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  • Entitlements, Taxes & Spending

    Replace the culture of entitlement with the culture of mutual responsibility.

    Corporate Welfare for Energy Companies Should Have Gone Off the Cliff

    The fiscal cliff deal is not only preventing certain politically motivated energy tax policies from falling off the cliff, but it’s also resurrecting ones that have been dead and buried for a year. Lumped into the 157-page fiscal cliff bill are extensions of energy handouts that were originally scheduled to … More

    Morning Bell: Taxes to Rise on Most American Workers

    Representative Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) called it “a happy start to a new year.” That probably tells you all you need to know about the fiscal cliff deal that passed the House last night. The bill—which President Obama has promised to sign, though he took off for Hawaii again after the … More

    Congressional Budget Office Shows Senate Bill Is $600 Billion Tax Hike

    The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) just now released its score of the bill the Senate passed early this morning while everyone was celebrating the beginning of the New Year. Despite knowing for a long time that taxes would go up on all Americans today, the Senate waited until we technically went … More

    Morning Bell: Tax Hikes to Start the New Year

    While you were sleeping—or ringing in 2013—the Senate voted to raise taxes. After missing the midnight deadline, Congress and the President have technically sent the nation over the fiscal cliff, meaning higher tax rates are already in effect for all income tax brackets. But the Senate’s deal, brokered by Senate … More

    Geithner to Congress: Happy New Year, We’re Maxed Out on Debt

    The government has maxed out its credit card again, mortgaging America’s future with yet more debt. Obama Administration Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner, in a letter to Congress the day after Christmas, said, “I am writing to inform you that the statutory debt limit will be reached on December 31, … More

    Morning Bell: 10 Facts on the Fiscal Cliff, Debt, and Spending

    Budget policy in 2012 was characterized by deficit spending, major increases in the national debt, and a heated debate over the “fiscal cliff.” With just days left for President Obama and lawmakers in Congress to avert a major tax hike, sequestration, and other major policy changes, today we bring you … More

    5 New Year’s Resolutions for Congress in 2013

    While many Americans resolve to make 2013 the year they really do slim down, exercise more, and spend less, Congress could afford to commit to a few such resolutions of its own. Call them budget resolutions—something Congress hasn’t had in a while. Here are five suggestions: Cut spending. The federal … More

    GAO Cites Waste in U.S. Food Aid Programs—But Does Not Call for Budget Cuts

    Senator Tom Coburn (R–OK) and others in Congress have repeatedly expressed concerns about “fragmentation, overlap, and duplication” in non-emergency food aid programs administered by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). But a study released this month by the United States Government … More

    Chart of the Year: Entitlements and Interest Drive the Fiscal Crisis

    The end of 2012 was marked by lawmakers engaging in a distracting fiscal cliff debate over tax rates when the solution to the real fiscal crisis lies in an entirely different area of the budget. Federal spending on entitlements and interest on the debt drives the federal budget crisis. Together … More

    Morning Bell: ’Twas the Night Before Cliff-mas

    Christmas arrives this year at a time when our nation is on the brink of the fiscal cliff. With time running out for President Obama and Congress to reach an agreement, this Christmas Eve we bring to you 2012 twist on Clement Clarke Moore’s famous poem, “A Visit from St. … More