By
Mattea Kramer
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Budget Process,
Social Insurance, Earned Benefits, & Safety Net
At the last possible moment, Congress came to an agreement to avoid the fiscal cliff. The deal affects tax rates, unemployment benefits, and even the price of milk. Read the details.
By
Mattea Kramer
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Budget Process
A reader from Shelby Township, Michigan, wrote to us to ask about the Bush-era tax cuts. "How much revenue would the federal government get," he wrote, "if taxes were raised on the people making more than $200,000 per year?" It's a very timely question. Bush-era tax cuts for high earners are the most contentious part of negotiations raging over the so-called fiscal cliff.
By
Chris Hellman
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Budget Process
Now that the elections are over, in Washington it’s all about the fiscal cliff. If you haven’t heard that phrase yet, you will soon. And often.The term “fiscal cliff” refers to the combination of two major events that will occur at the end of the year should Congress fail to ...
By
Mattea Kramer
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Health Care
Last week we got a call from Ayesha in Houston, Texas. She said she heard Obamacare will be funded through taxes, so she wanted to know how much more she'd have to pay. Here's the scoop. Only some people will pay higher taxes as a result of Obamacare. Will you be one of them?
By
Mattea Kramer
Posted:
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Budget Process,
Debt & Deficit,
Education,
Health Care,
Military & Security,
Social Insurance, Earned Benefits, & Safety Net
By
Becky Sweger
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Budget Process
Federal income tax credits, deductions, and exclusions are a form of government spending that cost more per year than the amount of the U.S. budget deficit.
By
Mattea Kramer
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Budget Process
On our Facebook page, Kevin from Pennsylvania asked about proposals he's heard in recent years in favor of a national sales tax. Given that such proposals generally try to exempt families of certain income levels, would these policies still be considered regressive?
By
Chris Hellman
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Budget Process
NPP’s new report “The Untold Story of Deficits in Washington” has sparked a LOT of questions about federal revenues – the “budwonk” word for “taxes” – especially this one: “Is it true that half of all Americans pay no federal taxes?”Here’s the deal. Because many people don’t earn enough to ...
By
Mattea Kramer
Posted:
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Budget Process
Our final pie of Pie Week! We showed you total federal spending, mandatory spending, and discretionary spending. Today's flavor of pie? Where the money comes from to fund the federal budget.
By
Mattea Kramer
Posted:
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Budget Process
President Obama released a budget in February, the House passed a very different budget in March, and the Senate has declined to do a budget. The seeds are planted for stalemate this election year. Why can't Congress just pass a budget without all this conflict?