To date, this space has been used by National Priorities Project's budget experts to supplement our datasets and other online resources.As NPP's new database manager, I'd like to add some technical commentary to the mix. There’s a few exciting projects in the works—projects that will extend the reach of our publications, analysis, and curated data.New Database Search InterfaceNPP’s online database is unique because it supplements Federal government spending numbers with demographic, education, environment, health, and military indicators.Truthfully, the database’s front-end is looking stale.  But later this spring we’re launching ...

On March 16, Senator John Cornyn (R-TX)

proposed an amendment to a bill reauthorizing two award programs

offered by the Small Business Administration. It has not gotten much

press, but it proposes serious, long-term changes to how Washington

does business and places eight members of Congress in charge of the

fate of all programs in the federal government.

Senator Cornyn wants to create what is

referred to as a “sunset commission or committee”, which has the

power to review federal agencies and programs for termination,

transfer, or reduction. It would draw a list of programs to be

considered every 10 ...

The Senate passed a sixth Continuing

Resolution on March 17, 2011, which cuts an additional $6 billion

from the Fiscal Year 2011 budget. The FY 2011 year ends September 30,

2011 and Republican leaders are under pressure to meet the $100

billion-cut-goal set by the House Appropriations Committee. As this

year's budget process grinds forward with a series of Continuing

Resolutions, the Republicans have less and less time in which to

enact those reductions before FY 2012 begins on October 1, 2011.

The latest Continuing Resolution goes

into effect on March 19, 2011 and funds the government for an ...

A new report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) has updated data about the impact of the continued struggling economy on state budgets. According to CBPP's latest analysis, 44 states and the District of Columbia are projecting budget shortfalls totaling $112 billion for fiscal year 2012, which for most states begins on July 1, 2011.These figures are down slightly from previous years, both in terms of the number of states reporting shortfalls and the total deficit figures. According to CBPP, annual cumulative state shortfall totals were $110 billion in FY2009 (45 states and the District ...

I had the real privilege of

speaking at the Michigan Forum on Jobs and Human Needs on Saturday,

March 6, 2001. Sponsored by a great mix of labor, faith, peace and

student groups, the event was held in Lansing, Michigan, the state's

capital, which is located within Ingham County.

Many of the conference organizers

are affiliated with Our Nation's Checkbook (ONCB), a national budget

priorities organizing campaign run amazingly well out of Friends

Committee on National Legislation and supported by NPP's information.My task was to answer the

question: What the heck does the federal budget have ...

Congress is currently struggling to

pass a budget for FY 2011 (which began six months ago). The debate

has been overtaken by overwhelming concern about both the annual

deficit and the national debt which is approaching $14 trillion. In

the two-week continuing resolution passed on March 2, higher

education programs in the federal Department of Education will

lose $129 million in funding for just the next two weeks alone.

At the same time Congress is proposing cuts in federal aid, the

states themselves are experiencing fiscal crises and making difficult

budget choices for their FY 2012. Public higher education has ...