Federal aid news stories on Newser

Northeast Cuts Heating Aid for Poor

Evann Gastaldo — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 10:02:49 CST

Thousands of people in the Northeast could be left in the cold this winter, as the federal government cuts heating aid to the poor. Congress is considering cutting more than $1 billion from last year's $4.7 billion Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program budget, which helped almost 9 million...

Mr. Cantor, 'Have You Left No Sense of Decency?'

John Johnson — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 11:14:05 CDT

Paul Krugman opens up on Eric Cantor in a scathing column today, accusing the House majority leader of taking victims of Hurricane Irene "hostage" by demanding that federal relief be offset with spending cuts . Cantor used the same kind of tactic in the debt ceiling talks, and Krugman sees it...

FEMA Chief to Cantor: Whatever

Evann Gastaldo — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 11:08:38 CDT

Eric Cantor may want budget cuts to offset any federal aid for Hurricane Irene, but FEMA director Craig Fugate says “psssh” to that. “In this country, Americans have always come to the aid of other Americans in a crisis and disaster,” Fugate said on NBC’s Today . He did acknowledge disasters...

Record Number Enrolled in Medicaid

Kevin Spak — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 10:59:23 CDT

The recession has sent a record one in six Americans into federal anti-poverty programs, according to a new USA Today survey. More than 50 million are now enrolled in Medicaid, a number that has jumped 17% since the recession’s official start in December 2007. “Virtually every Medicaid director in the...

US Takes Majority Stake in GMAC

Wed, 30 Dec 2009 18:40:37 CST

The government gave GMAC Financial Services another $3.8 billion in cash and took a majority stake in the auto lender, aiming to stabilize the company as it struggles with big losses in its home mortgage unit. The fresh infusion is on top of $12.5 billion in taxpayer money...

AIG's Woes Point to Larger Insurance Crisis

Clay Dillow — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 09:13:48 CDT

AIG’s troubles were quickly blamed on a single, obscure wing of the company, but its problems extend to its core life-insurance division—underscoring dangerous weaknesses across the entire industry and pointing to the possibility of a second financial crisis, the Los Angeles Times reports. What's more, by offering AIG a...

Chrysler, GM May Need 'Considerably' More US Aid

Harry Kimball — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 12:50:46 CDT

Chrysler and GM could end up needing a “considerably higher” amount than the $21.6 billion so far requested, Bloomberg reports. Steven Rattner, who heads President Obama’s auto task force, said it's possible the request could go as high as $40 billion. He also said that Chrysler’s mention of a...

Welfare Rolls Rising for First Time Since '90s

Rob Quinn — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 07:57:31 CST

Welfare numbers are rising in many states for the first time since public assistance was redefined more than a decade ago, the Washington Post reports. The numbers are still small compared to the days before welfare was retooled to steer people into jobs, but at least a dozen states say...

Food Stamp Use Nears Record High

Rob Quinn — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 06:05:00 CST

Rising unemployment is expected to push the number of Americans on food stamps to an all-time high of more than 30 million this month, the Washington Post reports. Food pantries say they are also experiencing a surge in demand and a hunger hotline in Washington DC says its calls have...