Category Archives: Budget

Phones swamped, servers crash as voters slam Congress

By doris | Published: July 26, 2011

Full Story at CNN.com Washington (CNN) — House switchboards have been flooded by phone calls — nearly twice the normal average — and hit with an unusual volume of constituent e-mails as voters voice their concern over the worsening debt-ceiling crisis. At least 104 of 279 congressional websites surveyed by CNN were down or had [...]

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Obama endorses ‘Gang of Six’ deficit plan

By doris | Published: July 19, 2011

Full Story at msnbc.com WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama gave his endorsement Tuesday to a deficit reduction plan offered by a bipartisan group of six senators, urging congressional leaders to use that blueprint as the basis for a bill that he can sign into law before the Aug. 2 debt limit deadline.                                                                                               He acknowledged that [...]

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Feds get a dose of kitchen-table economics

By doris | Published: July 17, 2011

Full Story at msnbc.com WASHINGTON — The debt crisis has brought the government to the “kitchen table” to do something that hard-pressed families do routinely, which is tear their hair out over how to pay the bills. Pawn the family jewelry? Emptying gold reserves at Fort Knox and other repositories could raise a very handy [...]

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Health care cuts proposed in deficit negotiations

By doris | Published: July 5, 2011

Full Story at msnbc.com WASHINGTON — Obama administration officials are offering to cut tens of billions of dollars from Medicare and Medicaid in negotiations to reduce the federal budget deficit, but the depth of the cuts depends on whether Republicans are willing to accept any increases in tax revenues.

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Obama: ‘Nothing can be off-limits’ in budget

By doris | Published: July 4, 2011

Full Story at msnbc.com WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama said Saturday that “nothing can be off-limits” in the budget debate — even though Republicans have said tax increases are. The president said every tax break and federal program must come under scrutiny. With an Aug. 2 deadline looming to raise the government borrowing limit, the [...]

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Is the debt ceiling unconstitutional?

By doris | Published: July 2, 2011

Full Story at money.cnn.com NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Amid fears the United States risks default if lawmakers don’t raise the debt ceiling on time, some are suggesting President Obama could save the day by big-footing Congress. How? By invoking the Constitution and directing Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner to keep borrowing even if it means going [...]

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It’s D-day for state budgets

By doris | Published: July 1, 2011

Full Story at money.cnn.com NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Despite all the heated rhetoric and the gloomy economic forecasts, most states will start the new fiscal year Friday with budgets in place. But it looks likely that at least three states — Minnesota, Iowa and Massachusetts — could miss the deadline. Lawmakers and governors in several [...]

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Unemployment Benefits Cut in South Carolina

By doris | Published: June 24, 2011

Full Story at news.Yahoo.com South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley signed into law this week legislation reducing the total number of weeks jobless workers eligible for regular unemployment benefits could receive said benefits. The customary number, one used until recently across the United States, was 26 weeks. Under the newly passed legislation, according to The State, [...]

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Debt talks collapse, Republicans walk out over taxes

By doris | Published: June 23, 2011

Full Story at news.Yahoo.com WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. budget talks collapsed on Thursday after Republican negotiators walked out, throwing doubt on Washington’s ability to reach a deal that would allow the government to keep borrowing and avoid a debt default. Representative Eric Cantor, the No. 2 Republican in the House of Representatives, said participants had [...]

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Haley Opens Dangerous Can of Worms Over GOP Primary Funding Refusal

By doris | Published: June 22, 2011

Full Story at news.Yahoo.com COMMENTARY | South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley has decided there is no room in the state budget to help with the funding of the Republican primary. Even though the Haley is a Republican, she does not believe it should be the responsibility of the state to come up with funding for [...]

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Paul Ryan confronts Obama on Medicare

By doris | Published: June 1, 2011

Full Story at POLITICO.com Rep. Paul Ryan directly confronted President Barack Obama over Democratic ridicule of Ryan’s controversial Medicare overhaul plan – while other GOP leaders accused the president for “demagoguery” during a chilly bipartisan White House meeting. Ryan, a Wisconsin Republican who chairs the House Budget Committee, pressed the president to stop describing his [...]

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McConnell rejects higher taxes on oil firms

By doris | Published: May 16, 2011

Full Story at msnbc.com WASHINGTON — Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell on Sunday rejected a proposal to scale back tax breaks for big oil firms, calling it a political maneuver.McConnell said the Democratic plan to repeal major tax incentives would “raise the price of gas at the pump, send jobs overseas” and make the United [...]

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