Shutdown

Government Shutdown Odds Change

AP | DAVID ESPO and ALAN FRAM | Posted 02.15.2012

WASHINGTON — Senate leaders agreed on compromise legislation Friday night to extend Social Security payroll tax cuts and jobless benefits for tw...

Republican Hostage-Taking Threat Again! Guess Who Benefits?

Dave Johnson | Posted 02.13.2012

Dave Johnson

Republicans are holding government hostage, trying to force through cuts to the things We, the People -- "the 99%" -- do for each other and our economy, while giving handouts to the 1%. Once again they are threatening to shut down the whole government if they don't get their way.

House Debates Bill To Avert Impending Government Shutdown

AP | ALAN FRAM | Posted 01.17.2012

WASHINGTON — A weekend government shutdown that neither party wanted was averted when Congress approved a compromise spending bill Thursday, as ...

Government Shutdowns Get The 1% What They Want

Dave Johnson | Posted 01.15.2012

Dave Johnson

A while back I was writing about the Republican threat of a government-wide shutdown, and the two-week Federal Aviation Administration shutdown (and D...

Historical Context Missing From Debt Ceiling Reporting

Chris Weigant | Posted 09.13.2011

Chris Weigant

Back in 1995 and 1996, a government shutdown actually happened -- twice. The debt ceiling was not raised, but the country did not default. President Clinton actively used his veto pen, as the Republicans sent him bills that they knew he would not sign.

Idled Minnesota Public Employees Holding On – For Now

AP | STEVE KARNOWSKI and AMY FORLITI | Posted 09.09.2011

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Kent Mechels spent the last three Christmases away from his family plowing snow off Minnesota roads so people could drive safe...

Google Shuts Down Invites To Social Network Due To 'Insane Demand'

The Huffington Post | Alana Horowitz | Posted 08.30.2011

If you were among the lucky people given a Google+ invite, treasure it. Though users were previously allowed to invite friends to try out Google's new...

Weekly Audit: Government Shutdown Averted, But At What Cost?

The Media Consortium | Posted 06.12.2011

The Media Consortium

By Lindsay Beyerstein, Media Consortium blogger Congressional leaders and President Barack Obama reached an eleventh hour budget deal on Friday night,...

Friday Talking Points [162] -- Budget Standoff Continues

Chris Weigant | Posted 06.08.2011

Chris Weigant

This whole government shutdown walk-to-the-brink-and-stare-into-the-abyss thing is nothing more than the warmup for the next budgetary battles -- which will be much bigger.

Elise Foley

Senate Dem Aide: Deal To Avert Shutdown Reached 1.5 Hours Before Deadline

HuffingtonPost.com | Elise Foley | Posted 06.08.2011

WASHINGTON -- As House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) briefed his conference on the broad strokes of a government funding bill, aides behind the scenes...

Arthur Delaney

Shutdown Meal Scare For More Than 100 D.C. Seniors

HuffingtonPost.com | Arthur Delaney | Posted 06.08.2011

Betty Bracy said the phone rang at her Northwest Washington, D.C. apartment around 3 p.m. on Friday. The voice on the line told her she shouldn't expe...

Pulling the Plug on Working Families to Give Tax Cuts to Millionaires

Mike Lux | Posted 06.08.2011

Mike Lux

Paul Ryan's tax breaks total more than $4.1 trillion. What does that mean for you? 90 percent of Americans will see their taxes go up under the Ryan budget.

At Least We Still Can Go Broke

Alan Grayson | Posted 06.07.2011

Alan Grayson

What does a government shutdown mean? It means no more government student loans, no pay for the troops, no more government-backed mortgages, and no tax refunds (one week before taxes are due). But there is one thing you can still do.

What the President Should Have Said About J.T. Henderson -- and Other 'Real People'

Richard (RJ) Eskow | Posted 06.07.2011

Richard (RJ) Eskow

Last night, the president quoted J.T.'s remarks about "grandstanding" and added: "I could not have said it better myself." With all due respect, Mr. President, I believe you could have said it better yourself.

Unnecessary Shutdown, Unnecessary Austerity

Chuck Collins | Posted 06.07.2011

Chuck Collins

Our communities are enduring mammoth state and federal budget cuts because we have failed to sufficiently tax America's billionaires or prevent aggressive tax avoidance by multinational companies.

The Shutdown Shuffle Is the Latest Craze!

Rick Horowitz | Posted 06.07.2011

Rick Horowitz

Not my fault. Don't blame me. The shutdown, I mean. I'm glad we could clear that up. Because the last thing I want to see happen is to be held even vaguely responsible for even a tiny little bit of it.

Budget Showdown Aims To Quietly Exempt Pentagon and Focus All Cuts on Social Programs

David Sirota | Posted 06.06.2011

David Sirota

The unwritten and unspoken story of the budget showdown in Washington is the tale of both parties deliberately working to once again exempt the ever-growing Pentagon from America's larger deficit discussion.

Republican Shutdown Shuts Down the Economy -- So Do the Cuts They Demand

Dave Johnson | Posted 06.06.2011

Dave Johnson

Already, Americans face a host of economic woes. The unemployment rate remains high. Home prices are still falling, aggravating a widespread foreclosure crisis. A prolonged federal shutdown would push the economy toward recession.

Two Reluctant Bargainers

Chris Weigant | Posted 06.06.2011

Chris Weigant

With the possibility of a government shutdown looming, it's hard not to see how uncomfortable both Speaker of the House John Boehner and President Barack Obama are at this sort of bare-knuckles game.

Zach Carter

Obama Rejects Tax Increase On Big Business

HuffingtonPost.com | Zach Carter | Posted 06.06.2011

WASHINGTON -- As Congress grinds closer to shutting down the federal government and the White House floats proposals to cut social services for workin...

OPM Addresses Potential Affect Of Government Shutdown On Federal Employees

Posted 06.06.2011

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) issued a statement addressing what a government shutdown would mean for federal employees should lawmakers fa...

Sam Stein

Biden Heads To Hill As Roadmap For Government Funding Resolution Emerges

HuffingtonPost.com | Sam Stein | Posted 05.30.2011

WASHINGTON -- Vice President Joseph Biden is meeting with Senate Democratic leadership Wednesday night in an effort to get officials on the same page ...

Negotiation 101 for Dems: The Right Policies Are the Right Politics

Dave Johnson | Posted 05.30.2011

Dave Johnson

The first rule of negotiating is to pick the right starting position, understanding you will have to give some things up to reach agreement. At the very least, Democrats should start with the best policies for the public, and negotiate from there.

Sam Stein

Cantor Debuts Bill That Would Make GOP Budget Law Of Land Should Shutdown Become Imminent

HuffingtonPost.com | Sam Stein | Posted 05.30.2011

WASHINGTON -- House Republicans will introduce legislation, likely by the end of this week, that would make it so that if Congress is unable to come t...

Budget Fight: Why Are Republicans Forcing a Shutdown?

Dave Johnson | Posted 05.29.2011

Dave Johnson

Why are Republicans forcing a government shutdown and doing other things aimed at blowing up the economy? The question isn't "are they," it is why are they?