Discretionary Spending

Government Spending on Autopilot: Prepare for the Crash

Lenwood Brooks | Posted 04.04.2012

Read More: Government Spending, Federal Budget, GOP Budget, Federal Budget Deficit, Obama Government Spending, Budget, Discretionary Spending, Social Security, Mandatory Spending, Medicare, Politics News
Lenwood Brooks

Congress must take control of the federal budget process, which means taking responsibility for all spending programs to get the deficit under control. If Congress doesn't start relearning how to fly, we all need to be prepared for a fiscal crash.

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Detroit Really Does Matter?

Daniel Cherrin | Posted 03.06.2012

Read More: Economic Uncertainty, Discretionary Spending, Congress, Emergency Financial Managers, Debt Ceiling, Detroit, Detroit City Finances, Detroit News
Daniel Cherrin

Detroit and Detroiters changed the way people live, work and enjoy their lives. Detroit then and Detroit today, stands as an emblem of America's spirit.

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Americans Tolerate Price Hikes On Everyday Products

AP | CHRISTINA REXRODE | Posted 01.26.2012

Read More: Clothing Prices, U.S. Economy, Price Hikes, Discretionary Spending, Price Increases, Consumer Prices, Nike, Disposable Income, Starbucks, McDonald's, Food Prices, Consumer Spending, Prices, Business News

NEW YORK — The way Americans are chomping Big Macs, lacing up pricey sneakers and gulping peppermint mochas in this economy, you'd think they're...

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Disappointing Reports of Deficit Plans That Target Vulnerable People

Deborah Weinstein | Posted 01.02.2012

Read More: Deficit, Discretionary Spending, Super Committee, Federal Budget Deficit, Social Security Cuts, Congress Super Committee, Deficit Reduction, Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, Super Committee Cuts, Democrats Super Committee, Politics News
Deborah Weinstein

Democrats cannot keep putting cuts on the table that will hurt low-income people, only to see their package rejected by the Republicans, who are likely to adopt every spending cut proposal but little or none of the revenues.

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Grim Realities in the Obama Budget Plan

Jeffrey Sachs | Posted 11.21.2011

Read More: Entitlements, Obama Deficit Reduction, Discretionary Spending, Progressive Movement, Budget, Bush Tax Cuts, Politics News
Jeffrey Sachs

Obama may be leaning against the right-wing juggernaut, but he is not changing its direction, only slightly blunting its force. He has already given in where it counts by agreeing with the Republicans in August to slash the core of the discretionary civilian budget.

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Federal Agencies Warned To Prepare For More Cuts

AOL Government | Wyatt Kash | Posted 10.18.2011

Read More: U.S. Economy, Debt, Debt Ceiling, Budget Cuts, Budget, Economy, Office of Management and Budget, Federal Spending, Business, 2013 Budget, Political News, White House Office of Management and Budget, Discretionary Spending, Federal Agencies, Debt Deal, Debt Negotiations, Jacob Lew, Economic Growth, Debt Ceiling Debate, Politics News

Federal agency and department leaders should plan for a 5 percent reduction in discretionary spending in fiscal year 2013, and prepare for more cuts -...

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NY Times: Debt Deal Does 'Real Damage' At The Local Level

The New York Times | Editors | Posted 10.14.2011

Read More: Discretionary Spending, State Spending, Debt Ceiling, State Aid, Spending Cuts, Debt Deal, Federal Spending, Republicans, Municipalities, Business News

States and cities had already endured a harrowing three-year financial slide when the debt-ceiling crisis darkened their outlooks even further. In the...

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Joy Resmovits

What The Debt Deal Means For Kids In School

HuffingtonPost.com | Joy Resmovits | Posted 10.02.2011

Read More: Education News, Education, Discretionary Spending, Debt Ceiling, Spending Cuts, Randi Weingarten, Race to the Top, Teachers Unions, u.s. Department of Education, 112th Congress, K-12 Spending, Joel Packer, Teachers, Pell Grants, Education News

Public schools around the country averted an immediate spending crisis when Congress voted Tuesday afternoon to pass an 11th-hour deal to raise the de...

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The Boehner Proposal Does Contain Tax Increases... on Children

Ethan Pollack | Posted 09.28.2011

Read More: Discretionary Spending, Debt Ceiling, Boehner, John Boehner Debt Ceiling, Politics News
Ethan Pollack

The debt ceiling budgetary proposal put forth by House Speaker John Boehner includes a huge, hidden, and destructive tax increase on those least able to fight back, or even register their opposition: children.

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De-Mystifying the Budget Debate

Jeffrey Sachs | Posted 06.18.2011

Read More: Obama Budget, Deficit, Discretionary Spending, Social Security, Congressional Progressive Caucus, Budget, Paul Ryan Budget, Politics News
Jeffrey Sachs

The White House and the Congress have completely sidelined the public in the budget processes. Numbers and plans are thrown around in order to obscure rather than clarify the choices being made behind closed doors.

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Elise Foley

House Approves Bill With Massive Spending Cuts After All-Night Session

HuffingtonPost.com | Elise Foley | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: House of Representatives, Harold Rogers, John Boehner, Barney Frank, Regulation, Mike Pence, Mike Pompeo, House Republicans, Environmental Protection Agency, Stopgap Spending, Continuing Resolution, Greenhouse Gases, Cfpb, Nancy Pelosi, Defense Spending, Tea Party, Financial Regulation, Pentagon, Abortion, Steve Scalise, Funding Bill, House GOP, Government Shutdown, Government Funding, F-35 Second Engines, $60 Billion in Cuts, Planned Parenthood, Domestic Spending, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Barack Obama, Jackie Speier, Steve King, Discretionary Spending, Rush Holt, Military Spending, Pledge to America, Health Care Reform, Social Services, Harry Reid, Sec, Veto, Securities and Exchange Commission, Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection, Czars, Brad Miller, Politics News

***UPDATED*** WASHINGTON - After an all-night session, House Republicans early Saturday morning passed legislation that would slash $60 billion in ...

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Paul Ryan's Budget: Unnecessary Pain With No Long-Term Gain

Andrew Fieldhouse | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Obama Budget, Discretionary Spending, Paul Ryan, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Cbo, Homeland Security, National Science Foundation, Nonsecurity Discretionary Spending, House Budget Committee, Politics News
Andrew Fieldhouse

It's not the non-security discretionary budget that is the culprit of today's deficit. But if enacted, Paul Ryan's proposed budget would have devastating consequences in those key public investments.

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The 5-Year Spending Freeze: What Would It Mean?

The Huffington Post | William Alden | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Business News, Discretionary Spending, Spending Freeze, Five-Year Freeze, Barack Obama, Economic Crisis, Federal Budget, Business News

President Barack Obama proposed a five-year freeze in government spending in his State of the Union speech Tuesday night, but the actual significance ...

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Welcome to Paul Ryan's House - and budget

Andrew Fieldhouse | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Deficit, Discretionary Spending, National Debt, Social Security, Paul Ryan Roadmap, John Boehner, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Medicare, State of the Union, Paul Ryan, Bush Tax Cuts, Politics News
Andrew Fieldhouse

Not until recently, though, was Ryan's "Roadmap" paid much heed, but new rules passed at the beginning of the 112th Congress substantially empowered him as role as House Budget Committee Chairman.

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The Real World vs. The Make Believe World

Robert K. Lifton | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Discretionary Spending, Medicare, Joe Kernen, Social Security, Tom Friedman, Business News
Robert K. Lifton

The Kernen mantra that we should just "get government out of the way" disguises the problem with misdirection.

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Fiscal Reform from the Radical Center

Will Marshall | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Maya MacGuineas, Bill Galston, Deficit, Discretionary Spending, Fiscal Commission, Gdp, Social Security, President Obama, Medicaid, Medicare, Fiscal Reform Blueprint, Economic Growth, Debts, Politics News
Will Marshall

The big question is what impact the midterm election will have on the politics of fiscal evasion. Here's hoping that President Obama will give a close look to fiscal discipline that demands equal sacrifice from the left and the right.

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The Top-Spending Cities In America (PHOTOS)

Huffington Post | Nathaniel Cahners Hindman | Posted 09.20.2011

Read More: Bundle, Discretionary Spending, Cable, Entertainment, US Destinations, Slidepollajax, Travel, Top-Spending Cities, Satellite, Consumer Spending, Destinations, Business News

Last year, residents of Arlington, Virginia might have done more to jump-start the economy than any other area in the nation. Consumer spending ac...

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