Congress is currently struggling to pass a budget for FY 2011 (which began six months ago). The debate has been overtaken by overwhelming concern about both the annual deficit and the national debt which is approaching $14 trillion. In the two-week continuing resolution passed on March 2, higher education programs ...

Budgeting Process How does the budget go from an idea to a law? Each February, the Office of Management and Budget, which is part of the White House, releases the President's budget requests for the next fiscal year, which starts October 1. The House of Representatives and the Senate subcommittees ...

p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }a:link { } On February 19, 2011 the House of Representatives passed the Republican majority's version of the Fiscal Year 2011 spending bill, which contains funding for the entire federal government through the end of September. 162 amendments were offered during consideration of the bill and ...

NPP Provides State-Level Analysis of the President'sFiscal Year 2012 Budget RequestToday the White House released the Obama Administration's budget request for Fiscal Year 2012, which begins on October 1, 2011. As expected, the estimated $3.7 trillion FY2012 request contains a number of critical policy and fiscal goals, including: Reducing the ...

To the Congress of the United States:America is emerging from the worst recession in generations. In 2010, an economy that had beenshrinking began to grow again. After nearly 2 years of job losses, America’s businesses added morethan one million jobs. Our capital and credit markets are functioning and strong. Manufacturing ...

p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }a:link { } Now we move from the large, tumultuous body of the House of Representatives to the smaller and more deliberative Senate. In the Constitutional compromise, the Senate is meant to prevent hasty action by the House, serve as a check on the ambition of ...

p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }a:link { } [Editor's Note: As part of its version of a new Continuing Resolution to provide government funding for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2011, the House Republican leadership is considering some functional changes that might impact current House procedures. Look for an upcoming issue ...

As one third of the country prepares for winter weather this week, state and local governments are struggling to find a way to pay for the aftermath. Snow and ice removal is taking a toll on budgets across the country, and winter is not yet over. Today we'll take a ...

Tuesday night, the President delivered his annual State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress. Article II, Section 3 of the US Constitution requires the President to “from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration ...

The Politics of Health Care PolicyEven before the November 2, 2010 elections catapulted them back into power in the U.S. House of Representatives, members of the Republican leadership were already announcing their intention to repeal “Obamacare” – the health care reform legislation enacted by Congress only eight months earlier – ...