Feb 28, 2017

02/28/2017: Can you budget the government like a business?

President Donald Trump will outline his first budget proposal tonight. Alex Wong/Getty Images

President Donald Trump will address a joint session of Congress tonight for his first don't-call-it-a-State-of-the-Union. He's expected to touch on a lot, including his budget. Crafting a federal budget isn't a zero-sum game, and it'll be a big test of Trump's "run the country like a business" ethos. Plus, under the White House's budget plan, the State Department is in the crosshairs. What happens when you cut funding for soft power? Plus, YouTube's new TV service and the latest in our My Economy series.

Segments From this episode

Facing skills gap, employers send workers to college

by Amy Scott

Feb 28, 2017

Copper tubing manufacturer pays its mechanics to learn advanced skills.

Daniel Waller (left) is manager of maintenance systems at Cambridge-Lee Industries in Reading, Pa. With more employees like Waller, 63, nearing retirement, the company is training workers like Alexander Jones, 23, to replace them.

Amy Scott/Marketplace

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Hard times for soft power spending

by Nancy Marshall-Genzer

Feb 28, 2017

The White House wants to bump up defense spending and reduce the budgets of some other federal agencies. One agency in the crosshairs is the State Department. It wields something known as soft power — diplomacy and foreign aid. So what happens when you slash spending on soft power? Click the audio player above to […]

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As Trump talks coal revival, China seeks props on the fuel's decline

by Scott Tong

Feb 28, 2017

We now have three years of data points on where China’s coal and carbon emissions are heading: downward. It may have to do with China’s economy becoming less energy-intensive as it moves away from infrastructure and heavy industry. It may also have something to do with policy. Beijing has shuttered coal plants already in construction. […]

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President Donald Trump will address a joint session of Congress tonight for his first don’t-call-it-a-State-of-the-Union. He’s expected to touch on a lot, including his budget. Crafting a federal budget isn’t a zero-sum game, and it’ll be a big test of Trump’s “run the country like a business” ethos. Plus, under the White House’s budget plan, the State Department is in the crosshairs. What happens when you cut funding for soft power? Plus, YouTube’s new TV service and the latest in our My Economy series.