Budget

Judge Blocks Trump Plan to Divert $3.6 Billion in Military Funds to Border Wall

By Yuval Rosenberg

A federal judge in Texas on Tuesday blocked the Trump administration’s plan to divert $3.6 billion in military funds toward construction of barriers along the border with Mexico. District Court Judge...
$738 Billion Defense Bill Authorizes Space Force and New Benefits for Federal Workers

By Michael Rainey

It looks like Space Force has earned its wings. The leaders of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees announced late Monday an agreement on the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, which...
The Terrible Cost of the War in Afghanistan

By Yuval Rosenberg

The war in Afghanistan is the longest armed conflict in U.S. history, and throughout the 18 years of fighting, U.S. officials have publicly said they were making progress. Yet a new investigative...
The Fiscal Challenge for the Next Recession

By Yuval Rosenberg

The federal budget deficit for fiscal year 2019 was nearly $1 trillion. “In the next downturn, don’t be surprised if this number hits $2 trillion,” writes Nick Timiraos, The Wall Street Journal’s...
Is Trump's $28 Billion Bailout Paying Farmers Too Much?

By Michael Rainey

The Trump administration is spending $28 billion to bail out farmers hurt by the president’s trade war with China – a huge sum that some experts say overestimates the economic losses inflicted by the...

New Trump Food Stamp Rule Will Cut 700,000 from Program

By Michael Rainey

The White House said Wednesday that it has finalized a rule that will tighten work requirements for participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. The new rule could result...
Navy Awards Largest Shipbuilding Contract Ever

By Michael Rainey

The U.S. Navy awarded a contract Monday worth more than $22 billion to build nine new attack submarines. The agreement with General Dynamics Electric Boat includes an option for a 10 th sub, which...
On Congress’s To-Do List: Prevent a Shutdown in 18 Days

By Yuval Rosenberg

Congressional appropriators back from their Thanksgiving recess have just three weeks to hammer out details on dozens of policy differences over federal funding for fiscal year 2020, which started on...
Chart of the Day: Record Low Poverty Rate

By Michael Rainey

The extensive array of government assistance programs — including Social Security, unemployment insurance, veterans’ benefits, nutritional aid, rental assistance and the Earned Income Tax Credit —...
Trump Scores a Win From NATO, but Fireworks Ahead

By Michael Rainey

Ahead of NATO’s 70th-anniversary meeting in London this week, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg announced last Thursday that the U.S. will contribute less to the alliance’s relatively small central...

In Border Wall Fight, Dems Say GOP Is Pursuing Same Path That Led to Shutdown

By Yuval Rosenberg

The Senate fight over funding President Trump’s border barriers is heating up. Senate Democratic leaders are urging Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Appropriations Chairman Richard...
Recent Government Shutdowns Cost $4 Billion

By Michael Rainey

The last three government shutdowns cost the government about $4 billion and more than 56,000 years in lost productivity, according to a new bipartisan report. The Senate Homeland Security and...
Get Ready to Rumble! Funding Fights Loom Large in the Senate

By Yuval Rosenberg

The House is expected to consider a short-term stopgap spending bill this week to fund the government until shortly before Thanksgiving and avoid a government shutdown when the new fiscal year starts...
Are Tax Cuts or Spending Hikes Driving the Deficit?

By Michael Rainey

Republican tax cut enthusiasts are generally unwilling to link the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act to the rapidly growing federal deficit, preferring instead to point the finger at spending increases that...
Germany Mulls a ‘Shadow Budget’ to Add Debt

By Michael Rainey

With its economy on the verge of recession and interest rates at historical lows, German officials are looking into ways to evade the strict limits placed on federal spending. Germany’s so-called “...