Analysis: Tax cuts, spending to raise deficit to $1T by 2020

The combined effect of President Donald Trump's tax cuts and last month's budget-busting spending bill is sending the federal deficit toward the $1 trillion mark next year, according to a new analysis by the Congressional Budget Office. The CBO report says the nation's $21 trillion debt would spike to more than $33 trillion in 10 years, with debt held by investors spiking to levels that would come close to equaling the size of the economy, reaching levels that many economists fear could spark a debt crisis.

Analysis: Tax cuts, spending to raise deficit to $1T by 2019

The combined effects of President Trump's tax cuts and last month's budget-busting spending bill is sending the government's budget deficit toward the $1 trillion mark next year, according to a new analysis by the Congressional Budget Office. The CBO report says that that the twin tax and spending bills will push the budget deficit to $804 billion this year and just under $1 trillion for the upcoming budget year.

What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger: Why Scott Pruitt May Be Here To Stay

A 2017 file photo of EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. Democrats have called for Pruitt's resignation over a variety of spending scandals but President Trump and key Republicans have rallied to his defense.

Mulvaney gives big pay bumps to his hires at consumer agency

Budget director Mick Mulvaney testified before the Senate Budget Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington on Feb. 13. Documents obtained by The Associated Press show that Mulvaney, Trump's appointee to oversee the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, has given big pay raises to the deputies he hired to help him run the bureau. NEW YORK - Mick Mulvaney, President Donald Trump's appointee to oversee the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, has given big pay raises to the deputies he has hired to help him run the bureau, according to salary records obtained by The Associated Press.

States, Cities Sue US Government Over Census Citzenship Question

Seventeen states, the District of Columbia and six cities sued the U.S. government Tuesday, saying the addition of a citizenship question to the census form is unconstitutional. Federal funding and congressional representation are at stake in the dispute over the Trump administration's move to reinstate the citizenship question to the 2020 census.

EPA chief’s job not assured after Trump’s praise – and ire

Esta foto del 3 de abril del 2018 muestra al admnistrador de la Agencia de ProtecciA3n Ambiental de Estados Unidos, Scott Pruitt, mientras hace declaraciones en Washington. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt, center, winks at National Automobile Dealers Association president and CEO Peter Welch, right, as he takes the podium to speak at a news conference at the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, Tuesday, April 3, 2018, on his decision to scrap Obama administration fuel standards.

Trump fired V.A. Secretary David Shulkin for the wrong reasons

MARCH 15: U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Shulkin testifies during a hearing before the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Subcommittee of House Appropriations Committee March 15, 2018 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. The subcommittee held a hearing to examine the FY2019 Veterans Affairs Budget request by the Trump Administration.

Jeff Sessions Gets Time Magazine Cover Story, But No One Can Get Past That Photo

FEBRUARY 02: U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions, a committee member, waits for the beginning of a meeting of Senate Environment and Public Works Committee February 2, 2017 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Committee chairman Sen. John Barrasso suspended the rules and passed the confirm of Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt to become the next administrator of Environmental Protection Agency with only Republican votes, after Democratic members have boycotted the meeting for a second day.

The announcement ends weeks of speculation and uncertainty about Shulkin’s fate.

Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin is being replaced, President Trump tweeted Wednesday, ending weeks of speculation and uncertainty about his fate. Trump said he is nominating Navy Rear Admiral Ronny Jackson, official physician for the president and his predecessor Barack Obama, to be the next VA secretary.

‘Suspicious packages’ received at sites around Washington area

The Defense Department said Monday evening that suspicious packages had been received at military installations in the Washington, D.C., region, and were under investigation. In addition, an NBC news report indicated that "similar" packages were located at mail processing facilities for both the CIA and the White House.

White House: No change ‘at this time’ to Shulkin’s VA job

With his job status in danger, embattled Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin sought to lower his public profile Monday as a White House spokesman insisted that President Donald Trump still had confidence in his leadership "at this point in time." Shulkin, the lone Obama administration official in Trump's Cabinet, abruptly backed out of a media availability Monday morning that had been scheduled at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Elsmere, Delaware, as part of an annual Veterans Summit hosted by Democratic Sen. Tom Carper.

Talks on trillion-dollar US budget bill reach crucial stage

The U.S. Capitol is seen Dec. 22, 2017, in the early morning in Washington. Top-level Capitol Hill talks on a massive $1.3 trillion catchall spending bill are reaching a critical stage as negotiators confront immigration issues, abortion-related controversies, and a battle over a massive rail project that pits President Donald Trump against his most powerful Democratic adversary.

Trump official accuses N.J. of ‘bullying’ on Gateway tunnel

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao ratcheted up the rhetoric over the Gateway Tunnel project , accusing proponents of waging a campaign to "bully the department" to approve funding. Chao made her comments at a Senate Commerce Committee hearing Wednesday in response to a question from U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who asked if she would support Gateway, which he called a project of "the upmost urgency."