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What lawmakers are fighting over when they fight about appropriations

Aug 9, 2023
The portion of federal spending being determined by what’s called the appropriations process is relatively small.
The amount of nondefense discretionary spending that Congress fights over every year is getting smaller.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

What the debt ceiling deal means for your student loans

Jun 2, 2023
A debt ceiling deal has been made, and student loan borrowers will have to start making payments again later this summer.
President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan is awaiting a decision by the Supreme Court.
Jemal Countess/Getty Images

Following Election Day, the economic story so far

Nov 9, 2022
Where the votes go could determine how investors — and their portfolios — could look at the U.S.
Voting booths are seen at Glass Elementary School's polling station in Eagle Pass, Texas, on November 8, 2022.
Mark Felix/AFP via Getty Images

Inflation Reduction Act's climate change funding takes aim at environmental inequity

Aug 9, 2022
The bill, which has passed in the Senate and is up for a vote in the House this week, would allocate tens of billions to communities which suffer disproportionately from the effects of climate change.
Climate change is making heat waves more frequent and hotter with large swathes of the U.S. currently under excessive heat warnings.
Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images

Senate to vote on bill to expand U.S. semiconductor production

Jul 26, 2022
The CHIPS Act would create $52 billion in subsidies to encourage domestic chip production, but some say that isn't enough to bring back the industry.
Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

The lowdown on "red flag laws" when it comes to gun control

Jun 15, 2022
Also known as "extreme risk protection orders," they can activate when violence becomes a possibility.
The Senate agreement on a framework for gun control includes more states enacting red flag laws, which kick in if the threat of violence becomes evident.
Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images

A look at the Federal Reserve's historical lack of diversity

Jan 5, 2022
There wasn't a Black member of the Fed's board of governors until 1966. Part of the problem: too much emphasis on Ivy League economists.
“If you’re intentionally creating a talent pool that is nondiverse, then you’re probably going to end up with a nondiverse outcome," Georgetown Law professor Chris Brummer says. Above, the Federal Reserve building in Washington, D.C.
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Housing advocates fight to maintain place in social-spending bill

Oct 25, 2021
Advocates had high hopes for the $320 billion initially included for housing, but the plan’s funding is being cut during negotiations.
President Joe Biden promotes his Build Back Better agenda in New Jersey on Monday. His plan to expand the nation's social safety net is being pared back by congressional negotiators.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

Major scientific and technological investment sought to better compete against China

Jun 9, 2021
U.S. government funding for even basic research has been in decline for decades.
Misha Friedman/Getty Images

When will we see the next round of stimulus checks?

Mar 8, 2021
If the bill becomes law, you’ll probably start seeing the payments show up in bank accounts within a couple weeks.
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