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  • Entitlements, Taxes & Spending

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

    Hurricane Sandy Relief: An Early Opportunity for Budgeting

    A good test of whether the 113th Congress is likely to take budgeting seriously will come early this week, when the House considers the remainder of its Hurricane Sandy relief legislation. House conservatives are proposing several amendments that would cut enough spending to offset the $17 billion base bill (H.R. … More

    Chart of the Week: Growth of Government Assistance Adds to National Debt

    More than 41 percent of the U.S. population is “enrolled in at least one federal assistance program,” adding tens of billions of dollars to the national debt each year, according to new research by The Heritage Foundation’s Patrick Tyrrell and William W. Beach. That means that a startling number of … More

    WATCH: Google+ Hangout on the Sandy Relief Bill

    Last week, Congress passed a $9 billion Sandy relief bill, but they are also considering a supplemental $51 billion aid package that is loaded with pork and unnecessary spending. Join us on Friday, January 11, at noon ET for our “Lunch with Heritage” Google+ Hangout on the outrageous spending in the Sandy … More

    Morning Bell: 13 Tax Increases in 2013

    New Year’s Day was tough for taxpayers. Thirteen tax increases kicked in. The deal that Congress and President Obama struck that finally—but only partially—avoided the fiscal cliff resulted in seven tax increases. Those hikes combined with six tax increases from Obamacare that also began on New Year’s Day. 13 Tax … More

    Chart of the Week: Government Spending Drives Debt Limit Higher

    Even though Congress and President Obama reached a fiscal cliff deal, the fallout will continue to be felt by individuals, investors, married couples, and small businesses earning $400,000 and above (for couples, $450,000 and above). And that does not include the impact on all workers hit by the payroll tax … More

    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