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NEWS ABOUT: federal budget talks

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Starbucks CEO to DC: No Donations for You!

Howard Schultz wants budget answers before opening his wallet

(Newser) - Maybe he should just refuse coffee to politicians. Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz is pleading to other corporate execs to stop contributing to political campaigns until the president and Congress come up with a realistic way to cut budget deficits, reports Politico . “This is a time for citizenship, not partisanship,... More »

Special Interests Gave 'Super Committee' Members $3M

Donors have a stake in spending cuts

(Newser) - The 12 members of the new budget super committee have received more than $3 million over the past five years from special interests directly affected by potential cuts, an AP review finds. The money came from groups linked to defense contractors, labor unions, and health care providers, and buffered the... More »

Jon Stewart Assembles the Super Committee

It's 'America's own legion of doofs': Jon Stewart

(Newser) - Imagine Jon Stewart's dismay when he discovered that after months of drama, the debt deal only shaved our deficit from $28.8 trillion to $26.3 trillion at the end of a decade. "That's what this whole f***ing thing was about?" he asked last night . Removing "... More »

All Eyes Turn to Deficit Panel, Herculean $1.5T Task

Committee must come up with $1.5T in cuts

(Newser) - The debt deal has been signed, but the work is far from over: Now a special committee must figure out how to cut $1.5 trillion more from the deficit. The bipartisan panel, which will be composed of six Democrats and six Republicans, was created by the measure after President... More »

Debt Ceiling Deal: Obama 'Surrendered'

Krugman: It's a 'disaster' for the country, and shows he'll surrender again

(Newser) - President Obama caved deeply in a debt deal that made the Republicans big winners, with both Andrew Leonard and Paul Krugman arguing that he "surrendered." Their take:
  • “In the end, President Obama had to admit surrender,” writes Andrew Leonard in Salon , detailing “a smashing victory
... More »

Senate Votes Down Reid's Plan

But real deal is still being worked on

(Newser) - As expected, the Senate voted today not to move forward with Harry Reid's debt ceiling proposal in a 50-49 vote. The Wall Street Journal notes that the vote was "anti-climactic," since the real work on hammering out a deal by the end of the day is happening... More »

Obama's Approval Rating Hits New Low

Gallup registers him at 40%

(Newser) - President Obama's approval rating has hit an all-time low of 40%, according to Gallup 's daily tracking. The rating has previously dipped to 41%—most recently in April—but it had risen to an average of 46% during the past two months. At one point in June, it... More »

Obama: Solution to Avoid Default Must Be Bipartisan

In latest speech, president promises to work all weekend long

(Newser) - In his latest debt limit speech, President Obama today urged Democrats and Republicans to come up with "a plan that I can sign by Tuesday"—a plan that has support in both parties. "There are plenty of ways out of this mess," he said, but any... More »

CBO: Dems' Plan Falls Short, Too

...about $500 billion shy of goal

(Newser) - Looks like the Republicans aren't the only ones whose debt ceiling plan falls a little short: The Congressional Budget Office says the Senate Democrats' plan would only cut the deficit by $2.2 trillion over the next decade, not the $2.7 trillion promised by Harry Reid, reports the... More »

Boehner, Reid Can't Find the Votes

Neither plan is doing very well at this point

(Newser) - John Boehner and Harry Reid are frantically scrambling to cobble together support for their dueling debt plans after Boehner was forced to delay a House floor vote on his proposal until tomorrow ... or beyond. The delay was a direct result of the CBO's report that Boehner's package falls... More »

Let's Kill the Debt Ceiling— Permanently

Why suffer from 'problems we've created for ourselves'?

(Newser) - All this talk about raising the debt ceiling when the fact is—like almost “every other democratic country”—we shouldn’t have one at all, writes James Surowiecki in the New Yorker . “There’s no debt limit in the Constitution,” and Congress already has a way... More »

US Won't Default on Aug. 2

New reports indicate the feds have a little wiggle room

(Newser) - The US blew past a seventh (and final? ) deadline for coming up with a debt ceiling extension plan yesterday, but new reports indicate the country may not actually default a week from today. According to economic analysts at UBS, Aug. 8 is the earliest date the government might run... More »

Congress Has Blown By 6 Debt Limit Deadlines So Far

But today's the absolute last one—right?

(Newser) - Today is, supposedly, the absolute last day for debt limit legislation to be introduced in the House if the US wants to avoid defaulting on Aug. 2. As we wait to see if lawmakers make the deadline, Uri Friedman, writing in in the Atlantic Wire, looks at all the deadlines... More »

All Hope Lost for Debt Deal?

Boehner believes proposal must hit House today

(Newser) - We may very well be at zero hour: John Boehner has privately told Republicans that in order to get a debt ceiling measure signed by President Obama by the Aug. 2 deadline, it must be introduced in the House today. But despite the increasing likeliness of a US default, Politico... More »

Boehner: Details of New Proposal Tomorrow

Conference call yields few clues to new proposal

(Newser) - If you were waiting with bated breath for John Boehner to announce a new deal framework today in an effort to avert panic in the Asian markets and stop the US from defaulting ... tough luck. Boehner spoke with House Republicans on a conference call this afternoon, and word is the... More »

Boehner to House: Pass Deal by Wednesday

Even though 'there is no deal' yet

(Newser) - The House must move to raise the debt ceiling by Wednesday, John Boehner told a closed House GOP meeting. First, of course, a deal must be struck, and as yet, “there is no deal. There is no agreement in private,” Boehner told the press, and leaders aren’t... More »

Still No Debt Deal—and Now Dems Miffed at Obama

Democrats worry Obama making too many concessions

(Newser) - Sam and Diane. Ross and Rachel. And now the latest "will-they-or-won't-they?" couple seems to be President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner. After speculation renewed yesterday that they were working on a deal, the New York Times maintains a deal is close, while the USA Today says both... More »

Obama, Boehner Near 'Grand Bargain'—Maybe

Reports cite $3T deal with tax reform, entitlement changes

(Newser) - President Obama and John Boehner are reportedly back at the bargaining table, and they could be near a deal to cut the deficit and raise the debt ceiling. The rumored $3 trillion agreement between the administration and top Republicans could include entitlement changes and set plans for tax reform, reports... More »

Obama OK With Short-Term Debt Deal, So Long As...

...those days are used to hammer out longer-term deal

(Newser) - All of the debt ceiling meetings have broken up for the evening, and, surprise, surprise, no breakthrough deal has emerged. But once again, there's hope: The big development of the day looks to be the White House declaration that President Obama would agree to a short-term deal to raise... More »

Obama Praises Bipartisan 'Gang of Six' Debt Plan

President calls for end to 'posturing'

(AP) - With time running short on the debt limit, President Obama today hailed a plan by a bipartisan senators' group on deficit reduction as the kind of "balanced approach" the nation is looking for. He said it's time for Congress as a whole to rally around such a proposal.... More »

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