The presidential election is about voters’ vision for how the federal government should serve the American people. National Priorities Project’s Primary Stakes series examines how residents of primary states currently rely on assistance from the federal government, and two Super Tuesday states illustrate that support from the federal government—and taxes paid—can vary widely.

In fiscal 2010, the Ohio state government drew 38 percent of its revenues from the federal government. That money helped the state build roads and fix bridges, among other kinds of projects, and it helped pay the cost of health care for low-income residents ...

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 ...

Primary voters in Michigan head to the polls on Feb. 28 to weigh in on the Republican nominating contest. Michigan has been hard hit by the Great Recession, and that will affect voters’ outlook in choosing their Republican nominee and a president in November. One thing the presidential election is about is voters’ vision for how the federal government should serve the American people, so National Priorities Project took a look at how Michigan currently benefits from federal spending.

The average Michigan resident received $5,846 from the federal government in 2010—benefits that largely came through the Social Security ...

Colorado residents will caucus today to decide their pick for the Republican nominee for president. Choosing a presidential candidate in part means caucus-goers will consider how they want the government to spend their federal tax dollars. National Priorities Project took a look at how much Colorado residents currently pay in federal taxes, and what they get in return.

On average Colorado residents each paid $7,003 in federal taxes in 2010. Federal taxes include income and payroll taxes as well as estate taxes and the federal excise tax on gasoline, cigarettes, and other goods. Coloradans pay more in taxes than ...

Senior research analyst Mattea Kramer explains how the proposed extension of unemployment benefits would help keep the economy afloat.

In Monday’s budget brief, NPP’s senior research analyst Chris Hellman explained the payroll tax cut and President Obama's proposal to extend it. But the proposal is controversial—it's been criticized by both Democrats and Republicans. Republicans argue that President Obama must find a way to offset the tax cut by cutting expenditures elsewhere (the President has proposed paying for it by raising taxes on the wealthiest Americans, something that Republicans oppose).

Democrats have also expressed disapproval of the payroll tax cut extension, but for a different reason. The payroll tax is a special kind of tax ...

In the latest installment of our weekly Budget Brief videos, senior research analyst Chris Hellman explains the payroll tax cuts enacted last year, the proposed extension of these cuts into 2012, and the debate over how to pay for them.

Visit the National Priorities Project YouTube channel to see our past Budget Briefs.

Obama's speech in the Rose Garden on

Monday outlined his proposal to control deficit spending, which

features the “Buffet Rule” to ensure that households earning over

$1 million do not pay a lower tax rate than middle-class Americans.

Critics of Obama's plan called this class warfare.

But in today's flagging economy, if

“class warfare” describes an assault on the highest earners, it

may also be an apt description for what's happening to more

vulnerable Americans. Census data released last week revealed that

more than 40 percent of households headed by women were impoverished

in 2010. For ...

President Obama presented the American

Jobs Act of 2011 on September 8th and sent it to Congress

on September 12th. Want to know what it's all about?

Here’s the rundown.

How does it help…

the unemployed? It makes it

illegal for employers to discriminate against unemployed job

applicants because of their unemployed status, and would extend

unemployment benefits, among other provisions.

employers? It cuts the payroll tax

in half for 98 percent of companies. It also gives a $4,000 bonus to

employers who hire the long-term unemployed.

veterans? It creates a “Returning

Heroes” tax credit to employers ...

National

Priorities Project announces the launch of its Federal

Priorities Database,

a tool which compares the way our nation spends money with the

social impact of these expenditures. The database tracks both

federal spending and social indicators (e.g., poverty rates,

renewable energy usage and enrollment in the State Children's Health

Insurance Program) and houses information at the state, county and

school district levels.

There's an

abundance of timely and vital stories in each of NPP's nine database

categories. At a time when all eyes are on the federal budget -- and census data in particular,

we hope ...