Taxes & Budget
Coverage of the national budget and your taxes.
Senate advances bill to ban penny production
The Senate on Monday approved a bill that would put into law President Trump’s policy to stop minting pennies, each of which costs 3.69 cents to produce.
From Epstein to Biden’s autopen: The biggest fights of Comer’s Oversight Committee
Who knew the U.S. government loses up to $521 billion every year to fraud?
Alaska’s Dan Sullivan joins candidates in key Senate races calling for a pause on diesel exports
Republican candidates who supported the Iran war are moving quickly to show they hear voters’ complaints about high fuel and grocery prices tied to the conflict — proposing a gas tax suspension and a temporary halt to diesel exports as the midterm elections near.
Asbury is first seminary to end federal loans after Trump cuts aid to low-paying college programs
Asbury Theological Seminary in Kentucky has become the first confirmed collegiate ministry program to phase out federal student loans.
Trump’s federal worker buyouts cost $6.7 billion
Taxpayers footed a $6.7 billion bill for President Trump’s buyouts to get federal employees to quit in 2025, according to the Government Accountability Office.
Treasury Secretary Bessent says he would work with House GOP leaders on Trump dividend plan
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said President Trump’s intent to pay $5,000 to American adults is “very real” and he looks forward to working with House Speaker Mike Johnson on the plan, if necessary.
Reps. Friedman, Jack draft tax breaks for U.S. films to counter overseas production flight
A bipartisan duo said they are drafting a federal production tax incentive program to increase the share of film and television productions made in the U.S.
Trump says he plans to remove a 15% tariff on Irish whiskey
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Sunday at the close of a golf tournament in Ireland that he plans to remove a 15% tariff on Irish whiskey.
House Speaker Johnson calls Trump’s $5,000 checks an ‘idea’ Congress will consider
Republicans aren’t making any promises about handing out $5,000 checks to every adult American, even after President Trump doubled down on the plan by telling reporters in Ireland that it will be “easy enough” if the GOP wins in November.
Pentagon funding hits snag, as Congress returns amid Iran war and ahead of midterm elections
The Republican-controlled House and Senate return Monday amid a series of looming national security policy fights.
Trump wants to send Americans money. Congress and economists don’t seem thrilled with the idea
Donald Trump’s pitch to send Americans $5,000 checks should Republicans prevail in the November midterms is drawing scorn from some members of Congress - the very people who have constitutional authority over federal spending.
Trump promises $5,000 to every U.S. adult if the GOP wins the midterms. Democrats don’t buy it
Democrats do not believe President Trump will follow through on his promise to send every U.S. adult citizen a $5,000 dividend check if Republicans hold onto their congressional majorities in November’s midterm election.
Trump team aims to drop race, sexual orientation, illegal immigrants from census
The Trump administration proposed major changes Wednesday to the decennial census, calling for the elimination of questions on race, ethnicity and sexual orientation, which it said would bring the questionnaire more in line with the census’ original purpose.
Appeals court rules IRS broke privacy laws in turning over records to ICE
The IRS broke a Watergate-era privacy law when it gave information on 47,000 people to ICE for use in immigration enforcement, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday.