The “naughty” list is getting longer… No, I’m not talking about Amy pinching her brother this morning while getting ready for school. I’m talking about those in Congress who are squabbling over the payroll tax cut extension all while the deadline for keeping the lights on in D.C. creeps closer. The Senate has yet to…
The House of Representatives has passed a version of a plan that would extend the payroll tax cuts enacted for 2011. The plan also includes the acceleration of approval of the Keystone XL oil pipeline. The bill, H.R. 3630, was originally known as the Welfare Integrity and Data Improvement Act (yup, not a word about…
Here’s why people really hate Congress: these days, it’s all shenanigans. It’s not “what can I do for you?” so much as “what can I do for my friends?” It’s all backroom deals and sneaky tricks. And now we have another one to add to the mix. Rumor has it – and House Speaker John…
Ooh, talk about efficiency. Here I was totally expecting the Senate to at least pretend to entertain extending the payroll tax cut until tomorrow. Instead, they rushed right into a “no” vote a day early. The charge was led by Senate Republicans despite statements by House Speaker (R-OH) in support of an extension. Boehner said…
Is your mortgage interest deduction at risk? What about your charitable donation deduction? Your real estate tax deduction? Your medical expenses deduction? Under a new conservative plan introduced by Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA), one of the members of the “Super Committee”, the amounts that taxpayers could claim as a deduction on a Schedule A would…
If you stayed up to watch the marathon Braves/Pirates game, the one that lasted 19 innings, you kind of know how most people feel about waiting for the debt ceiling deal to be made. It’s been long. And no one was quite sure how it was going to end. And if you saw the end…
When presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich first objected to House Budget Committee Chair Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) Medicare proposal, there was a collective gasp in the political sphere. Until a few weeks ago, many Republicans thought the budget, which included a controversial provision to overhaul Medicare, was untouchable. The proposal, which appeared to be endorsed by most of…
Remember those new reporting requirements for businesses that were tucked away inside the health care bill? “Unpopular” doesn’t even begin to describe the provision. So what’s a legislator to do in the midst of an election year? Repeal the very piece of legislation that you passed earlier in the year. Now you can take credit…
Earlier today, I blogged the story of my former law professor’s expulsion from the GOP in Delaware. I followed up via email with Professor Ting, who graciously agreed to answer a series of questions about the fiasco – and his quick views on the candidates and tax reform – despite the fact that he’s currently…
Or so say three senior House Democrats who have proposed an income tax surcharge to pay the $150 billion annual cost of operations in Iraq (and the $40 billion annual cost of operations in Afghanistan). Rep. David Obey (D-WI), John Murtha (D-PA) and Jim McGovern (D-MA) introduced the bill, claiming that it is unfair to…