Blog - /blog/2011/09/21/American_Jobs_Act_Scoop/
Sept. 21, 2011 - President Obama presented the American Jobs Act of 2011 on September 8th and sent it to Congress on September 12th. Want to know what it's all about? Here’s the rundown. How does it help… the unemploy...
Blog - /blog/2011/09/14/mapping-essential-data/
Sept. 14, 2011 - National Priorities Project announces the launch of its Federal Priorities Database, a tool which compares the way our nation spends money with the social impact of these expenditures. The database tr...
Blog - /blog/2011/09/12/debt-ceiling-mach2-the-super-committee/
Sept. 12, 2011 - Do you remember (as unpleasant as it may be) the debt-ceiling fiasco that happened a little more than a month ago? Well in case you need a refresher, the end result called for an immediate $917 ...
Blog - /blog/2011/08/31/unemployment-insurance-overview/
Aug. 31, 2011 - Unemployment insurance (UI) is a joint venture between the federal government and the states: each state sets its own recipient critera based on federal guidelines. The federal government collects ...
Analysis - /analysis/2011/end-year-military-spending-wrap-up/
Aug. 26, 2011 - In the coming weeks the “Super Committee” of twelve Senators and Members of Congress will begin deliberating ways to generate as much as $1.5 trillion in deficit reduction over a decade. B...
Blog - /blog/2011/08/24/white-house-schedules-budget-call/
Aug. 24, 2011 - The White House Office of Public Engagement has scheduled a series of ten state calls (see list and specific invitation below). Note there are two calls today (Wednesday) for folks in California and C...
Blog - /blog/2011/08/10/mainers-vote-their-priorities/
Aug. 10, 2011 - In the midst of Congressional debates about debt, budget cuts, and tax increases, a “penny poll” was held in every Maine county asking participants, “How would you like your federal tax dollars spent?...
Blog - /blog/2011/08/03/the-new-debt-deal/
Aug. 3, 2011 - Well friends it's August 3, and despite their best efforts Congress and the President did finally pass a deal to raise the debt-ceiling. It's call the Budget Control Act of 2011. Happy days, right? No...
Blog - /blog/2011/08/01/congress-to-pass-debt-deal/
Aug. 1, 2011 - Well, people, it's August 1, just hours away from the deadline for raising the debt-ceiling and avoiding a disastrous U.S. credit default. As this story has unfolded, we've had some laughs, shared som...
Blog - /blog/2011/07/28/precarious-position-anti-poverty-programs/
July 28, 2011 - p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }a:link { } There are a deluge of budget proposals and compromises that Congress is trying to quickly wade through as the August 2nd date for default on our federal debt dra...
Blog - /blog/2011/07/25/debt-ceiling-recap-july-24-30/
July 25, 2011 - We left off last week with a Boehner-Obama breakup that would've made the writers of Dawson's Creek green with envy. On Friday, it was rumored the two were close to striking a deal on the debt-ceiling...
Blog - /blog/2011/07/19/debt-ceiling-recap-july-17-23/
July 19, 2011 - We left off last week with the White House talks crumbling, the GOP rallying around the sure-to-fail Cut, Cap & Balance Act, and Sen. Mitch McConnell's “last ditch” plan gaining traction, at least...
Blog - /blog/2011/07/18/debt-ceiling-recap-week-july-10/
July 18, 2011 - A LOT of people have been asking me for details of what's been going on with the debt-ceiling. And rightly so, there's a flood of information out there. But here's the important stuff:On Thursday, Jul...
Blog - /blog/2011/07/07/everythings-amazing-and-nobodys-happy-where-we-are-right-now-debt-deal/
July 7, 2011 - Everybody wants to reduce the deficit, right? Elected officials across the political spectrum, business and labor groups, even 81% of everyday Americans (according to a poll by the Pew Research ...
Blog - /blog/2011/06/30/dead-budget-society-or-why-appropriations-process-doesnt-matter-right-now/
June 30, 2011 - Oh Captain! My Captain! Our fearful trip is done; Our ship has weather'd every rack, the prize we sought is won; The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting! Well...not quite. Although...
Blog - /blog/2011/06/28/consumer-protection-who-needs-its-house-appropriations-committee/
June 28, 2011 - If you're like most humans, when you see “Appropriations Committee Releases Fiscal Year 2012 Financial Services Appropriations Bill” your eyes probably wander to see if there's any grass growing or pa...
Blog - /blog/2011/06/24/field-notes-creating-change-washington/
June 24, 2011 - 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 perso...
Blog - /blog/2011/06/15/dr-strangebiden-or-how-i-learned-stop-worrying-and-love-debt-ceiling/
June 15, 2011 - Several folks wrote to me this past week with questions about all the debt ceiling talk going on in Washington right now. But first, let me ask all of you something: Can you feel it? That electric tin...
Blog - /blog/2011/06/10/congress-taking-food-poor-women-and-children-save-few-bucks/
June 10, 2011 - 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 plan...
Blog - /blog/2011/06/07/talk-balanced-budget-raises-eyebrows/
June 7, 2011 - p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }a:link { } On June 6th, 103 Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives lead by Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) sent a letter to Speaker of the House John B...
