Budget Matters Blog

Category: Budget Process


Hoping to Build a Country That's Built to Last

Jackie Bray is a single mother who lost her job as a mechanic but has a new one working at a wind turbine factory in Charlotte, North Carolina. In his State of the Union Address on Tuesday night, President Obama used this story to illustrate his vision for America’s economy. ...


Budget Brief- State of the Union Preview

Senior research analyst Mattea Kramer talks about what NPP is expecting in President Obama's State of the Union Address on Tuesday night, including job creation measures and proposed higher taxes on the wealthiest earners. Watch President Obama's State of the Union Address on Tuesday Jan. 24 at 9pm EST.

State of the Union Part 2: What to listen for in Tuesday’s address

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, the State of the Union address is important in part because it gives a preview of the president’s forthcoming budget request. (In early February President Obama will release his budget request for fiscal year 2013, which begins on October 1, 2012.) National Priorities Project ...


State of the Union Part 1: Why does the State of the Union matter?

On Tuesday night President Obama will give the final State of the Union address of his first term. Much speculation precedes the address, and much analysis follows. But why does the State of the Union matter so much? One reason the State of the Union has been important historically is ...


Federal Spending in New Hampshire

Senior research analyst Mattea Kramer explains how much federal money flows into New Hampshire to assist New Hampshire residents and keep the state government solvent.

The Role of Federal Money in Your State

NPP recently examined the role of federal money in Iowa and New Hampshire. Key data in this report came from our Federal Priorities Database and are available to anyone interested in researching other states: Federal Aid to Individuals (1993-2010) Federal Tax Collection (1998-2010) Federal Aid to Individuals Using a report from ...


Federal Spending Keeps Iowa, New Hampshire Afloat

This month the first voters head to the polls to decide who will be the Republican nominee for president. National Priorities Project took a look at the extent to which residents of the first primary states, Iowa and New Hampshire, receive federal support—even if they may be unaware of it. ...


Did You Miss the “’Bus?”

Congress has passed a budget for Fiscal Year 2012. Did you miss it?If you did, that’s understandable, given all the noise coming out of Washington in recent weeks about extending the Social Security payroll tax holiday and unemployment benefits for the long-term unemployed.But Congress actually did pass an FY2012 budget, ...

Millions of Workers Facing Loss of Unemployment Benefits

This week’s headlines from Washington have focused on an end of year budget deal that would avoid a federal government shutdown and the expiration of a temporary reduction in workers’ Social Security payroll deductions. Two important issues, to be sure, but left somewhere in the dust is another and arguably ...


Budget Brief: Proposed Payroll Tax Cut Extension

In the latest installment of our weekly Budget Brief videos, senior research analyst Chris Hellman explains the payroll tax cuts enacted last year, the proposed extension of these cuts into 2012, and the debate over how to pay for them.