It’s crunch time. The sequester’s automatic, across-the-board spending cuts are set to go into effect on Friday, and there is no plan as yet to stop it. … The White House favors a balanced plan that would include spending cuts and some tax increases for the wealthy. Republicans reject any […] Read more »
Americans Back Spending-Cut Delay Amid Budget-Deal Push
Americans want Congress to delay steep spending cuts to give the economic recovery more time to take hold, according to a Bloomberg News poll. When Washington does confront the deficit issue, Americans back a compromise that includes more tax revenue and fundamental changes to Social Security and Medicare, a deal […] Read more »
For Walmart Moms, Budget Battles Don’t Hit Home
While Washington may be fully engaged in sequestration theater, lots of American moms are too busy with their lives to pay much attention. Terms like “chained CPI,” “Bowles-Simpson,” and “CR” are getting thrown around Washington with impunity. But, this isn’t the language that moms speak around their kitchen tables. … […] Read more »
If No Deal is Struck, Four-in-Ten Say Let the Sequester Happen
After a series of fiscal crises over the past few years, the public is not expressing a particular sense of urgency over the pending March 1 sequester deadline. With little more than a week to go, barely a quarter have heard a lot about the scheduled cuts, while about as […] Read more »
Obama Rated at 3-Year High in Poll, Republicans at Bottom
President Barack Obama enters the latest budget showdown with Congress with his highest job approval rating in three years and public support for his economic message, while his Republican opponents’ popularity stands at a record low. … Americans by 49 percent to 44 percent believe Obama’s proposals for government spending […] Read more »
Avoiding sequester possible
In just over a week, massive, across-the-board cuts will hit first-responders and soldiers, kids in schools and patients in hospitals. They needn’t. Reasonable people recognize that the country suffers from both a spending and a revenue problem. Federal receipts, mainly taxes, as a percentage of gross domestic product were lower […] Read more »