Commentator Liz Herman says we need to find a way to both reduce the deficit and spend the right amount on social services.

After similar legislation failed in California, Texas, and Illinois, a lawmaker in Florida is hoping to ban the use of food stamps to buy soda, candy, and other junk food.

Later this morning President Obama is expected to outline a new plan to shrink government. He's going to ask Congress to give him the authority to merge some departments and agencies.

In this week's quiz, Stephan Richter shows us how U.S. spending in Afghanistan stacks up against American spending for the United Nations.

Lawmakers are on track to agree to a temporary budget deal ahead of tonight's midnight deadline.

Now that Congress has averted a government shutdown, it takes up the extension of the payroll tax cut and long-term unemployment benefits

Planned layoffs are up in 2011 over the previous year — and there's still a month to go.

This final note today, toward a more consumer friendly Internal Revenue Service, perhaps The left-leaning think tank Third Way has a new policy…

Critics say the rules to receive compensation through the $20 billion BP oil spill fund are unfair….

Who's handling the economic crisis better — the US or Europe? Today, New York Times columnist Paul Krugman points out the stark differences in…