Government Spending & Fiscal Policy News

Another year, another “government shutdown” fight on Capitol Hill. As of this writing, 12 appropriations bills need to pass by Sept. 30 or the government will “shut down.” This means that some workers will be furloughed and most agencies will close temporarily. We had a similar situation last December and the result was a rather…

If Congressmen are serious about border security, they will use the power of the purse to secure America’s borders, according to Lora Ries. Congress is gearing up for debates over the federal budget and some Republicans say they won’t support any spending bill that gives money to the Department of Homeland Security without action being…

Police departments in Los Angeles, Denver, Milwaukee, and Minneapolis provide expensive security details for mayors and other city officials even as those mayors cut funding and positions in those departments. The Los Angeles Police Department’s more than $1.8 billion budget initially was cut by $150 million in 2020 (a portion of the cut was restored in 2021), eliminating…

The U.S. House of Representatives left Washington July 27 for its lengthy summer recess having only passed one of 12 spending bills required to fund the government for the upcoming fiscal year beginning Oct. 1. While all 12 bills have welcome reductions, they lack the more substantial cuts necessary to trim the deficit and stop…

This week, Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and President Joe Biden cut a deal to raise the debt limit. The breakthrough came after three months of Biden pledging not to even negotiate over the debt limit. Instead, Biden was forced to concede to a 1% cap on increases for non-military spending, a cutback…

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., released text April 19 of legislation dubbed the Limit, Save, Grow Act. The bill, a focus of internal negotiations among House Republicans, would provide an increase in the federal debt ceiling lasting into next spring in exchange for a package of reforms aimed at lowering future deficits and boosting economic…