Monthly Archives: February 2006
- CHN: Katrina Survivors Would Get More Unemployment Help Under Senate Bill
More than 35,000 Louisiana hurricane survivors now collecting federal Disaster Unemployment Assistance are due to lose the meager aid this program offers on March 4 if Congress does not act to extend aid. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) co-sponsored legislation (S. 1777) to extend benefits for 13 more weeks, which was passed Read More »
Posted in Labor and Employment, Unemployment Insurance Comments Off - CHN: The President’s Scandalous Budget
On February 6, President Bush released his budget proposal for Fiscal 2007. Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) struck a responsive chord when he called the budget “scandalous” for its cuts in education and health care. The budget makes $182 billion in cuts to domestic programs outside homeland security over 5 years, but makes the deficit even Read More »
Comments Off - CHN: How a Bill Becomes a Law – Usually
Even elementary students of civics know that in order for a bill to become a law, both branches of Congress must enact identical wording, which is then sent to the President for his signature. That constitutionally-required procedure was violated when the President signed the already-controversial budget reconciliation bill on February 8. The reconciliation bill is Read More »
Comments Off - CHN: GOP Leaders Hope to Jump Procedural Hurdles to Extend Tax Breaks
Senate and House conferees hope to come to agreement on language for a tax reconciliation bill before the March recess — and to resolve the debate over whether extensions of the capital gains and dividend tax breaks should be included in the bill. The 2003 breaks on capital gains and dividend tax rates expire at Read More »
Posted in Tax Policy Comments Off - CHN: House Cuts $38.8 Billion from Budget; Slashes Health Care, Student Loans, Child Support and Help for People with Disabilities
Slashes Health Care, Student Loans, Child Support and Help for People with Disabilities; Reauthorizes TANF By a vote of 216 to 214, the House of Representatives passed a bill that cut $38.8 billion from the federal budget on Wednesday, February 1. The pain of the cuts will be overwhelmingly borne by moderate- and low-income students, Read More »
Posted in Budget and Appropriations, Disabilities, Education and Youth Policy, Health, Income Support, Medicaid, SNAP, Social Services, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Comments Off - CHN: Senate Passes More Tax Breaks for Wealthy
Budget Cuts Bill to Offset Part of Tax Breaks An additional $70 billion in tax breaks were approved by the Senate by a margin of 66 to 31 on Thursday, February 2. The $70 billion in tax breaks are not paid for, deepen the deficit and mostly benefit higher income households. The tax cut bill Read More »
Posted in Tax Policy Comments Off - CHN: State of Union Address Foreshadows Fiscal 2007 Budget
President Bush’s annual State of the Union address on January 31 foreshadowed his plans for the Fiscal 2007 budget, which will be released February 6. Most significantly, the President proposed expanding Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), tax-free savings accounts created in the 2003 Medicare law that can be used to pay deductibles and out-of-pocket costs of Read More »
Posted in Budget and Appropriations, Health Care Reform Comments Off
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