Budget Matters Blog

Category: Social Insurance, Earned Benefits, & Safety Net


Field Notes: Creating Change in Washington

Earlier this week I went to Washington, D.C. for the international conference of RESULTS, a nonpartisan organization working to end hunger and poverty by empowering individuals to exercise their personal and political power. The goal of RESULTS is captured in this quote by former Oregon Republican Senator Mark Hatfield:“We stand ...

Congress Taking Food from Poor Women and Children to Save a Few Bucks?

Ask Kyle – Putting the “Bud” back in Federal BudgetWell...maybe. The actual answer is complicated. Although that might be an a reasonable conclusion to draw if you recently read that Congress was planning to slash more than $832 million from the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Nutrition Program. WIC helps ...

Human Needs Groups Help Constituents Tell Their Stories

Half in Ten, the campaign to cut poverty in half in ten years, in partnership with the Coalition on Human Needs (CHN), which heads up the "SAVE for All" coalition, have launched the "Stories" website. Together they "are collecting videos and written testimony from affected individuals from across the country ...

What the heck does the federal budget have to do with Michigan?

I had the real privilege of speaking at the Michigan Forum on Jobs and Human Needs on Saturday, March 6, 2001. Sponsored by a great mix of labor, faith, peace and student groups, the event was held in Lansing, Michigan, the state's capital, which is located within Ingham County. Many ...

President Obama's 2012 Budget

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 ...

The FY2012 Budget Message of the President

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 ...

The President Speaks

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 ...

On the Block: Energy Assistance Programs

p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }a:link { } By Samantha Dana During the holiday season, many of us wish for a “White Christmas” while we “dream by the fire.” For others, the warmth of the season is illusive, with high heating costs and declining income leaving them vulnerable to the cold. ...

The work of the lame duck

Congress is scheduled to return on November 15 for what is known as a lame duck session – a post-election period when members who have been voted out of office return to Washington to continue work prior to January when the new Congress will be sworn in. Members will work ...

Jobs, Deficits & Taxes

On election night, Democrats and Republicans agreed - it's all about jobs, deficits and taxes.While they agree on the problem, they absolutely disagree on the solutions.And the big question is, what's going to happen in Congress?Join us as NPP demystifies three of the most pressing issues of our time from ...