Taxes & Budget
Coverage of the national budget and your taxes.
Senate Democrats opt for partisan vote on a 3-year extension of enhanced Obamacare subsidies
Senate Democrats plan to use their GOP-promised health care vote next week to try to advance a clean three-year extension of enhanced Obamacare subsidies because they say no bipartisan path is available.
Democrats refusing to negotiate on Obamacare subsidies
Democrats, believing they have the political upper hand on a health care cliff they created, are rebuffing GOP alternatives to extending enhanced Obamacare subsidies set to expire this year.
What’s in the GOP’s plan for government-funded, tax-exempt HSA — and why Democrats don’t like it
Congressional Republicans are considering tax-exempt health savings accounts as their preferred vehicle to deliver on President Trump’s call to send taxpayer-funded health care subsidies directly to consumers instead of insurers.
More Americans ‘polyworking’ to offset inflation, stagnant wages
A growing number of Americans are working second, third, even fourth jobs to offset inflation and stagnant wages.
DOGE without Musk is still buzz-sawing through government waste
The death of DOGE has been greatly exaggerated.
Trump says tariff revenue poised to ‘skyrocket,’ urges quick decision in Supreme Court case
President Trump urged the Supreme Court on Monday to decide a “time sensitive” case that could blow a big hole in his trade agenda, saying tariff payments are poised to “skyrocket” and he doesn’t want to see his plans ruined.
Judge blocks IRS from sharing data with ICE
A federal judge ruled Friday that the IRS appears to have broken the law when it reached an agreement to share secret taxpayer data with ICE, and ordered a pause to the practice.
Nearly 800 air traffic controllers, technicians to get $10K bonus for perfect attendance in shutdown
Hundreds of air traffic controllers and technicians who had perfect attendance during the government shutdown will be awarded $10,000 for their “patriotic work to ensure the safety of the skies,” the Federal Aviation Administration announced Thursday.
$500 million in food stamps spent at fast-food restaurants
Food stamps are supposed to be spent on nutritious meals — but nine states currently allow them to be spent at fast-food restaurants, such as McDonald’s.
‘Sanctuary census’: Republicans say Democrats stole power through bogus 2020 count
Congressional Republicans called for an overhaul of Census Bureau procedures before the next count is due, saying the agency ran the 2020 version with “fake” people and shifted power away from GOP-leaning states by undercounting their population.
Court settlement calls for NPR to get $36M in government funds to operate U.S. public radio system
National Public Radio will receive approximately $36 million in grant money to operate the nation’s public radio interconnection system under the terms of a court settlement with the federal government’s steward of funding for public broadcasting stations.
Postal Service needs revenue growth, not just cuts, postmaster general says
The U.S. Postal Service can’t fix its finances through cuts alone, Postmaster General David Steiner said Friday.
Trump rolls back tariffs on grocery items, and critics say it’s an admission tariffs raise prices
President Trump has signed an executive order to reduce tariffs on grocery items that have risen in price or cannot be grown easily in the U.S.
New report finds federal workforce grows slowly while pay skyrockets
The federal civilian workforce is growing modestly, but its pay has grown nearly fivefold since 2020, with an 80% increase in government workers who pocket salaries over $200,000 and $300,000, according to a new report.
Trump signs final bill to reopen government after record shutdown
President Trump signed legislation late Wednesday ending the record-long government shutdown, resolving the 43-day closure caused by Democrats’ demand to increase spending on Obamacare subsidies.
