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The shrinking federal government — in D.C.

Mar 15, 2024
For years, there have been more federal workers based outside the nation’s capital than in it. That trend picked up during the pandemic.
"From February 2020 to January 2024, federal government employment in the District of Columbia, D.C. proper, fell by 2%,” said T.J. Lepoutre at the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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Even a government non-shutdown comes with serious costs

Jan 19, 2024
Federal workers still have to prepare for a potential shutdown weeks in advance in addition to (or instead of) their regular duties. Waiting for a budget also has another price: the erosion of the public's trust in government.
The continuing resolution passed by Congress isn't exactly a win for anyone — it just keeps funding at around the current amount for a bit longer.
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Is there a better way to describe what we call a "government shutdown"?

Sep 25, 2023
The term is a bit misleading: Some government programs keep running even if their workers go unpaid. We asked experts for alternative terms.
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack answers questions during a White House press briefing. During a shutdown, some government-funded programs, like WIC, could immediately lose funding, while others, like Medicare and the military can continue operating.
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As another government shutdown looms, government jobs lose their luster

Sep 18, 2023
Workers have been paid after past shutdowns, albeit late. But there's no guarantee they will after any future shutdown.
Federal workers are subject to threats of government shutdown, which might lessen the appeal of a career in public service.
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U.S. officials want to end the HIV epidemic by 2030. Many stakeholders think they won’t.

Apr 20, 2023
The federal government’s ambitious plan to end the HIV epidemic, launched in 2019, has generated new ways to reach at-risk populations in targeted communities across the South. But health officials, advocates, and people living with HIV worry significant headwinds will keep the program from reaching its goals.
The White House displays a red ribbon for World AIDS Day on Dec. 01, 2021. In 2019, then-President Donald Trump launched a federal initiative to end HIV.
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Immigrants' taxes play an outsized role in the U.S. government's fiscal health

Apr 11, 2023
Immigrant contributions to government revenues are higher than they may first appear.
 Mexican immigrants work on a housing construction site on May 3, 2013 in Denver, Colorado.
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How a “divorce” between the Treasury and Fed helped build the modern economy

Dec 13, 2022
In the 1950s, the U.S. Treasury and the Federal Reserve reached an agreement that helped create the economy we have today.
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For public good, not for profit.

Why you should care about a Supreme Court decision on the "administrative state"

Executive agencies implement laws passed by Congress. The conservative legal movement seeks to limit their power.
The court might rule this week on a case involving the Environmental Protection Agency that’s part on an ongoing legal debate about the powers of the executive branch.
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How small should a 'small business' be? The government's answer is changing.

Jun 8, 2022
The Small Business Administration recently announced changes to its small business size standards, which govern whether a business is eligible for small business contracts and aid. That could help businesses that were near the old size threshold.
Changes to size standards mean the biggest small businesses could end up with a huge advantage over the smallest companies.
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Did the enhanced child tax credit really reduce household poverty?

Early studies find that the enhanced credit reduced childhood poverty and food insufficiency.
"The expanded child tax credit did not have a negative short-term employment effect that offset its documented reductions in poverty and hardship," said Chris Farrell, Marketplace senior economics contributor.
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