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We dodged another government shutdown

Mar 23, 2018
It was a busy week in Washington.
President Donald Trump gestures to the $1.3 trillion spending bill passed by Congress early Friday, with Vice President Mike Pence, center, and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, left, at the White House.
Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Congress votes to reopen government, passes budget deal

Feb 9, 2018
The budget deal amounts to $400 billion.
Sen. James Risch (R-ID) (L) and Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) leave the U.S. Capitol following early morning votes on Friday in Washington, D.C. Despite an attempt by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) to slow down the process, the Senate passed bipartisan legislation to continue to fund the government and lift strict budget caps.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Two-year Senate budget deal provides certainty and busts spending caps

Feb 7, 2018
Of course, the Senate deal has to be approved by the House and signed by President Donald Trump. But, assuming that happens, we wouldn’t have to worry about shutdowns or continuing resolutions until the end of fiscal 2019. So what then would a two-year spending plan mean for the federal government?  Click the audio player […]

Big cuts ahead for energy innovation programs

Jul 10, 2017
Funding for the much-lauded ARPA-E innovation program, which funds energy projects with serious potential, will be removed.
Aaron Palumbo looks into a furnace he helped develop in a lab on the University of Colorado campus in Boulder. His company, Big Blue Technologies, received a $3.6 million ARPA-E grant in 2014.
Dan Boyce for Marketplace

For advocacy groups, the federal budget is mainly a blueprint for battle

May 23, 2017
The federal budget released today is pretty much a fantasy document that will be dead on arrival when it gets to Congress, economists say. But even scaled back, proposed budget cuts to Medicaid, food assistance and other programs for the poor are likely to tear a hole in the safety net the likes of which […]

Video: The envelope, please?

Feb 27, 2017
On our weekly Facebook Live video, Kai and Molly talk about the Oscars historic snafu, the president's upcoming budget and more.

What the heck is reconciliation?

Jan 12, 2017
And how is Congress using it to dismantle Obamacare?

For public good, not for profit.

Short-term funding leads to long-term problems

Sep 30, 2015
Uncertainty can be expensive.

The budget as a starting point for tax reform

Feb 2, 2015
It will be months before we get detailed plans for tax reform from either party.

Obama proposes free community college plan

Jan 9, 2015
"No one with the drive and discipline" should be denied a college education, president says.