For advocacy groups, the federal budget is mainly a blueprint for battle

May 23, 2017
The federal budget released today is pretty much a fantasy document that will be dead on arrival when it gets to Congress, economists say. But even scaled back, proposed budget cuts to Medicaid, food assistance and other programs for the poor are likely to tear a hole in the safety net the likes of which […]

The Trump budget’s fuzzy math

May 23, 2017
The Trump administration’s budget proposal is coming under fire from economists and tax experts who say it uses some math that just doesn’t add up. In short, there’s a roving $2 trillion in it that nobody can really explain. Click the audio player above to hear the full story.

Prospective cuts have EPA workers weighing their options

May 23, 2017
The question of staying or going comes up anytime political control shifts. For some, the time to go may come soon.
EPA staffers have been dealing with massive shifts in the way their agency operates, with executive orders that have mandated reviews or canceled several environmental initiatives and rhetoric about reducing regulation.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Trump budget gives states more power, less money to manage safety net for poor

May 23, 2017
President Trump’s first major budget proposal will cut away at the safety net for the millions who live at or below the poverty line. The budget being released today proposes mammoth cuts to Medicaid as well as revamping anti-poverty programs. States will have more power to set spending priorities, but have much less to spend. […]

Is it fair to ask people to work for government benefits?

May 22, 2017
The Trump administration will reveal a major budget proposal tomorrow. It is widely expected to include massive cuts to Medicaid – $800 billion worth over 10 years. States would also get more flexibility to impose work requirements, meaning people who receive government assistance – including Medicaid – would be required to work.  Is that a good […]

Education budget shows federally funded after-school programs are in jeopardy

May 22, 2017
The Trump administration is expected to release its detailed 2018 budget tomorrow. According to “near-final” documents leaked to the Washington Post last week, the proposed cuts include more than $10.5 billion in federal education initiatives. On the chopping block are more than $1 billion in grants that fund after-school and summer programs for low-income kids.  […]

Trump’s proposed education budget puts federal initiatives on the chopping block

May 18, 2017
A copy of President Trump’s proposed education budget has been leaked to the Washington Post. In total, the plan would eliminate $10.6 billion from federal education initiatives, including things such as after-school programs for the poor, teacher training, and surprisingly, work-study funding for college students. The cuts to work-study, together with other proposed rollbacks in college […]

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Science researchers brace for possible federal funding cuts

May 18, 2017
'Uncertainty means that you can’t hire people or you can’t start a new project,' one researcher says.
At Brandeis University, Avital Rodal studies, among other things,  diseases like Lou Gehrig’s and Alzheimer’s.
Ari Daniel

Census director resigns as ramp up for 2020 count begins

May 10, 2017
The resignation of the U.S. Census Bureau director leaves the agency with no leader just month before it begins a big hiring and technology push for the 2020 census. Data from the census is useful far beyond counting the population. Economists and businesses use census numbers to decide where and when to expand, or pull […]

Education Department learns how to downsize as threat of budget cuts looms

Apr 27, 2017
'There just is no easy or cheap way to reduce the size of government workforce,' public policy expert says.
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos speaks as President Donald Trump and educator Kenneth Smith listen during a parent-teacher conference listening session at the Roosevelt Room of the White House.
Alex Wong/Getty Images