U.S. House Republicans are grappling with internal strife as Representatives Mike Gallagher and Ken Buck resign, while Speaker Mike Johnson will have to contend with an effort to oust him from Marjorie Taylor Greene when the chamber reconvenes in April.
Tag: Budgeting
Posted inLegislative Advocacy
The right wing Washington Policy Center preaches fiscal responsibility, but hasn’t been practicing that principle itself
A Seattle Times story about the recent departure of the organization’s CEO Michael Gallagher demonstrates that WPC isn’t walking its talk.
Posted inLegislative Advocacy
Congress sends President Biden a new stopgap bill to keep federal government open
H.R. 2872, dubbed the Further Additional Continuing Appropriations and Other Extensions Act, 2024, was sent to President Biden for signature after receiving affirmative votes in Congress on January 18th.
Posted inLegislative Advocacy
U.S. House passes another stopgap spending bill to avert shutdown, thanks to Democrats
127 Republicans joined 209 Democrats to pass H.R. 6363, the Further Continuing Appropriations and Other Extensions Act, 2024, which will avert a partial government shutdown that would have begun this weekend.
Posted inLegislative Advocacy
Shutdown averted: Surprising pundits, Congress adopts clean continuing resolution
To the astonishment of many pundits, who often lack imagination, Congress on September 30th voted to keep the federal government open and buy more time to pass a slew of longer-term appropriations bills.
Posted inLegislative Advocacy
Kevin McCarthy, House Republicans can’t even agree on how to waste time anymore
They don’t know what they want and lack a strategy for getting it, so, consequently, Republicans can’t even agree on how to waste time anymore. Political theater is getting supplanted by utter chaos and paralysis.
Posted inLegislative Advocacy
New fiscal dashboard proposed by NPI and Senator Kuderer goes live for Washingtonians
Prepared by the Legislative Evaluation and Accountability Program (LEAP) and the Office of Financial Management (OFM), the Budgeting for Washington’s Future fiscal dashboard provides useful, truthful, and accurate information about state revenue and expenditures, as required by the legislation we created to get rid of Tim Eyman’s push polls.
Posted inPolicy Topics
U.S. Senate passes its version of the 2024 NDAA, with PNW Democrats split yea and nay
The bill, which passed 86–11, would authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2024 for military activities of the Department of Defense and for military construction.
Posted inLegislative Advocacy
Putting a right wing poll of Washington State under the microscope: An evaluation of Echelon/Future42’s spring 2023 survey
This detailed analysis examines the flaws of a statewide public opinion research survey released by a right wing group in Washington State in late June of 2023.
Posted inElections
U.S. Senate sends bill to raise debt ceiling, satisfy Republican ransom demands to Biden
The so-called Fiscal Responsibility Act received yea votes from almost two-thirds of the Senate, passing 63–36. Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren, Jeff Merkley, Ed Markey, and John Fetterman voted no, along with independent Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and seventeen Republican senators.
Posted inLegislative Advocacy
U.S. House votes to raise debt ceiling, impose Republican-demanded austerity measures
By a vote of 314–117, the House adopted the so-called Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, which “increases the federal debt limit, establishes new discretionary spending limits, rescinds unobligated funds, and expands work requirements for federal programs,” as summarized by Congress’ official legislative website.
Posted inLegislative Advocacy
Biden, McCarthy say they’ve reached a deal to respond to Republicans’ ransom demands
The White House announced late Saturday night that it has reached a deal with Kevin McCarthy and his deputies in the United States House of Representatives to avert a fiscal crisis that Republicans have been enthusiastically prepared to manufacture by refusing to provide the votes needed to raise the debt ceiling.
Posted inLegislative Advocacy
House Republicans’ “Default on America Act” would devastate services like veterans’ care
As the clock clicks down on debt obligations, we are waking up to the consequences of Republicans’ fiscal demands. Any evaluation goes beyond hyperbole, both in the stock market crash and loss of millions of jobs likely resulting from a default, but also for impacts of Republican-championed cuts on the state and federal services such as those provided by Veterans Affairs.
Posted inLegislative Advocacy
Legislature agrees on operating budget for 2023–2025 and sends it to Governor Inslee
ESSB 5187 is the vehicle for this year’s operating budget. Its title is making 2023–2025 fiscal biennium operating appropriations. It is prime sponsored by Senator Christine Rolfes (D‑23rd District: Kitsap Peninsula), the Chair of the Ways & Means Committee, which has budget writing responsibility in the Senate.