CORONAVIRUS/LEGISLATION/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “I just signed the CARES Act, the single biggest economic relief package in American History – twice as large as any relief bill ever enacted. At $2.2 Trillion Dollars, this bill will deliver urgently-needed relief for our nation’s families, workers, and businesses. #CARESAct?? https://t.co/0WnTNFZPZD“ –Donald Trump, Twitter.com, March 27, 2020 3:34 pm […]
Category: Spending
1/3/2020
GOVERNMENT/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “….different places that he thought were wasteful, and the career staff, as they always do, pushed back, and made a million excuses as to why they could not possibly stop spending U.S. taxpayer money. There was a back & forth over the legal arguments, & the W.H. decision was…” –Donald Trump, Twitter.com, […]
1/3/2020
GOVERNMENT/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “….different places that he thought were wasteful, and the career staff, as they always do, pushed back, and nade s million excuses as to why they could not possibly stop spending U.S.taxpayer money. There was a back & forth over the legal arguments, & the W.H. decision was….q” –Donald Trump, Twitter.com, January […]
12/4/2019
GARY COHN/SPENDING/TARIFFS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Gary Cohn, President Donald Trump’s former top economic adviser, blamed Trump’s tariffs on steel and aluminum for depressing capital investment by U.S. companies, saying he would hold back too if he were a CEO. Cohn, who left the White House last year, criticized his former boss’s policies during a panel discussion […]
11/25/2019
BUDGET/CONGRESS/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “White House budget hawks who have failed to rein in government spending in the Trump era might get a major win — by default. Top Republicans and Democrats are fumbling in their attempts to clinch a deal to fund the government over the next year. The result could be a government-wide spending […]
10/28/2019
CONGRESS/IMPEACHMENT/LEGISLATION/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “When virtually all legislative activity ground to a halt during the impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton in 1999, senators had already resolved the most pressing item on their agenda: fully funding the government. But now, as the Senate reckons with the growing possibility of an impeachment trial of President Trump, lawmakers […]
9/18/2019
HOUSE OF REPS/MILITARY/SPENDING/TRUMP BUSINESS: “Since Donald Trump took office, the U.S. military has spent nearly $200,000 at the president’s luxury Scotland resort, according to figures and documents the Pentagon provided to the House Oversight Committee. The spending, which has all occurred since August 2017, paid for the equivalent of hundreds of nights of rooms at […]
9/6/2019
DEMS/HOUSE OF REPS/SPENDING/TRUMP BUSINESS: “House Democrats have taken their first formal steps to probe President Donald Trump’s alleged efforts to steer U.S. and foreign government business to his luxury resorts, part of an expanding roster of inquiries informing them whether to recommend of articles of impeachment. In a series of letters revealed Friday [9-6-19], the […]
8/1/2019
LEGISLATION/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “I would like to thank two Great Iowa Senators, @ChuckGrassley and @SenJoniErnst – for their support today on the Spending Bill. Their vote, and the vote of other Republicans and Democrats helped get this done in a bipartisan fashion. Thank you all!” –Donald Trump, Twitter.com, August 1, 2019 9:15 pm […]
7/22/2019
BUDGET/CONGRESS/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “White House and congressional negotiators reached accord on a two-year budget on Monday [7-22-19] that would raise spending by $320 billion over existing caps and allow the government to keep borrowing, most likely averting a fiscal crisis but splashing still more red ink on an already surging deficit. If passed by Congress […]
4/30/2019
DEMS/INFRASTRUCTURE/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump and Democratic leaders agreed on Tuesday [4-30-19] to spend $2 trillion on U.S. roads, bridges, power grids, water and broadband infrastructure, while leaving the thorny details of how to pay for it all to another meeting in three weeks. The two sides met at the White House and described […]
4/11/2019
DEMS/HOUSE OF REPS/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “House Democrats want to negotiate a $2 TRILLION spending increase but can’t even pass their own plan. We can’t afford it anyway, and it’s not happening!” –Donald Trump, Twitter.com, April 11, 2019 6:14 pm […]
4/11/2019
NATURAL DISASTERS/SENATE/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Senators whose states are recovering from natural disasters will meet with President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday [4-11-19] afternoon to discuss a stalled aid package. The meeting comes as the Senate prepares to leave for a two-week recess without coming to a deal on a multibillion-dollar disaster aid […]
4/3/2019
DEFENSE/NATO/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday [4-2-19] his pressure on NATO nations to pay more for their defense is leading to tens of billions of dollars more in contributions, but the allies may need to boost their budgets even more. Trump used a well-worn script about burden-sharing with NATO Secretary General […]
4/2/2019
EU/MILITARY/NATO/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “He flew across the ocean to celebrate NATO’s 70th anniversary with the largest and most important member of the military alliance. So to outsiders it appeared to be an awkward moment on Tuesday [4-2-19] for Jens Stoltenberg, the NATO secretary general, as he sat stiffly by while President Trump criticized German […]
3/29/2019
ENVIRONMENT/FLORIDA/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump said during a tour of Lake Okeechobee Friday [3-29-19] that the broad, shallow lake had a ‘lot of problems’ and that the dike-strengthening project around its shore “wasn’t properly funded for years’…White House officials said before the president’s arrival in central Florida that the visit would emphasize the federal […]
3/14/2019
DEFENSE/EU/MILITARY/NATO/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Despite many European countries boosting their defense budgets, only seven of the 29 NATO allies are currently reaching the recommended spending target of 2% of gross domestic product, according to NATO’s annual report, which was published Thursday [3-14-19]. President Donald Trump has long criticized NATO countries over their failure to meet the […]
3/14/2019
DEFENSE/EU/MILITARY/NATO/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Despite many European countries boosting their defense budgets, only seven of the 29 NATO allies are currently reaching the recommended spending target of 2% of gross domestic product, according to NATO’s annual report, which was published Thursday [3-14-19]. President Donald Trump has long criticized NATO countries over their failure to meet the […]
3/11/2019
BUDGET/CONGRESS/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Trump sent Congress on Monday [3-11-19] a record $4.75 trillion budget plan that calls for increased military spending and sharp cuts to domestic programs like education and environmental protection for the 2020 fiscal year. Mr. Trump’s budget, the largest in federal history, includes a nearly 5 percent increase in military spending […]
2/19/2019
CALIFORNIA/SPENDING/TRANSPORTATION/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The administration Tuesday [2-19-19] threatened to withdraw almost a billion dollars in federal funds allocated to a high-speed rail line in California, but the state’s governor counterpunched by suggesting the threat was retaliation for fighting President Donald Trump’s ‘national emergency’ declaration on a border wall. On Tuesday evening, the Transportation Department threatened […]
2/15/2019
CONGRESS/GOP/OBAMA/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Outraged House Republicans sued President Barack Obama in 2014 for spending billions of federal dollars without congressional approval — and won. Now many House and Senate Republicans could side with President Trump for doing what they saw as a grave abuse of power by Mr. Obama — circumventing an unwilling Congress in […]
2/14/2019
LEGISLATION/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Reviewing the funding bill with my team at the @WhiteHouse!” –Donald Trump, Twitter.com, February 14, 2019 12:27 pm […]
1/20/2019
BORDER/GOP/GOVERNMENT/IMMIGRATION/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Senate Republicans plan to include $12.7 billion in disaster aid and government funding through the end of the fiscal year in their bill to advance President Donald Trump’s immigration proposal. The president’s plan will test Democrats’ solidarity, pitting border security funding against protections for young immigrants and refugees. Now, it will also […]
1/9/2019
DEMS/HOUSE OF REPS/IRS/SPENDING/TREASURY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The House passed a financial services spending bill on Wednesday [1-9-19], the first of four appropriations bills the House will vote on this week in an attempt to reopen shuttered parts of government, despite the fact that the measures are not expected to go anywhere in the Senate and face […]
12/21/2018
CONGRESS/GOP/GOVERNMENT/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Federal government shutdowns are not new to Washington, but it’s unusual for them to happen when one party controls the White House and Congress. That’s what’s occurred under the Republican Trump administration – and it’s happened three times during his nearly two years in office. No other previous administration since the Budget […]
12/19/2018
DEMS/GOVERNMENT/SENATE/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Senate passed a stop-gap spending bill on Wednesday [12-19-18] night in an effort to keep the government funded and prevent a partial shutdown at the end of the week. A shutdown hasn’t been averted just yet: The measure will still need to be approved by the House of Representatives and signed […]
12/19/2018
BORDER/CONGRESS/DEMS/GOVERNMENT/POLLS/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/WALL: “If parts of the federal government shut down later this week, most voters will blame President Donald Trump and Republicans over Democratic minorities in Congress, according to a new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll. The holiday brinkmanship in Washington comes as the government must approve a series of spending bills to stay open past […]
12/18/2018
DEMS/GOP/GOVERNMENT/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/WALL: “The Senate’s top Republican said Tuesday [12-18-18] he’s confident that lawmakers and the White House will be able to avoid a government shutdown even though Democrats have rejected the GOP’s proposal for ending the impasse…Meanwhile, President Donald Trump is exploring ‘different’ sources to pay for his proposed wall along the Mexican border, […]
12/18/2018
BUDGET/DEMS/GOP/GOVERNMENT/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/WALL: “Senate Republicans are drafting a stopgap spending bill to extend the funding deadline for approximately 25% of the federal government until February 8, according to three sources. The decision to move forward on the short-term plan hasn’t been finalized, the sources said. There are still senators who are urging GOP leaders to […]
12/17/2018
BUDGET/GOP/GOVERNMENT/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Senate Republicans are searching for a way out of the impending partial government shutdown. But they are waiting for President Donald Trump to weigh in before making a move, and he appears to be in no rush to help them out. Roughly one-fourth of the federal government is scheduled to shutter on […]
12/17/2018
BUDGET/GOVERNMENT/POLLS/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Americans have a clear message to Washington as the government hurtles toward a partial shutdown Friday [12-21-18]: Don’t. By a double-digit margin, 54 percent to 29 percent, those surveyed in a new USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll say they oppose the shutdown that President Donald Trump threatened if Congress doesn’t agree to his […]
12/14/2018
2016 ELECTION/CAMPAIGN FINANCE/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders is denying that President Donald Trump had any knowledge of possible malfeasance by his inaugural committee, which is reportedly under investigation for misusing funds…The response comes after The Wall Street Journal reported earlier on Thursday [12-13-18] that federal prosecutors in Manhattan were investigating […]
12/12/2018
BUDGET/DEMS/GOVERNMENT/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The trick in Washington has always been to make sure a government shutdown is pinned on the other guy. President Trump is the first to ever pin one on himself. In a new twist on the old game of shutdown politics dating to the 1990s, Mr. Trump was essentially goaded on Tuesday […]
12/11/2018
BORDER/BUDGET/CHUCK SCHUMER/DEMS/NANCY PELOSI/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/WALL: “President Donald Trump just made it nearly impossible for Republicans to blame Democrats for an increasingly likely partial government shutdown. But they’re going to try anyway. House Republicans are considering passing a stopgap spending bill that provides $5 billion for Trump’s border wall, essentially daring Senate Democrats to accept it […]
12/11/2018
BORDER/CHUCK SCHUMER/GOVERNMENT/NANCY PELOSI/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/WALL: “‘This has spiraled downward,’ Nancy Pelosi declared. That turned out to be an understatement. For 17 awkward and tense minutes in the Oval Office on Tuesday [12-11-18], President Donald Trump and his Democratic adversaries — Pelosi, the expected incoming House speaker, and Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader — clashed […]
12/11/2018
BORDER/BUDGET/CHUCK SCHUMER/IMMIGRATION/NANCY PELOSI/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/WALL: “President Donald Trump clashed sharply with Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer in a remarkable Oval Office meeting before reporters Tuesday [12-11-18], with the president threatening to shut down the government and the Democrats warning him they will not bend. In a pitched partisan argument televised for all to see, the […]
12/11/2018
BORDER/CHUCK SCHUMER/DEMS/IMMIGRATION/NANCY PELOSI/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/WALL: “It was Round 1: Nancy Pelosi vs. President Trump. The likely new House speaker arrived at the White House on Tuesday [12-11-18] afternoon, ready to take on the president. The subject was a potential government shutdown, and funding for Mr. Trump’s beloved wall. What followed was a remarkable televised exchange […]
12/11/2018
BORDER/BUDGET/CHUCK SCHUMER/DEMS/NANCY PELOSI/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/WALL: “U.S. President Donald Trump openly fought with the top two Democratic lawmakers in the Oval Office on Tuesday [12-11-18] about government funding, as disagreements over a U.S.-Mexico border wall prompted Trump repeatedly to threaten a late December government shutdown. Trump’s demand for billions of dollars to build the southwest border […]
12/9/2018
BUDGET/CONGRESS/DEFENSE/MILITARY/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “U.S. President Donald Trump has backed plans to request $750 billion from Congress for defense spending next year, a U.S. official said on Sunday, signaling a Pentagon spending hike at a time of potential belt-tightening elsewhere in the government. Trump, faced with a budget deficit at a six-year high, told his Cabinet […]
11/29/2018
BORDER/CHUCK SCHUMER/DHS/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/WALL: “Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) slammed President Donald Trump Thursday [11-29-18] for holding up spending talks and offered his own hard line as a fight over Trump’s border wall heats up. Schumer said Trump could either accept a bipartisan bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security or simply extend […]
10/23/2018
DEBT/HURRICANE/PUERTO RICO/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday [10-23-18] accused Puerto Rico’s politicians of using ‘massive and ridiculously high amounts of hurricane/disaster funding’ to pay off other debts, and said he would not allow a bailout with relief money. ‘The U.S. will NOT bail out long outstanding & unpaid obligations with hurricane relief […]
10/17/2018
BUDGET/DEFENSE/GOVERNMENT/MILITARY/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump on Wednesday [10-17-18] instructed federal department leaders to slash 5 percent from their budgets next year, signaling a renewed interest in belt-tightening amid mounting deficits…Even the military could see slight cuts from its current budget: Trump said the Pentagon’s budget would ‘likely be $700 billion,’ according to a White […]
10/17/2018
BUDGET/CABINET/DEFICIT/MILITARY/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “U.S. President Donald Trump, faced with a budget deficit at a six-year high, on Wednesday [10-17-18] told his Cabinet to come up with proposals to cut spending by their agencies by 5 percent, but he suggested the military would be largely spared…The administration is beginning to pull together plans for the president’s […]
10/15/2018
DEFICIT/GOP/SPENDING/TAXES/TREASURY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump’s first full fiscal year in office has produced the nation’s largest budget shortfall in six years, according to Treasury Department data released Monday [10-16-18]. The U.S. deficit widened in fiscal 2018 to $779 billion, which is $113 billion more than the previous year, according to the Treasury’s widely anticipated […]
10/2/2018
BETSY DEVOS/EDUCATION/SPENDING/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ security detail is projected to cost up to $7.74 million from now through the end of September 2019, a spokesman for the U.S. Marshals Service told POLITICO on Tuesday [10-2-18] night. The Marshals Service said the final cost of protection for DeVos in fiscal 2018 was $6.79 million. […]
10/1/2018
BORDER/CONGRESS/GOVERNMENT/IMMIGRATION/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/WALL: “President Donald Trump said three times this afternoon that he must now decide whether to push for more funding for the border wall in December — toning down a threat he previously espoused with certainty…The president has for months been throwing around the idea of forcing a government shutdown to get Congress […]
9/28/2018
CONGRESS/ELECTION/GOVERNMENT/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump signed an $854 billion spending bill on Friday [9-28-18] to keep the federal government open through Dec. 7, averting a government shutdown in the weeks leading up to November’s pivotal midterm elections. Trump signed the legislation to fund the military and several civilian agencies without journalists present as the […]
9/28/2018
GOP/GOVERNMENT/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump on Friday [9-28-18] signed a massive spending package that funds a large section of government and averts a shutdown, a White House aide confirmed. The signing, which was scheduled to occur in private at noon on Friday, was done in the Oval Office and several lawmakers were present, the […]
9/28/2018
CONGRESS/DEFENSE/EDUCATION/HHS/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “U.S. President Donald Trump signed a massive spending bill on Friday, providing hundreds of billions of dollars for the Department of Defense and averting the threat of a federal government shutdown at least until December. The bill includes $675 billion to fund the Defense Department for the full year ending on Sept. […]
9/20/2018
ELECTION/GOP/GOVERNMENT/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “All summer, congressional GOP leaders have touted their success passing spending bills before the Sept. 30 funding deadline, a rare feat in this partisan age that they’ve even highlighted on the campaign trail. But President Donald Trump just doesn’t care. He wants his wall, and he wants it yesterday. Trump on […]
9/20/2018
CONGRESS/ELECTION/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/WALL: “President Donald Trump complained Thursday [9-20-18] morning about the ‘ridiculous spending bill’ making its way through Congress, demanding answers on funding for his long-promised border wall but stopping short of calling for a government shutdown before this fall’s midterm elections…The president has complained loudly and regularly throughout his first two years in […]
9/20/2018
DEMS/GOP/GOVERNMENT/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/WALL: “Raising the specter of a government shutdown in just 10 days, President Donald Trump complained Thursday [9-20-18] that a spending plan pushed by congressional Republicans is ‘ridiculous’ because it does not include funding for a border wall with Mexico. Trump tweeted that he wants to know ‘where is the money for Border […]
9/20/2018
BORDER/DEMS/ELECTION/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/WALL: “I want to know, where is the money for Border Security and the WALL in this ridiculous Spending Bill, and where will it come from after the Midterms? Dems are obstructing Law Enforcement and Border Security. REPUBLICANS MUST FINALLY GET TOUGH!” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, September 20, 2018 6:43 am […]
9/14/2018
AGRICULTURE/DEMS/ENTITLEMENTS/GOP/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump on Thursday [9-13-18] blasted Democrats and Sen. Debbie Stabenow, ranking member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, for ‘fighting tooth and nail’ against the farm bill because of disagreements over the House’s proposal to tighten work requirements for food-stamp recipients. Stabenow, one of the ‘big four’ agriculture leaders in Congress, […]
9/13/2018
GOVERNMENT/HOUSE OF REPS/SENATE/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “House and Senate negotiators reached bipartisan agreement on a package of spending bills, as well as a continuing resolution to fund the remainder of the government through December 7 and forestall a potential government shutdown battle, aides in both chambers told CNN on Thursday [9-13-18]. The agreement, which the Senate […]
9/10/2018
AGRICULTURE/CONGRESS/GOP/HOUSE OF REPS/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Congressional Republicans, eager to hit the campaign trail to save their imperiled majorities, are starting to narrow their September legislative to-do list in hopes of skipping town early. But they still have to deal with a handful of looming deadlines, a potential shutdown fight and internal policy tensions — and […]
9/6/2018
CONGRESS/GOVERMENT/PAUL RYAN/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan said on Thursday [9-6-18] he has a good understanding with President Donald Trump to fund the government by a Sept. 30 deadline, despite Trump’s comments a day earlier that he would be willing to shut down government if Congress does not provide enough border security funding. […]
9/5/2018
BORDER/CONGRESS/GOVERNMENT/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/WALL: “President Donald Trump said on Wednesday [9-5-18] he would be willing to shut down the U.S. government over border security issues. In answer to a question from a reporter, Trump said: ‘If it’s about border security, I’m willing to do anything. We have to protect our borders.’” –Reuters Staff, “Trump says willing […]
9/5/2018
BORDER/ELECTIONS/GOVERMENT/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/WALL: “President Donald Trump on Wednesday [9-5-18] held out the possibility of a government shutdown before the November elections over his effort to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, even as Republican congressional leaders publicly urged him away from that path and predicted it wouldn’t occur…Trump’s stance on whether he’d force a […]
9/5/2018
BORDER/CONGRESS/GOVERNMENT/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/WALL: “President Donald Trump said on Wednesday [9-5-18] he would be willing to shut down the U.S. government if Congress does not provide enough funding for border security, reversing a stance he took a day earlier. Trump made his comments at a meeting with congressional Republican leaders at the White House about the […]
8/31/2018
CONGRESS/GOVERNMENT/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump told lawmakers on Thursday [8-30-18] he wants to scrap a pay raise for civilian federal workers, saying the nation’s budget couldn’t support it. In a letter to House and Senate leaders, Trump described the pay increase as ‘inappropriate’…An across-the-board 2.1% pay increase for federal workers was slated to take […]
8/30/2018
GOVERMENT/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump ran for office as a populist. He swore to fight for the ‘forgotten men and women,’ a phrase he stole from FDR. But under his presidency, the middle class remains forgotten — hammered is more like it. President Trump’s announcement that he wants to cancel the 2.1% pay raise […]
8/30/2018
GOP/GOVERNMENT/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump announced Thursday [8-30-28] he was canceling across-the-board pay raises for civilian workers across the federal government, citing the ‘nation’s fiscal situation’…roughly 1.8 million people wouldn’t get an automatic pay boost next year, including Border Patrol and ICE agents. That stance puts vulnerable GOP lawmakers representing northern Virginia — home […]
8/23/2018
HOUSE OF REPS/SENATE/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/WALL: “The U.S. Senate voted overwhelmingly on Thursday [8-23-18] for legislation to fund much of the government, including $675 billion for the Department of Defense, as lawmakers worked to minimize the risk of a government shutdown before the fiscal year ends Sept. 30. The Senate voted 85-7 to pass the $854 […]
8/23/2018
DEMS/SENATE/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Senate overwhelmingly approved an $854 billion measure Thursday [8-23-18] that combines military spending with disbursements for the departments of Health and Human Services, Education, Labor and other agencies. The 85-7 vote sends the measure to the House and means the Senate has now passed nine of the 12 mandatory spending bills […]
8/22/2018
CONGRESS/DEMS/DHS/ELECTION/RUSSIA/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “A battle between U.S. President Donald Trump and Democrats over federal funding to help secure November’s U.S. elections stymied legislation in Congress on Wednesday, at least for now, that is aimed at thwarting Russian meddling by strengthening states’ voting procedures. The Senate Rules Committee unexpectedly canceled a work session that was intended […]
8/15/2018
DEFENSE/SENATE/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “U.S. senators agreed on Wednesday [8-15-15] to debate and vote in the next few days on more than $850 billion in spending on defense, labor and healthcare programs, as the Trump administration announced its objections to some parts of the bill. The so-called ‘minibus’ appropriations bill includes nearly $675 billion in spending […]
8/13/2018
CHINA/DEFENSE/JOHN MCCCAIN/MILITARY/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “U.S. President Donald Trump signed a $716 billion defense policy bill on Monday [8-13-18] that authorizes military spending and includes watered-down controls on U.S. government contracts with China’s ZTE Corp and Huawei Technologies Co Ltd. Trump signed the law at the U.S. Army’s Fort Drum base in upstate New York on […]
8/1/2018
CHINA/DEFENSE/SANCTIONS/SENATE/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The U.S. Senate passed a $716 billion defense policy bill on Wednesday [8-1-18], backing President Donald Trump’s call for a bigger, stronger military and sidestepping a potential battle with the White House over technology from major Chinese firms. The Senate voted 87-10 for the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act, or […]
7/31/2018
SENATE/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump’s repeated threats to shut down the federal government have obscured an unusual development: lawmakers are making surprisingly swift progress funding it. The Senate is expected to pass this week a package of four spending bills with bipartisan support, on top of a trio passed in late June. The House, […]
7/30/2018
BORDER/CONGRESS/IMMIGRATION/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/WALL: “President Donald Trump reiterated his threat Monday [7-30-18] to shut down the government if Congress fails to pass new border security and immigration measures, but he declined to draw a line in the sand. Trump stuck to broad strokes as he warned he is willing to shut down the government if Congress […]
7/30/2018
BORDER/CONGRESS/IMMIGRATION/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/WALL: “U.S. President Donald Trump threatened again on Monday [7-30-18] to shut down the federal government over his demands for a border wall and other changes in immigration policy, but said he remains open to talks with Congress on the issue…Congress must pass a spending bill by the end of September to avert […]
7/29/2018
BORDER/CONGRESS/ELECTION/GOP/IMMIGRATION/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/WALL: “Congressional Republicans, already facing a difficult election landscape, confronted a prospect on Sunday [7-29-18] they had worked feverishly to avoid: a threat by President Trump to shut down the government over funding for a border wall…Last week, Republican leaders thought they had reached a deal with Mr. Trump to delay a confrontation […]
7/29/2018
BORDER/CONGRESS/ELECTION/IMMIGRATION/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/WALL: “President Trump renewed a threat to shut down the government unless Congress provides money for a wall at the southern border and enacts new curbs on immigration, reviving a battle he said last month should wait until Republicans gained more solid majorities after the November elections…The threat adds a new headache for […]
7/12/2018
MILITARY/NATO/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump jolted U.S. allies on Thursday [7-12-18] with fresh demands to boost military spending swiftly, prompting some NATO members to worry his critical approach was undermining the alliance. Mr. Trump said ‘tremendous progress’ was made on boosting defense outlays during a North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit and declared the group […]
7/12/2018
FRANCE/NATO/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “French President Emmanuel Macron has rejected a claim by US President Donald Trump that NATO allies had agreed to increase defense spending ‘at levels that they never thought of before.’ At the end of a two-day NATO summit in Brussels, Macron referred reporters to the communique released Wednesday, which recommitted members of […]
7/11/2018
MILITARY/NATO/RUSSIA/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump pressured allies to double their military spending target to 4% of GDP, while questioning NATO’s value and bashing Germany for supporting a major gas deal with Russia. After attacking North Atlantic Treaty Organization leaders for months for not meeting a 2% military spending target, Mr. Trump said on Wednesday […]
7/10/2018
DEMS/OBAMACARE/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Most of the funding for an Affordable Care Act outreach program is being cut by the Trump administration, a move announced late Tuesday [7-10-18] that touched off an angry response from Democrats who called it another attempt to sabotage the health law. The program, which provides money to outreach groups urging people […]
7/10/2018
EU/NATO/RUSSIA/SPENDING/TRADE WARS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Trump renewed his criticism of European allies on Tuesday [7-10-18] and said he was most optimistic about meeting with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, as he departed for a summit meeting in Brussels that threatens to highlight acrimony within NATO. Mr. Trump’s comments touched off a round of trans-Atlantic […]
7/2/2018
NATO/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Trump has written sharply worded letters to the leaders of several NATO allies — including Germany, Belgium, Norway and Canada — taking them to task for spending too little on their own defense and warning that the United States is losing patience with what he said was their failure to meet […]
6/7/2018
MILITARY/NATO/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “U. S. military allies have increased their defense spending by 3.82% over the past year, since President Donald Trump called for more contributions, according to figures released by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Thursday [6-7-18]. The size of national defense budgets was the main irritant at a NATO summit last year and […]
6/5/2018
DEMS/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Imagine how much wasteful spending we’d save if we didn’t have Chuck and Nancy standing in our way! For years, Democrats in Congress have depleted our military and busted our budgets on needless spending, and to what end? No more.” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, June 5, 2018 3:07 pm […]
6/1/2018
FBI/JUSTICE DEPARTMENT/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Justice Department has spent roughly $17 million investigating Russian meddling in the presidential election since last May, according to a new spending report released Thursday [5-31-18]. The department previously said $6.7 million had been spent from May 2017 through September 2017. Thursday’s expenditure report shows new costs of approximately […]
6/1/2018
ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “A.P. has just reported that the Russian Hoax Investigation has now cost our government over $17 million, and going up fast. No Collusion, except by the Democrats!” – Donald Trump, Twitter.com, June 1, 2018 6:05 am […]
5/15/2018
DEMS/GOP/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Donald Trump is the first American president to live his whole life in a city, but the war on American cities in his presidency so far has put him and congressional Republicans on the wrong side of a ‘moral battle,’ said Steve Benjamin, the new president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. […]
5/13/2018
IRAN/MILITARY/NUCLEAR/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump repeated a misleading claim about Iran’s military budget Saturday [5-12-18], saying it had increased by more than 40 percent since the negotiation of the Iran nuclear deal. ‘Iran’s Military Budget is up more than 40% since the Obama negotiated Nuclear Deal was reached…just another indicator that it was all […]
5/12/2018
BORDER/SENATE/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/WALL: “President Donald Trump said Saturday [5-12-18] that the Senate should approve a government spending package that includes funding for border security and a wall before the August break or not go on recess. Congress passed a $1.3 trillion spending bill in March that will fund the government through the end of September. […]
5/8/2018
DEMS/SPENDING/TAXES/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Trump administration on Tuesday [5-8-18] began trying to convince U.S. lawmakers to support $15 billion in spending cuts, which Democrats called a hypocritical bid to reclaim an image of fiscal conservatism following Republicans’ deficit-ballooning tax cuts of 2017. President Donald Trump’s package, known as a rescissions request to kill existing budget […]
5/7/2018
BUDGET/CONGRESS/CONSUMER PROTECTION/SPENDING/TRUMP PEOPLE: “In his time in the Trump administration, Mick Mulvaney has produced two budgets that slashed federal spending and were heralded as blueprints for the deconstruction of the administrative state. Even Republicans ignored them, and Congress then added billions to the very programs he targeted in what seemed a personal rebuke. But Mr. […]
4/25/2018
BUDGET/DEMS/ENTITLEMENTS/GOP/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Trump administration is preparing to submit to the U.S. Congress up to $25 billion in immediate spending cuts, including possible reductions to social safety net programs, lawmakers said on Wednesday [4-25-18], in a move that could upend a budget deal enacted last month.The White House plan, which has not yet been […]
4/13/2018
BUDGET/GOP/SPENDING/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The White House is ignoring warnings from worried Hill Republicans and moving ahead with plans to cut billions of dollars from the massive spending bill that Congress passed in late March, after President Donald Trump has spent weeks grousing about the legislation. Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney — himself a […]
4/13/2018
BUDGET/CONGRESS/PAUL RYAN/SPENDING/TRUMP PEOPLE: “A six-month budget truce stitched together by Congress in March could unravel if Republican leaders vying to replace U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan indulge party conservatives who want to renege on critical parts of the pact. At issue is a resurgent move by conservative Republicans to rescind, or cut about […]
4/12/2018
ENTITLEMENTS/PAUL RYAN/SPENDING/TRUMP PEOPLE: “When House Speaker Paul Ryan leaves Congress, the Republican party will lose its most influential advocate for changes to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. As Budget committee chairman, a vice presidential running mate to Mitt Romney in 2012, Ways and Means chairman and finally House speaker, Mr. Ryan had pressed for curbs […]
4/12/2018
BUDGET/CONGRESS/ELECTION/SPENDING/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote as early as Thursday [4-12-18] on a balanced budget amendment that would prohibit federal spending from exceeding federal revenues, but it is seen as a largely symbolic gesture.The vote is meant to show Republican voters that their party cares about fiscal responsibility, but […]
4/11/2018
BUDGET/DEFICIT/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The U.S. government’s budget deficit widened in the first half of its fiscal year as spending rose faster than revenue compared with the first six months of fiscal 2017. The deficit, or the difference between the amount of money the government spent and what it took in, stood at $599.71 billion in […]
4/10/2018
BUDGET/CONGRESS/GOP/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “House Republican leaders, stung by President Donald Trump’s rebuke of Congress’ recent trillion-dollar spending spree, are moving to give their rank and file cover by passing a balanced budget amendment this week. But many conservatives, including a good number of House Republicans, say the vote is insincere at best — and blatantly […]
4/3/2018
BUDGET/DEMS/GOP/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “As Republicans run into a buzz saw of conservative criticism over a deficit-expanding new budget, GOP leaders and the White House are looking for ways to undo the damage by allowing President Donald Trump to rescind some of the spending he signed into law just 10 days ago. Rolling back the funds […]
3/30/2018
CONGRESS/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Trump insisted he will never again sign a huge catchall spending measure of the sort he just grudgingly approved to fund the government. But he will probably have little choice if he wants to keep the government open in the future. The steady deterioration of the congressional appropriations process makes it […]
3/30/2018
SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/WALL: “President Donald Trump promised to build a ‘big, beautiful’ wall, but a border official’s description of the first major steps of the project framed it as more of a fixer-upper. U.S. Customs and Border Protection Acting Deputy Commissioner Ronald Vitello told reporters during a news conference Friday [3-30-18] that the administration would […]
3/23/2018
CONGRESS/SPENDING/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TWITTER/WALL: “President Trump signed a $1.3 trillion spending bill into law on Friday [3-23-18], avoiding a government shutdown that had suddenly become a possibility when the president vented angrily on Twitter about his frustration with the bipartisan legislation. The president abruptly backed down from his threat to veto the spending bill in a […]