NPP’s new report “The Untold Story of Deficits in Washington” has sparked a LOT of questions about federal revenues – the “budwonk” word for “taxes” – especially this one: “Is it true that half of all Americans pay no federal taxes?”Here’s the deal. Because many people don’t earn enough to ...

Have you ever felt confused when hearing about the federal budget? Do you feel that the frequent debates in Washington about deficit and spending are complex, and you wish you understood them? Then A People’s Guide to the Federal Budget is the book for you. The book is written in very simple language, making it accessible for the average reader with absolutely no previous knowledge of the federal budget.

The week of July 16 was a big one in Washington for Pentagon watchers. The House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to approve the fiscal year 2013 Defense Appropriations bill, while the House Armed Services Committee held hearings on the potential impact of upcoming spending cuts on the Pentagon’s budget.The FY2013 ...

Last week President Obama affirmed his support for letting the Bush-era tax cuts expire for American families making over $250,000. There was a flurry of activity on our Facebook page as folks debated the merits of extending all the tax cuts versus allowing them to expire for upper-income taxpayers. And there were lots of questions and some confusion over who benefits from these tax cuts.

As I travel with candidates to meet voters across the state of Maine, I see people who disconnect from politics because they are overwhelmed and confused by the political landscape. Because of that confusion, I find that most people retreat from discussions about budget priorities – on the state and federal levels – and pass up opportunities to advocate for themselves and their families. 

With the end of the current fiscal year rapidly approaching, what many Washington watchers have long predicted appears to be true – Congress will not act on next year’s budget by the October 1 deadline.“But wait,” you’re saying, “October is a long way from now. How can you be sure?”

C. Chandler of Newcastle, WA, asks, “I keep hearing how bad these automatic spending cuts will be for the Pentagon. Will any other programs get cut?”We get a LOT of questions about the automatic spending cuts – known as sequestration – called for under the Budget Control Act (BCA) of ...

Bob from Vacaville, California, wrote in to ask us for some fact checking. He said he hears all the time that the size of the federal government has ballooned under President Obama, and wondered if that could be true given all of the budget cuts.

The Challenge NPP is participating in the Knight News Challenge, seeking funding for the mobile piece of our new Backyard Budget project. Please help us strengthen our proposal by reading it and telling us what you think; you can do this on the News Challenge website. What is Backyard Budget ...

This week, in honor of high school and college graduations, we’re talking about job creation and employment. There’s much disagreement over the federal government and job creation—that is, if the federal government can, or should, create jobs.