Under current law, a wide range of temporary tax and spending provisions are set to expire at the end of 2012, cutting the yearly budget deficit almost in half and as a result imposing considerable fiscal policy restraint on the U.S. economy. A recent report by the Congressional Budget Office suggests that the short-term economic consequences of letting that happen might be severe. read more...
The graph shows new discretionary budget authority (appropriations) for the entire federal government and for defense programs, historically and as limited by the 2011 debt limit law. With the sequester set to take effect in January, lawmakers are talking about delaying these additional cuts or replacing them with savings they find more palatable. read more...
In the years of persistent unemployment that have followed the 2007-2009 recession, the most severe joblessness has been concentrated in the south, west and midwest of the U.S. For five months between Nov. 2009 and March 2010, 17 states in those regions endured unemployment above 10 percent compared to only two (Rhode Island and D.C.) in the rest of the country. read more...
The Energy Department’s projections show the monthly retail price of gasoline peaking next month at $4 a gallon before declining to $3.67 by the November election. read more...
In the fourth quarter, real gross domestic product grew at an annual rate of 3.0 percent, and for the entire year, growth was up 1.7 percent compared to 2010. Real GDP has now been on the rise for ten straight quarters, following record dips in 2008 and 2009. read more...
The Bureau of Labor Statistics announced this morning that the national unemployment rate held steady in February at 8.3 percent of the labor force. Breaking down that number by demographic group reveals some interesting trends. read more...
Unemployment among men finally dropped to the same level as unemployment among women last month, part of a broadly positive jobs report. But good news for men and the broader economy masks concern in some quarters about prospects for women in the post-recession workforce. read more...
On May 21, the House approved allocations, known as 302(b)s, for fiscal 2014 appropriations. The Democratic…
As of 2010, just over 40 million people living in the United States were born in…
The Senate approved a cloture motion Thursday night on an internet sales tax bill by a…
The Data Mine, CQ Roll Call's multimedia blog, features interactive visualizations of government and congressional data along with in-depth, policy-oriented analysis of the latest facts and figures.
