Comprehensive News feed http://www.cbpp.org/topic/ en-us Copyright 2008 Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. All rights reserved. Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:00:07 GMT http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss The congressional leadership’s new health reform legislation builds upon the Senate-passed bill to extend insurance coverage to 32 million Americans while reducing the federal budget deficit over both the near and long term. By making critical improvements in the Senate bill, many of which were proposed by President Obama, the new measure covers more people and cuts the deficit more than the Senate bill. By extending coverage to 32 million people by 2019, the legislation — that … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3125 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3125 Fri, 19 Mar 2010 09:13:37 -0400 In about one-quarter of middle-income families with private health coverage, a family member lost coverage at some point between 2004 and 2007, analysis of Census Bureau survey data reveals. Nearly all of these family members ended up uninsured, often for several months. While the survey only extends through 2007, these problems have almost certainly worsened due to the recession. Enactment of comprehensive health reform that provides affordable, meaningful insurance options, particularly for … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3124 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3124 Thu, 18 Mar 2010 11:16:21 -0400 The President’s $350 million Transforming Rental Assistance (TRA) initiative, outlined in his fiscal 2011 budget, would enable local housing agencies and private owners to more easily preserve affordable housing, in part by giving them more adequate and sustainable funding to operate it. As a result, TRA would help preserve an estimated 300,000 affordable apartments (both publicly and privately owned) in its first year and more in later years. Most of these apartments house low-income … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3123 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3123 Tue, 16 Mar 2010 15:48:33 -0400 An amendment to pending aviation legislation by Senators Jeff Sessions and Claire McCaskill that would establish binding limits on discretionary appropriations for the next three years poses a series of problems for short- and long-term budget policy. Specifically, the amendment (SA 3435) to Federal Aviation Administration legislation that is now before the Senate would require substantial cuts in funding for nondefense discretionary programs below the levels that President Obama has proposed; … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3122 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3122 Tue, 16 Mar 2010 10:52:28 -0400 A legislative tool called “reconciliation” and its role in health reform are discussed by a Senior Fellow at the Center, Paul Van de Water. Duration: 4:08 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3121 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3121 Tue, 16 Mar 2010 09:21:53 -0400 We are quite disappointed that, in responding to our analysis of his budget plan, Rep. Paul Ryan accuses the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities of “partisan demagoguery” as well as “factual errors and misleading statements.” Quite the contrary, we applied the same rigorous analytical process to Rep. Ryan’s Roadmap for America’s Future that we do to every issue we study. We worked for more than a month on our analysis, and we believe that, if anything, we … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3119 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3119 Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:39:35 -0500 Nicholas Johnson weighs in on tax hikes in response to the recession on Fox Business News. http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3117 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3117 Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:19:25 -0500 Robert Greenstein and Paul Van de Water discuss the radical priorities in Rep. Paul Ryan’s budget proposal in a media call on March 10, 2010. Duration: 21:34 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3116 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3116 Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:09:19 -0500 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3115 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3115 Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:33:43 -0500 I. Summary The Roadmap for America’s Future, which Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) — the ranking Republican on the House Budget Committee — released in late January, calls for radical policy changes that would result in a massive transfer of resources from the broad majority of Americans to the nation’s wealthiest individuals.[1] The Roadmap would give the most affluent households a new round of very large, costly tax cuts by reducing income tax rates on high-income households; … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3114 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3114 Wed, 10 Mar 2010 09:28:48 -0500 Last month, Colorado enacted a law that requires Amazon.com and other Internet retailers that do not collect and remit Colorado sales tax on what they sell in the state to tell their Colorado customers that they may owe sales tax on their purchases, and also to tell the state each year the total dollar value of items purchased by each purchaser. Yesterday, Amazon told its small business partners in Colorado that it would immediately stop doing business with them unless Colorado repeals that law.… http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3113 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3113 Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:29:41 -0500 The latest information showing that the Recovery Act is creating jobs and boosting the economy is discussed by Senior Policy Analyst Michael Leachman. Duration: 3:12 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3110 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3110 Tue, 09 Mar 2010 10:53:37 -0500 Chairman Kaufman, Chairman Downing, and other members of the Committee: Thank you for the opportunity to address you this morning. For the record, I am a Senior Fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities is a non-partisan research and policy institute which works at the federal and state levels on fiscal policy and public programs that affect low- and moderate-income families and individuals. Prior to joining the Center in January, I was a … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3111 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3111 Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:38:44 -0500 Senior Policy Analyst, Zoë Neuberger, discusses the Hunger Free Schools Act before the House of Representative Subcommittee on Agriculture, at a hearing titled “Child Nutrition” on Thursday, March 4, 2010. Duration: 6:06 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3106 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3106 Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:10:06 -0500 The jobs report for February is discussed by Chief Economist, Chad Stone. Duration: 2:48 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3109 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3109 Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:10:16 -0500 The national recession has had such a devastating effect on state finances that states took in $87 billion less in tax revenue from October 2008 through September 2009 than they collected in the previous 12 months. This 11 percent decline, the steepest on record, resulted from the impact on tax collections of lost jobs, reduced wages, and lowered economic activity. At the same time, the recession has driven up the number of people needing various state services. This, along with the … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3108 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3108 Mon, 08 Mar 2010 10:08:51 -0500 Today’s jobs report shows that job losses continued at a moderate pace in February and unemployment remained unchanged at 9.7 percent. While noting that these numbers may include the impacts on hiring and hours worked of the severe winter weather that paralyzed major Northeastern cities in February, the Labor Department said that it could not quantify the impact. These weather effects are transient, however, and the more important fact is that we still have a very long way to go to … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3107 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3107 Fri, 05 Mar 2010 11:15:48 -0500 In considering “jobs legislation” in the weeks ahead, Congress will decide whether to extend the temporary increase in federal support for state Medicaid programs that last year’s economic recovery legislation provided. Failure to do so would lead to deeper state budget cuts that cost substantial numbers of jobs, as well as to what the evidence increasingly suggests would be severe cuts in the Medicaid program in many states that would cast hundreds of thousands, and perhaps … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3105 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3105 Thu, 04 Mar 2010 12:33:44 -0500 Senior Policy Analyst, Zoë Neuberger, discusses the Hunger Free Schools Act before the House of Representative Subcommittee on Agriculture, at a hearing titled “Child Nutrition” on Thursday, March 4, 2010. Duration: 6:06 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3106 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3106 Thu, 04 Mar 2010 13:40:34 -0500 In recent weeks, a few commentators have sounded an alarm about the recession’s impact on Social Security’s near-term prospects, which may lead some people to think that the program faces financial problems in the next several years. Fortunately, that is not the case. Social Security continues to run annual surpluses and remains capable of paying scheduled benefits in full for the next three decades or so. The deep recession has indisputably affected the Social Security … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3104 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3104 Thu, 04 Mar 2010 11:06:24 -0500 Millions of American school children rely upon the federal nutrition programs as a basic support even during the best of economies, but with unemployment hovering near 10 percent and long-term unemployment at record levels, children need them more than ever to help them grow and thrive. The reauthorization of the child nutrition programs offers an important opportunity to expand access to them. In 2008, the most recent year for which these data are available, nearly one in five children (19 … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3103 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3103 Thu, 04 Mar 2010 11:58:18 -0500 The President’s health reform plan would raise the Medicare tax rate for single filers with incomes over $200,000 and married filers with incomes over $250,000 — a provision that was included in the Senate-passed health bill — and also would extend this tax to the unearned income these affluent households receive such as income from capital gains, dividends, and royalties. These proposals, which would help finance the expansion of health coverage to more than 30 million … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3102 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3102 Thu, 04 Mar 2010 09:28:18 -0500 Policymakers in a number of states are considering proposals to cut taxes and institute job-creation tax credits. While state policymakers are understandably eager to do something to improve their economies, such measures generally will not increase economic growth. State balanced-budget requirements prevent states from stimulating their economies by cutting taxes. If a state cuts a tax, it generally has to make an offsetting cut to expenditures for a program or service in order to maintain … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3100 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3100 Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:45:19 -0500 Federal policymakers face two daunting challenges this year with regard to economic and fiscal policy. First, they must enact legislation that will help sustain and accelerate the nascent economic recovery and create jobs more quickly than would occur otherwise. Second, they must show that they are serious about putting the budget on a sustainable path that will avoid the explosion of deficits and debt that will occur in future decades under current policies. In addressing these challenges, … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3101 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3101 Wed, 03 Mar 2010 11:57:02 -0500 Legislation that can reduce child hunger in the country is discussed by Senior Policy Analyst for Food Assistance, Zoë Neuberger. Duration: 4:33 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3099 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3099 Tue, 02 Mar 2010 10:37:32 -0500 Policymakers in a number of states are considering proposals to cut taxes and institute job-creation tax credits. While state policymakers are understandably eager to do something to improve their economies, such measures generally will not increase economic growth. State balanced-budget requirements prevent states from stimulating their economies by cutting taxes. If a state cuts a tax, it generally has to make an offsetting cut to expenditures for a program or service in order to maintain … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3100 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3100 Tue, 02 Mar 2010 11:50:56 -0500 The Senate should include President Obama’s proposal to extend for one year and modestly expand the TANF Emergency Fund in the bill it is crafting to respond to historically high unemployment and weak consumer demand. If the Senate fails to include this measure, a program that is providing many unemployed, low-income parents with subsidized private-sector jobs at a very economical cost per job will end at a time when the number of long-term unemployed is at its highest level in at least … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3097 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3097 Fri, 26 Feb 2010 13:55:05 -0500 The Food Stamp Program[1] and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program have responded very differently to the unprecedented challenges that the current recession, with its high levels of unemployment and rapidly changing economic circumstances, has posed to the nation’s safety net. The Food Stamp Program, a federal entitlement program, has responded quickly to rising need: nationally caseloads have increased by 4.6 million households (37 percent) since the beginning of … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3096 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3096 Thu, 25 Feb 2010 17:12:10 -0500 The Food Stamp Program[1] and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program have responded very differently to the unprecedented challenges that the current recession, with its high levels of unemployment and rapidly changing economic circumstances, has posed to the nation’s safety net. The Food Stamp Program, a federal entitlement program, has responded quickly to rising need: nationally caseloads have increased by 4.6 million households (37 percent) since the beginning of … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3096 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3096 Thu, 25 Feb 2010 15:55:06 -0500 A new Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report estimates that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) had preserved or created between 1 million and 2.1 million jobs as of December. In other words, there were between 1 million and 2.1 million more jobs in the economy in December than there would have been without ARRA. This estimate, by Congress’ non-partisan economic and budget analysts, is more comprehensive than the 595,000 jobs that ARRA recipients reported in late … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3095 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3095 Thu, 25 Feb 2010 11:57:34 -0500 The President’s proposal represents the last hope, perhaps for years to come, to enact comprehensive reforms that extend coverage to over 30 million uninsured Americans, provide important consumer protections to tens of millions of insured Americans whose coverage may have critical gaps, and begin to slow the growth of health care costs. If enacted, this legislation would represent a historic accomplishment. Not only would it produce the greatest gains in health coverage in over 40 … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3093 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3093 Tue, 23 Feb 2010 15:48:58 -0500 The effective federal income tax rate for the 400 taxpayers with the very highest incomes has declined by nearly half over the past two decades, even as their pre-tax incomes have grown five times larger, new IRS data show.[1] The top 400 households paid 16.6 percent of their income in federal individual income taxes in 2007, down from 30 percent in 1995. This decline works out to a tax cut of $46 million per filer in 2007, or a total of $18 billion in tax cuts for these households per year. … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3090 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3090 Tue, 23 Feb 2010 09:56:54 -0500 Governors’ proposed budgets for next year and what they mean for the economy are discussed by the Deputy Director of the Center’s State Fiscal Project, Jon Shure. Duration: 3:44 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3088 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3088 Tue, 23 Feb 2010 09:58:17 -0500 As Congress considers actions to create jobs and boost the economy, one of the most effective steps it could take — on a “bang-for-the-buck” basis — would be to extend and modestly expand the TANF Emergency Fund, set to expire September 30. This fund, created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, is creating jobs at a very low cost. More than 30 states are (or soon will be) using Emergency Funds to create subsidized private-and public-sector jobs for … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3092 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3092 Mon, 22 Feb 2010 15:49:25 -0500 Unless Congress acts, temporary emergency benefits for unemployed workers will run out at the end of this month. These benefits not only help unemployed workers and their families, but also are one of the most effective ways to boost the nascent economic recovery. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), enacted a year ago, provided additional weeks of unemployment benefits to laid-off workers struggling to find a job and boosted unemployment benefits by $25 per week. These two … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3089 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3089 Mon, 22 Feb 2010 11:08:21 -0500 Some of President Obama’s critics and political opponents have launched a line of argument that Obama is mostly to blame for the large federal budget deficits projected for the coming decade and that his Administration’s role in swelling deficits and debt dwarfs that of the previous administration. [1] The critics cite what they present as proof: the fact that the deficit this year and in the years ahead will be much larger than the average deficits under President George W. Bush … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3086 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3086 Wed, 17 Feb 2010 11:07:55 -0500 The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) expanded the child tax credit to reach many low-income working families who previously were excluded from it and boosted the credit for many more such families who were receiving only a fraction of the full credit. This action helped millions of children whose parents are child care workers, preschool staff, home health aides, cashiers at retail stores, waiters or waitresses, dishwashers, grounds maintenance workers, people who clean … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3085 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3085 Tue, 16 Feb 2010 17:46:24 -0500 As states head into their third year of fiscal crisis most continue to face severe revenue shortfalls that require closing huge deficits. [1] As states prepare and consider budgets for the fiscal year that begins July 1, 2010 in most states, the choices they make about how to close those deficits have serious implications both in the short and long term. States that rely solely or primarily on widespread budget cuts to close deficits are harming residents and businesses that need immediate … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3084 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3084 Tue, 16 Feb 2010 14:47:07 -0500 Oregonians’ decisive vote last month to raise taxes on households making over $250,000 calls into question the conventional wisdom that tax-increase proposals are politically untenable regardless of their merit on economic, budgetary, and equity grounds. This has important implications for Congress, which must decide this year whether to let the Bush-era tax cuts expire. If Congress examines the issue on its merits, it will find that the case for letting the tax cuts for the … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3083 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3083 Tue, 16 Feb 2010 13:27:38 -0500 The jobs report for January is discussed by Chief Economist, Chad Stone. Duration: 3:32 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3082 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3082 Tue, 16 Feb 2010 11:53:27 -0500 The Baucus-Grassley “HIRE” Act recognizes the need for further steps to boost the economy and create jobs beyond what Congress enacted last year in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). It falls short of what’s needed, however, because it lacks additional fiscal relief for hard-pressed states and provides an inadequate extension of emergency unemployment insurance (UI) benefits for jobless workers. Fiscal relief and UI are among the most effective … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3081 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3081 Thu, 11 Feb 2010 17:58:50 -0500 The ABCs of state budgets, and the problems that many states face today because of the recession are discussed by the Deputy Director of the Center’s State Fiscal Project, Jon Shure. Duration: 4:13 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3079 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3079 Fri, 05 Feb 2010 11:50:38 -0500 Facing continued major budget problems and the end of most federal Recovery Act assistance halfway through their coming fiscal year, governors are proposing a new round of deep budget cuts that would increase unemployment and threaten the fragile economic recovery. Without further federal aid, the actions states will have to take to close their budget gaps could cost the economy 900,000 jobs.[1] Congress is considering extending some assistance to states as part of forthcoming jobs … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3076 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3076 Fri, 05 Feb 2010 10:41:59 -0500 Today’s jobs report shows that job losses have slowed to a trickle compared with what they were in the months just before President Obama and Congress enacted the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) last February. But it also highlights the huge jobs deficit that remains the legacy of the longest and most severe recession since the Great Depression. Temporary recovery measures that extend or expand on ARRA remain vital to putting the economy on a path that will close that jobs … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3077 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3077 Fri, 05 Feb 2010 11:19:54 -0500 In light of the still tenuous nature of the economic recovery, President Obama’s budget request of $266 billion for temporary provisions to support and speed economic recovery is necessary, reasonably sized, and well targeted.[1] Some news outlets, focusing on the budget’s $100 billion for a new “jobs initiative,” have reported that the budget proposes only $100 billion for temporary, economy-boosting measures. But, in addition to the funds for the new jobs initiative, … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3078 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3078 Fri, 05 Feb 2010 11:34:32 -0500 Because rising health care costs represent the single largest cause of the federal government's long-term budget problems, fundamental health reform must be part of any budget solution.[1] President Obama observed at a recent town hall meeting: “If you are serious about reducing our deficit and debt you cannot accomplish it without reforming our health care system, because that's what's gobbling up more federal dollars than anything else.”[2] It is a signal accomplishment that the Senate and … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3075 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3075 Wed, 03 Feb 2010 15:00:25 -0500 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3074 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3074 Mon, 01 Feb 2010 15:33:11 -0500 The President’s budget reflects both the short-term priority of boosting the economy and creating jobs and the longer-term priority of bringing deficits under control while meeting important national needs. There is a strong case for more medium- and long-term deficit reduction than the budget contains. But the budget likely goes as far in this area as today’s toxic political environment will allow, even if the President pushes forcefully for his policies … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3073 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3073 Mon, 01 Feb 2010 13:48:32 -0500 Overview In anticipation of Congressional reauthorization of the federal child nutrition programs, some have called for increased federal reimbursement rates for school meals to improve their nutritional quality. [1] Under current rules, however, federal payments for free and reduced price meals are not used solely to underwrite the cost of producing those meals. Research conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has consistently shown that in some school food programs, the … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3071 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3071 Fri, 29 Jan 2010 17:04:53 -0500 The Earned Income Tax Credit and how it helps low-wage workers and their families is discussed by John Wancheck, Coordinator of the Center’s Earned Income Tax Credit Outreach campaign. Duration: 4:36 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3070 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3070 Fri, 29 Jan 2010 13:58:00 -0500 In his State of the Union address, President Obama called for allowing the Bush-era tax cuts for high-income Americans to expire on schedule at the end of the year. Critics already are attacking this proposal as an unwarranted tax increase that would harm the weak economy and kill large numbers of jobs, especially among small businesses. These criticisms fly in the face of a wealth of fiscal and economic evidence. Allowing tax cuts to expire for married filers with incomes above … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3068 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3068 Fri, 29 Jan 2010 09:23:10 -0500 On January 30, the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board will post on its website, www.recovery.gov, data on jobs funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). This data release will capture only a portion of the jobs created and saved by the Act, due to ARRA’s limited reporting requirements. According to the Council of Economic Advisers, ARRA’s reporting system covered only 16 percent of ARRA expenditures through the end of 2009. [1] Most of ARRA’s … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3069 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3069 Fri, 29 Jan 2010 09:58:29 -0500 States are facing an unprecedented budget crisis, as the recession has caused the greatest declines in state tax revenues on record. Below is some background on the fundamentals of state finances and the depth of the problems states face today. The Budget Calendar States are now in fiscal year 2010. In most states the fiscal year runs from July 1 to the following June 30. The exceptions are New York (whose fiscal year starts April 1), Texas (September 1), and Michigan and Alabama (October 1).… http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3067 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3067 Thu, 28 Jan 2010 14:42:58 -0500 As states begin preparing for the third year of a fiscal crisis brought on by the recession, governors’ new budget proposals contain cuts to core services — like education and health care — and state workforces well beyond those they have already made, according to a new report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. The proposals threaten to increase hardship and unemployment and weaken the economy by reducing overall demand. Nearly half the governors have now … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3066 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3066 Thu, 28 Jan 2010 13:32:59 -0500 In approving tax increases on the ballot yesterday, Oregon voters wisely chose a balanced approach to addressing the state’s budget crisis. They rejected the claim that revenue increases would harm the economy and, instead, they acknowledged that relying on program cuts alone would hurt families and endanger the state’s long-term economic prospects. The country has been in the worst recession since the 1930s, which has caused the steepest declines in state tax receipts on record. … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3064 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3064 Wed, 27 Jan 2010 16:36:16 -0500 This proposal marks a useful step toward restoring fiscal responsibility. A well-designed pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) rule can contribute significantly to the fiscal discipline needed to address the nation’s serious long-term budget problems, presuming that policymakers abide by it and pay for any new tax cuts or mandatory program increases that they enact. Putting pay-as-you-go in statute can increase the likelihood that lawmakers will follow this principle. Some may be more hesitant … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3065 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3065 Wed, 27 Jan 2010 17:43:29 -0500 Insurance market reforms are a key element of the comprehensive health reform bills that the House and the Senate have passed. Under the bills, insurers in both the individual and small-group insurance markets would be barred from denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions, charging higher premiums based on a person’s health status or gender, or placing annual or lifetime caps on covered benefits. In recent days, some policymakers have suggested that Congress should … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3062 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3062 Wed, 27 Jan 2010 11:54:36 -0500 The TANF Emergency Fund created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) has enabled states to create subsidized jobs for TANF recipients and other low-income unemployed individuals and to bolster overall consumer demand by helping states meet the growing need for basic assistance among very poor families with children.[1] But the fund is set to expire on September 30, at a time when unemployment will remain high and increased numbers of people will have exhausted their … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3061 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3061 Tue, 26 Jan 2010 09:50:25 -0500 Under one scenario for Congress to enact health reform legislation, the House would pass the Senate health bill, and the House and Senate would both pass a budget reconciliation bill that includes changes to the health bill that House and Senate leaders have negotiated. One apparent obstacle to this course of action is continued objection by some House members to the Senate bill’s excise tax on high-cost health plans. In the last few months, the Senate excise tax provision has faced a … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3060 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3060 Tue, 26 Jan 2010 12:24:45 -0500 For the past several years, there has been serious discussion in New Mexico of adopting an important reform in the state corporate income tax known as mandatory “combined reporting.” Some New Mexico corporations have opposed this change, suggesting that it could result in some companies leaving the state or shunning New Mexico for new investment. However, the vast majority of the largest multistate corporations with facilities and employees in New … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3056 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3056 Tue, 26 Jan 2010 10:24:45 -0500 While proposals to adopt a key corporate tax reform in New Mexico have drawn criticism from some multistate corporations, almost all of the major corporations doing business in New Mexico already comply with the reform in at least one of the 23 other states that have it, according to a report released today by the Washington, DC-based Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. The tax reform, known as “combined reporting,” shuts down a variety of tax shelters that major multistate … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3057 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3057 Tue, 26 Jan 2010 10:59:42 -0500 The long-term budget outlook is discussed by the Center’s Director of Federal Fiscal Policy, Jim Horney. Duration: 5:12 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3058 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3058 Tue, 26 Jan 2010 11:03:04 -0500 In the aftermath of the Massachusetts Senate election, Democratic congressional leaders must soon decide whether to use the reconciliation process to help pass health reform legislation. Reconciliation is a process set forth in the Congressional Budget Act that allows for expedited consideration of legislation affecting mandatory spending programs or taxes. Some critics have charged that using reconciliation to enact a major change in policy, such as health reform, would be unprecedented … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3059 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3059 Tue, 26 Jan 2010 11:56:26 -0500 A proposal before Congress would sharply expand HUD’s Moving-to-Work (MTW) demonstration. Unless important limitations are added, this expansion would reduce the number of families receiving housing assistance by shifting funds out of the Section 8 housing voucher program. It also would expose more low-income families to risky policies than is necessary to test innovative approaches, and allow local policies to diverge to a degree that could weaken housing … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3055 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3055 Fri, 22 Jan 2010 17:25:15 -0500 A proposal before Congress would sharply expand HUD's Moving-to-Work (MTW) demonstration. Unless important limitations are added, this expansion would reduce the number of families receiving housing assistance by shifting funds out of the Section 8 housing voucher program. It also would expose more low-income families to risky policies than is necessary to test innovative approaches, and allow local policies to diverge to a degree that could weaken housing assistance … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3055 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3055 Fri, 22 Jan 2010 16:12:07 -0500 Robert Greenstein testifies on the long-term budget deficit before the House of Representatives Committee on the Budget on January 21, 2010. Duration: 11:12 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3054 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3054 Thu, 21 Jan 2010 12:46:47 -0500 Mr. Chairman, Congressman Ryan, and members of the Committee, I appreciate the opportunity to appear here today to discuss the long-term budget problem facing the United States. Last week, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities released a new analysis presenting our latest long-term projections of federal spending, revenues, deficits, and debt under current policies and our conclusions about the changes that need to be made in those policies. [1] It will be no surprise to any of you who … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3053 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3053 Thu, 21 Jan 2010 10:30:31 -0500 How food insecurity affects families is discussed by Stacy Dean, the Center’s Director of Food Assistance Policy. Duration: 3:49 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3052 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3052 Tue, 19 Jan 2010 13:34:19 -0500 Today's jobs report shows that, while the economy has apparently turned a corner and sharply rising unemployment and large monthly job losses may be behind us, the labor market remains extraordinarily weak and jobs remain very hard to find. In these circumstances, the case remains strong for Congress to renew the temporary assistance for unemployed workers scheduled to expire at the end of February and provide additional federal fiscal assistance to states in order to … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3044 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3044 Fri, 08 Jan 2010 15:50:16 -0500 Over the past year, state revenue collections have dropped dramatically, creating large budget gaps for many states. A contributor to this fiscal crisis in many states is a relatively new and rapidly growing corporate tax break — one that in most states never even received a vote in the state legislature but nonetheless is costing states hundreds of millions of dollars each year. The federal government created this tax break, known as the “domestic production deduction,” in … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3050 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3050 Thu, 14 Jan 2010 15:25:00 -0500 Deficits and debt will rise to unprecedented levels in coming decades without major changes in federal budget policies, so policymakers should set a goal of stabilizing the debt as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) over the next decade, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities reported today. In its analysis, “The Right Target: Stabilize the Federal Debt,” the Center said that, to reach that goal, policymakers would have to trim projected deficits by more than half— … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3048 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3048 Tue, 12 Jan 2010 15:36:01 -0500 Summary Deficits and debt will rise to unprecedented levels in coming decades without major changes in federal budget policies, so policymakers should set a goal of stabilizing the debt as a share of gross domestic product over the next decade. This report presents new Center on Budget and Policy Priorities projections of federal spending, revenues, deficits, and debt through 2050. These projections — like previous projections that we have issued and analyses by other institutions such … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3049 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3049 Tue, 12 Jan 2010 15:57:13 -0500 A recent analysis of the effect of the Recovery Act on poverty is discussed by Arloc Sherman, the Center’s Senior Researcher in the Welfare Reform and Income Support Division. Duration: 4:59 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3047 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3047 Tue, 12 Jan 2010 10:39:36 -0500 The jobs report for November is discussed by Chief Economist, Chad Stone. Duration: 4:05 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3025 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3025 Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:27:59 -0500 The jobs report for December is discussed by Chief Economist, Chad Stone. Duration: 3:21 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3046 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3046 Fri, 08 Jan 2010 15:27:16 -0500 Executive Summary The health reform bills that the House and Senate have passed would make health coverage more affordable for millions of low- and moderate-income households. Both bills would provide premium and cost-sharing subsidies for people to purchase coverage through the new health insurance exchange. They would also expand the Medicaid program to cover the lowest-income uninsured. While the House and Senate bills take the same general approach to making … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3045 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3045 Fri, 08 Jan 2010 13:19:45 -0500 Today’s jobs report shows that, while the economy has apparently turned a corner and sharply rising unemployment and large monthly job losses may be behind us, the labor market remains extraordinarily weak and jobs remain very hard to find. In these circumstances, the case remains strong for Congress to renew the temporary assistance for unemployed workers scheduled to expire at the end of February and provide additional federal fiscal assistance to states in order … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3044 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3044 Fri, 08 Jan 2010 11:59:28 -0500 The current status of health reform in Congress is discussed by the Center’s Senior Health Fellow, Judy Solomon. Duration: 3:27 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3043 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3043 Tue, 05 Jan 2010 09:45:54 -0500 The state budget crisis and what it means for the national economy is discussed by the Deputy Director of the Center’s State Fiscal Project, Jon Shure. Duration: 3:25 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3042 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3042 Tue, 29 Dec 2009 11:12:16 -0500 The state budget crisis and what it means for the national economy is discussed by the Deputy Director of the Center’s State Fiscal Project, Jon Shure. Duration: 3:25 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3042 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3042 Tue, 29 Dec 2009 09:54:03 -0500 Two key provisions in the Recovery Act – unemployment insurance and COBRA – and suggestions for Congress are discussed by Chief Economist, Chad Stone. Duration: 5:04 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3041 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3041 Tue, 22 Dec 2009 12:15:56 -0500 An examination of how the almost 79 million children under age 19 would fare under the House-passed health reform bill shows that the overwhelming majority likely would either see no change or be better off than under current law, with tens of millions better off. Some have criticized the bill out of the belief that its phaseout of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) at the end of 2013 would result in many millions of children being worse off than they are today.… http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3040 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3040 Tue, 22 Dec 2009 13:50:24 -0500 Two key provisions in the Recovery Act – unemployment insurance and COBRA – and suggestions for Congress are discussed by Chief Economist, Chad Stone. Duration: 5:04 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3041 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3041 Tue, 22 Dec 2009 11:39:04 -0500 A recent proposal to allow people aged 55 to 64 to “buy in” to Medicare would have done relatively little to increase competition in the market for health insurance, and health reformers should not greatly mourn its removal from the legislation that the Senate is considering. In the absence of a robust public health insurance plan, legislators should instead focus on establishing strong market reforms, or “rules of the road,” to assure that … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3039 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3039 Fri, 18 Dec 2009 15:40:11 -0500 While estate-tax opponents have held up family-owned farms and small businesses as “poster children” for the benefits of repealing the tax, such estates would be worse off, on balance, if Congress allows estate tax repeal and related tax changes to take effect on January 1, as now seems likely. The estate tax is irrelevant to the overwhelming majority of small farms and businesses because only a tiny number of them have assets worth more than $7 million for a couple ($3.5 million … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3038 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3038 Thu, 17 Dec 2009 13:57:48 -0500 While the recession is expected to drive states’ poverty rates up for 2009, new analysis based on Census data shows that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) is keeping large numbers of Americans out of poverty in states across the country. In addition to boosting economic activity and preserving or creating jobs, the recovery act is softening the recession’s impact on poverty by directly lifting family incomes. The Center’s analysis, which covers 36 … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3035 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3035 Thu, 17 Dec 2009 09:59:27 -0500 Today’s Senate debate over whether to extend the federal estate tax or let it expire for next year is a study in irony. Under current law, the estate tax, which has been reduced very significantly since 2001 and now only affects the biggest 1 of every 500 estates in America, will expire next year and then return to pre-2001 law. The Senate leadership has been trying to extend the tax’s 2009 parameters beyond this year, preventing the scheduled rollercoaster of the tax over the next … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3037 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3037 Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:59:36 -0500 Some critics charge that the new policies pursued by President Obama and the 111th Congress generated the huge federal budget deficits that the nation now faces. In fact, the tax cuts enacted under President George W. Bush, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the economic downturn together explain virtually the entire deficit over the next ten years (see Figure 1). The deficit for fiscal 2009 was $1.4 trillion and, at an estimated 10 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), was the largest … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3036 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3036 Wed, 16 Dec 2009 09:34:45 -0500 The recession’s impact on homelessness and how increased federal rental assistance can help struggling families are discussed by the Center’s Senior Policy Analyst for Housing, Doug Rice. Duration: 4:03 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3033 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3033 Tue, 15 Dec 2009 11:11:38 -0500 Summary As part of the economic recovery act signed into law in February, Congress approved $1.5 billion in temporary housing assistance for families that are homeless or at risk of losing their homes due to job loss or other financial hardship. These resources, which the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) distributed to local agencies through the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP), are now being used to help hard-pressed families … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3032 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3032 Tue, 15 Dec 2009 11:38:31 -0500 The Senate may consider an amendment to its pending health care bill that would replace its excise tax on high-cost health insurance plans – a key proposal to slow the growth in health care costs – with a “cap on excess medical inflation.” Such a policy change would be ill-advised — the proposed medical inflation cap would be poorly targeted, inequitable, and difficult to understand. It also would be unpredictable and virtually impossible to … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3031 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3031 Thu, 10 Dec 2009 09:27:42 -0500 The House tax extender bill represents a step forward in the important effort to reinstate a pay-as-you-go norm to federal legislation — a norm that played a key role in enabling the White House and Congress to turn large deficits into substantial surpluses in the 1990s The nation is on an unsustainable fiscal path, and policymakers will soon face wrenching decisions on both spending and taxes. Over the immediate term, Congress has properly pursued an expansionary fiscal … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3030 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3030 Wed, 09 Dec 2009 16:53:05 -0500 The health reform bill currently being debated by the Senate is discussed by Senior Health Fellow, Judy Solomon. Duration: 4:46 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3026 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3026 Tue, 08 Dec 2009 13:16:37 -0500 Dr. LaDonna Pavetti, Director of the Center’s Welfare Reform and Income Support Division, testifies on the safety net's response to the recession before the Budget Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives. Duration: 14:54 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3029 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3029 Wed, 09 Dec 2009 13:39:29 -0500 Thank you for the opportunity to testify today. My testimony will focus on four points: Poverty was high at the start of the recession and it is likely to remain high for an extended period. Some of the most effective measures to boost employment (and reduce poverty) in a weak economy have and will continue to be those that provide financial relief to people struggling to make ends meet and to states facing large budget shortfalls. The recovery act passed in … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3028 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3028 Wed, 09 Dec 2009 10:17:03 -0500 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3027 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3027 Tue, 08 Dec 2009 18:19:19 -0500 The health reform bill currently being debated by the Senate is discussed by Senior Health Fellow, Judy Solomon. Duration: 4:46 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3026 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3026 Tue, 08 Dec 2009 10:21:35 -0500 The jobs report for November is discussed by Chief Economist, Chad Stone. Duration: 4:05 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3025 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3025 Fri, 04 Dec 2009 18:53:12 -0500 James Horney and Paul Van de Water, former senior CBO officials now at the Center, discuss their new analysis, which finds that recent claims that the House and Senate health bills are not really paid for — because the track record shows that Congress will never allow the bills’ Medicare savings to take effect — are belied by the historical record. MIT health economist Jonathan Gruber assesses measures in the bills to restrain health care costs. Duration: 26:10 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3024 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3024 Fri, 04 Dec 2009 16:25:54 -0500 Today’s report that the pace of job losses has dramatically abated is the most encouraging in a long time, but serious problems remain for unemployed job-seekers. The number of people who have been unemployed for 27 weeks or more continued to climb in November, and these long-term unemployed now are nearly 40 percent of total unemployment (see chart). Renewing the temporary assistance for unemployed workers scheduled to expire in less than a month and providing … http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3023 http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3023 Fri, 04 Dec 2009 11:44:45 -0500