Taxes & Budget
Coverage of the national budget and your taxes.
D.C. watchdogs feud about overspending as city lawmakers eye more budget hikes
Washington’s top municipal finance watchdogs are feuding about perennial agency overspending as the D.C. Council eyes more spending hikes in its annual budget.
Senate’s $1.15 trillion defense bill urges Pentagon to create new combatant command for drones
The Pentagon should create a new combatant command focused exclusively on drones and robotics, lawmakers said in a major defense bill that cleared a key Senate committee Thursday.
Federal agencies made $186 billion in improper payments last year, watchdog finds
Federal agencies made an estimated $186 billion in improper payments in the 2026 fiscal year, totaling about $3 trillion in payment errors since 2003, according to a new report.
Senate passes $70 billion immigration enforcement funding package after overnight voting session
The Senate early Friday passed a $70 billion package to fund immigration enforcement agencies through the remainder of President Trump’s term, after pulling an all-nighter.
GOP concerns about Anti-Weaponization Fund again stall immigration enforcement money in Senate
A desire among a handful of Senate Republicans to codify the death of the Trump administration’s $1.8 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund is threatening the party’s ability to pass a $70 billion immigration enforcement funding package.
Trump refuses to commit to dropping $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund
President Trump declined to commit to scrapping plans for a $1.8 billion fund that would have compensated his allies and Jan. 6 rioters, one day after the Justice Department’s top official said they were retreating from the program that sparked a political backlash on both sides of the aisle.
Trump revives tariff plan citing forced labor in foreign countries
President Trump has reignited his trade war with a plan to impose tariffs on 60 U.S. trading partners nearly four months after the Supreme Court struck down his earlier levies.
Acting attorney general says $1.8 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund is permanently dead
The Justice Department is permanently abandoning its plan to set up a $1.8 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told Congress on Tuesday.
Florida Legislature OKs Gov. Ron DeSantis’ plan to let voters decide whether to end property taxes
Florida voters in November will get the chance to make the Sunshine State the first in the nation to end property taxes.
Justice Department to drop Anti-Weaponization Fund in compliance with court ruling
The Justice Department is dropping a $1.8 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund it created as part of a settlement with President Trump.
D.C. GOP calls for end of federal income tax for city’s residents
The District of Columbia Republican Party urged the end of the federal income tax for the city’s residents as the best counterargument to the Democrats’ push for statehood.
Trump administration spending $5 million on gold-plated horses near Lincoln Memorial
The Trump administration is spending $5 million to apply a thick layer of gold to four bronze horse statues surrounding the Lincoln Memorial, ahead of America’s 250th anniversary on July 4.
Republicans’ recent stumbles in Congress highlight the difficult road ahead for their agenda
A roughly $70 billion bill to fund immigration enforcement through the remainder of President Donald Trump’s term was supposed to be an easy lift for Republicans.
‘Standing up for taxpayers’: Gov. Ron DeSantis puts Florida’s property tax on the chopping block
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday aggressively moved to make his state the first in the nation to eliminate most residential property taxes, citing wasteful spending by local governments and the need to help residents struggling to afford increasing costs.
IRS reportedly weighing adding non-U.S. citizen checkbox to tax forms
The IRS is reportedly looking into requiring taxpayers to disclose their citizenship status on next year’s tax forms.
Republicans eye legislative action to dismantle $1.8B Anti-Weaponization Fund
Republicans in Congress are preparing for legislative action to end or at least place guardrails around the $1.8 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund.
Senate GOP delays vote on filibuster-proof funding bill amid backlash over Anti-Weaponization Fund
Senate Republicans are postponing consideration of their filibuster-proof immigration enforcement funding bill until June after it got snagged in a political debate over the Trump administration’s $1.8 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund.