budget news stories on Newser

Obama: 'Radical' Ryan Budget a 'Trojan Horse'

Kevin Spak — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 11:39:05 CDT

Barack Obama plans to savage the House GOP budget proposal today, calling it "thinly veiled social Darwinism," according to a draft of the speech he'll deliver. "It’s a Trojan horse," Obama will say. "Disguised as deficit reduction plan, it's really an attempt to impose a radical vision on our country....

GOP Rolls Out Budget With Huge Tax Cuts

Kevin Spak — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 10:47:47 CDT

House Republicans rolled out a new Paul Ryan-penned budget proposal today that calls for a drastic tax-code overhaul, major changes to Medicare and Medicaid, and deep cuts in domestic spending, all while softening a set of automatic defense spending cuts set to hit in January. The budget would scrap our...

Obama Unveils $3.8T Budget, Targets Rich

Kevin Spak — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:52:49 CST

President Obama officially unveiled his $3.8 trillion budget today, and as expected it draws a 2012 battle line, calling for higher taxes on the wealthy combined with spending measures intended to bolster the economy, the AP reports. "We built this budget around the idea that our country has always...

Struggling US Cities Turn Off the Lights

Matt Cantor — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 09:14:05 CST

For a number of cities across the US, troubled local economies have led to dark times—literally. From Oregon to Illinois to California, struggling towns have found themselves forced to turn off, and often completely remove, local streetlights. And with winter shortening daylight hours, citizens are none too pleased by...

Congress (Gasp!) Poised to Pass Spending Bill

Matt Cantor — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 08:54:16 CST

Looks like Congress is finally getting something done with minimal angst. A $1 trillion spending bill to last through September is set to be revealed today, barring any last-minute controversy. The process has been a more simplified one thanks to the fact that the overall spending level was set at...

Obama Steps Into Budget Talks

Tim Karan — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 15:13:50 CDT

Step aside, Joe. A day after congressional Republicans called off debt-reduction talks with Vice President Joe Biden, the White House announced President Obama will meet directly with key lawmakers next week, reports the Washington Post . Obama will meet with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on...

Texas Town Furloughs Entire Police Force

Kevin Spak — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 14:13:54 CDT

With its finances stretched to the breaking point, Alto, Texas, is giving its police officers the boot for six months—all five of them. OK, so it’s not exactly the NYPD. But with the county sheriff’s office already overburdened, town residents are afraid losing their small department could have dire...

Barack Obama Has Gone AWOL

Matt Cantor — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 13:51:07 CDT

Barack Obama has left the building. Granted, with Republicans running amok, all Obama really has is “the bully pulpit,” but incredibly, “he’s using it to reinforce his enemies’ narrative,” writes Paul Krugman in the New York Times . Maybe he did have to make big concessions to avoid a government shutdown,...

What the Shutdown Means for Government Workers

Kevin Spak — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 09:07:46 CDT

Cabinet secretaries and federal agency heads have begun briefing their employees on what to expect in the increasingly likely event of a government shutdown. According to a Q&A distributed yesterday, and obtained by the Washington Post , employees won’t be able to work voluntarily, and those who do work will only...