As both political parties do as part of their party's national convention, last week the GOP adopted their "platform" – which is, in effect, a statement of principles and goals. It begins by stating "The 2012 Republican Platform is a statement of who we are and what we believe as a Party and our vision for a stronger and freer America.”

We thought we'd take a look at some of the provisions of the 62 page document that deal with the federal budget. Here are some highlights:

Enact a Balanced Budget Amendment: The GOP platform would amend the U ...

Bob from Vacaville, California, wrote in to ask us for some fact checking. He said he hears all the time that the size of the federal government has ballooned under President Obama, and wondered if that could be true given all of the budget cuts.

Great question, Bob. It's something we hear all the time, too – that the size of government has grown in recent years – but it's not true.

Under President Obama's administration, federal spending has been on the decline. Government spending hit a post-World War II high in 2009, under the last budget passed by ...

Yesterday the team at National Priorities Project unveiled President Obama’s new budget on our all-new website. I had an interesting discovery while combing through those budget numbers. I found that the president’s spending priorities match pretty closely with the things Americans say they want. Of course the budget is complicated. But let’s say for a moment that it’s as simple as a public opinion polling question.

The Pew Research Center found that 62 percent of Americans want the president to spend more on education, despite concern over deficits. That was the strongest support for increasing any ...

Senior research analyst Mattea Kramer looks through the President's budget proposal to find out what is designated for job creation.

Want to make sure you don't miss any of our videos? Subscribe to NPP's YouTube Channel!

Likely voters said their top priority for President Obama’s 2013 budget was job creation, according to a poll conducted last month by The Hill. The president released his fiscal 2013 budget on Feb. 13, and it includes around $350 billion for job creation, including money for jobs in the short-term, in part through investment in transportation projects that generate construction work and other kinds of immediate employment. The new budget also included a proposal for long-term job creation.

In his State of the Union address in January, President Obama said business leaders aren’t finding the skills they need ...

National Priorities Project's executive director Jo Comerford explains NPP's Twelve Zeros campaign, three weeks of bite sized information about the President's budget proposal.

National Priorities Project executive director Jo Comerford examines the discretionary portion of the President's proposed federal budget. Don't remember the difference between discretionary and mandatory spending? Refresh your memory here!

Since the U.S. invasion of Iraq, National Priorities Project has tracked the costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Recent events including the end of U.S. combat operations in Iraq and the winding down of the troop “surge” in Afghanistan have led to the question – what’s going to happen to funding for U.S. operations in these countries?The answer is in three parts:•    Annual funding will be lower than in the past,•    The wars will continue to draw on taxpayer resources even after combat operations in both countries have ended, and•    The funding stream will ...

Senior research analyst Mattea Kramer examines federal spending in Colorado ahead of the state's Feb. 6th caucus to decide its Republican nominee for president.

Executive director Jo Comerford explains how budget reductions affect the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).