federal budget

The U.S. Treasury ran a surplus in April, as tax payments jumped by 22% from a year ago. The federal government is still on track to run a deficit of more than $1.5 trillion this year.

Tax revenue jumps 22% in April, but U.S. deficit still looms large

5:24pm May 10, 2024

by Scott Horsley

The U.S. Treasury ran a surplus last month, thanks in part to the April 15th tax deadline. But the federal government is still expected to end the year more than $1.5 trillion in the red.

House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks during a news conference with Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Majority Whip Tom Emmer following a closed-door caucus meeting on March 20. Congressional leaders announced they reached a deal on a FY2024 spending package.

Politics & Government

Congress unveils final spending package, as Friday midnight deadline looms

1:25pm March 21, 2024

by Barbara Sprunt

The text accounting for about three-quarters of all federal discretionary spending was released early Thursday. Now, lawmakers are racing against the clock to vote before a Friday midnight deadline.

The government shortfall for the fiscal year that just ended is far greater than was seen during the height of the Great Recession. The national debt now exceeds the size of the U.S. economy.

$3.1 Trillion: Pandemic Spending Drives The Federal Budget Deficit To A Record

3:18pm October 16, 2020

by Jim Zarroli

The government shortfall for the fiscal year that just ended was more than triple that of 2019. The national debt of $21 trillion now exceeds the size of the U.S. economy.

The economic rescue package just passed by Congress will push this year's budget deficit above $3 trillion.

The U.S. Was Already Deep In Debt. This Year's Deficit Will Be 'Mind-Boggling'

8:11pm March 30, 2020

by Jim Zarroli

The economic rescue package just passed by Congress will push this year's budget deficit above $3 trillion. Such huge levels of deficit spending used to set off alarm bells in Washington, but no more.

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The spending bill to fund the government for the next fiscal year is expected to pass by Friday.

Some Big Health Care Policy Changes Are Hiding In The Federal Spending Package

5:01pm December 18, 2019

by NPR Staff

The bill includes some policy surprises and increases in funding for several key public health priorities. And it cuts the few remaining taxes that were paying for Obamacare.

This Economic Theory Could Be Used To Pay For The Green New Deal

9:48am July 17, 2019

by Scott Horsley

Liberal Democrats have embraced an obscure brand of economics — "modern monetary theory" — to make the case for deficit-financed government programs like the Green New Deal for clean energy and jobs.

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The House Budget Committee displays copies of President Trump's new budget proposal on Capitol Hill on Monday morning. Presidential budget proposals are typically political documents, with Congress taking the lead to set federal spending levels.

Politics & Government

Trump Seeks More Border Wall Funding In New Budget

5:05pm March 11, 2019

by Scott Horsley

President Trump's 2020 budget proposal, released on Monday, calls for $8.6 billion in new border wall funding, along with increased military spending and deep cuts to domestic programs.

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President Trump holds a picture labeled "typical standard wall design" as he hosts a roundtable discussion on border security in the Cabinet Room of the White House on Friday.

Politics & Government

White House Eyes Funding Sources For Border Wall In Case Trump Declares Emergency

5:14pm January 11, 2019

The Army Corps of Engineers has been asked to identify projects that could be canceled or delayed so that funds could be redirected to build a border wall, congressional and Pentagon sources say.

Biological specimens are worthless without a record of when and where they were collected. But with that information, specimens like this Eastern Red Bat from Jones County, Ga. become time capsules.

Old Animal Specimens May Hold The Key To New Discoveries

6:12pm April 13, 2018

by Grant Blankenship

A long-lost trove of preserved animal specimens recently turned up at a university in Georgia. Those old squirrels and muskrats could hold the answers to questions we haven't even thought to ask yet.

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President Trump's budget request includes provisions that could affect drug prices.

Health & Safety

Trump's Budget Proposal Swings At Drug Prices But May Land Only A Glancing Blow

1:38pm February 13, 2018

by Sarah Jane Tribble

The Trump administration rolled out a list of actions in its budget proposal to attack drug prices, but most of the measures dance around the edges of the problem.