductions, the number of audits performed by the Internal Revenue Service has been dropping for years. A new report from ProPublica and The Atlantic takes a...
Trump Says He’d Be ‘Proud’ to Shut Down the Government Over Border Security

By Yuval Rosenberg

With funding for parts of the federal government set to expire on December 21, nobody expected Tuesday’s Oval Office meeting between President Trump and Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck...

Why a Shutdown Really Could Happen Right Before Christmas

By Yuval Rosenberg

Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer are scheduled to meet with President Trump on Tuesday to resume negotiations over funding for a border wall with Mexico. The talks will set the stage...
Trump Suddenly Wants Billions More for Defense: Report

By Michael Rainey

President Trump will request $750 billion for the next Pentagon budget, reversing course on possible defense cuts he discussed just a few weeks ago, Politico’s Wesley Morgan reported Sunday. Top...
How Congress Got So Broken

By Yuval Rosenberg

More than 50 House members chose not to seek re-election in 2018, and a new report from nonprofit groups Issue One and the R Street Institute examines what drove so many to that decision. The report...
Larry Kudlow Still Insists Tax Cuts Will Pay for Themselves, Deficits Will Fall 'a Lot'

By Yuval Rosenberg

Isn’t it time to admit that the tax cuts are not going to pay for themselves? Larry Kudlow, the director of President Trump’s National Economic Council, was asked that question Friday morning on CNBC...
How Much Would a Federal Jobs Guarantee Cost?

By Michael Rainey

One of the more provocative ideas being kicked around on the progressive left these days is a federal jobs guarantee. Proponents say that too many American workers have been left behind in an...

Government Shutdown Watch: Will Trump Dig in His Heels Over Wall Funding?

By Yuval Rosenberg

The federal government still faces the possibility of a partial shutdown after December 7 unless Congress and President Trump can agree on the seven appropriations bills that need to be finalized for...
Why 35 States’ Financial Report Cards Fall Short

By Sheila Weinberg

When companies invite an outside auditor to review their records, it’s generally considered a reassuring signal to lenders and investors. There’s nothing like a stamp of approval from a trusted third...
Your Tax Dollars at Work: An Agency ‘Neutered Through Neglect’

By Yuval Rosenberg

The Associated Press’ Juliet Linderman tells the story of Mark Robbins and the Merit Systems Protection Board, “a quasi-judicial federal body designed to determine whether civil servants have been...
Is Trump Serious About Tackling the Deficit? Obviously Not

By Yuval Rosenberg

President Trump is demanding that his advisers come up with a plan to reduce the deficit, The Washington Post’s Josh Dawsey and Damian Paletta report . Oh, and President Trump is also pushing new...
Puerto Rico Facing Steep Charges from FEMA Contractors

By Michael Rainey

The Federal Emergency Management Agency will spend $1.2 billion to repair as many as 120,000 homes damaged by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, but more than 60 percent of that money will be claimed by...