appropriations
Biden signs stopgap spending bill, avoiding government shutdown
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden has signed the stopgap spending bill, giving his administration and Congress about two months to work out agreement on the dozen annual spending bills. Those appropriations measures were supposed to become law by the start of the fiscal year on Oct. 1, but disagreement about whether to adhere to the […]
The frightening implications of the latest Leandro school funding lawsuit do-over
Imagine the following scenario: In a fit of misguided “get tough on crime” paranoia, state lawmakers enact a broad-based scheme to “stop coddling criminals.” Topping their list of priorities is a plan to make state prisons – which a popular conservative commentator has derided as “country clubs” – vastly tougher by cutting corrections funding by […]
With two weeks until the money runs out, Congress grinds to halt on spending bills
WASHINGTON — Amid rising tensions and an approaching hard deadline, the U.S. House and Senate ended their work week on Thursday without a deal to fund the federal government past the end of the month. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who has been struggling to build consensus among the members of his Republican Conference, pledged that […]
That 1% cut in federal spending in the debt limit law? It’s complicated.
WASHINGTON — The debt limit law Congress approved earlier this year included a much-publicized provision that would cut all federal spending by 1% if Republicans and Democrats fail to reach agreement on the dozen government funding bills before Jan. 1. That sounds pretty threatening. But, the across-the-board automatic spending cut wouldn’t actually have any real-world […]
Congress brought back earmarks. Now they’re one more point of drama in a divided House.
WASHINGTON — The new Republican chairwoman of the U.S. House Appropriations Committee said just before taking over the panel that she planned to “tweak” how the chamber earmarks spending for community projects — coveted state and local funding that members of Congress request. Some of those changes hinted at by Kay Granger of Texas have […]
U.S. Senate spending panel sets funding levels for annual bills
WASHINGTON — A group of U.S. Senate Democrats on Thursday approved funding levels for dozens of federal departments for the fiscal year that starts Oct. 1 — setting up a likely clash with House Republicans as a deadline approaches later this year. The move to advance the spending plan was essential if Congress is going […]
Congress rolls out $1.7 trillion spending deal in race to Friday deadline
WASHINGTON — Congress unveiled a $1.7 trillion spending package early Tuesday that would fund the federal government for the rest of the fiscal year, completing the annual process that began this spring when President Joe Biden sent lawmakers his budget request. Biden’s chief budget official in a statement urged Congress to speedily pass the massive […]
Report: North Carolina’s latest state budget fails to effectively address N.C.’s existing and emerging needs
The NC Budget & Tax Center has released a report explaining the 2019 state budget that was passed this year by the state legislature and begins by pointing out North Carolina lawmakers approved a state budget “that falls short of helping all North Carolinians live healthy, prosperous lives.” The report explains that the new $23.9 […]
Phony state legislative budget process continues this morning
Here’s a classic example of the absurdity of the North Carolina General Assembly’s budget writing process from this morning’s committee meetings on Jones Street. House Appropriations subcommittees convened this morning to look at a new version of the budget bill that House leaders authored in secret. Though a superficially better process than the Senate — […]