Barack Obama

The Fiscal Disarmament Of President Trump and the GOP

President Trump, who sees himself as the toughest guy in the room, is, along with his GOP allies in Congress, disarming the federal government’s ability...

February 14, 2018Howard Gleckman

Federal Budget and Economy: TaxVox

About TSA, IRS, and Being a Washington Scapegoat

It is a familiar--and sad—Washington story. Start with an agency that deals extensively with the public. The agency stumbles. Congress cuts its budget. The resource-constrained agency does an even-worse job. And the very lawmakers who limited the agency’s ability to do its job express shock and

May 24, 2016Howard Gleckman

Federal Budget and Economy: TaxVox

The White House Quietly Rolls Out Its Last Tax and Budget Plan

If the White House wanted to attract attention to its final budget , it could not have picked a worse day to make it public. With official Washington obsessed with today’s New Hampshire primary, the 2017 budget barely caused a ripple. In case there was any question about its fate on Capitol Hill,

February 8, 2016Howard Gleckman

Federal Budget and Economy: TaxVox

What Can Congress and President Obama Accomplish in 2016?

Can Congress and President Obama, who have battled over policy for seven years, reach consensus over key tax and other issues in the months leading up to the 2016 election? To ask the question is practically to answer it, but it is worth taking a closer look at the policy dynamics. Start by

January 4, 2016Howard Gleckman

Federal Budget and Economy: TaxVox

Gimmicks Galore Litter the Boehner/Obama Budget Deal

There is a lot less than meets the eye to the budget deal agreed to last night by outgoing House Speaker John Boehner and the White House. The plan’s proposed new spending is real enough, but many of the spending reductions or new revenues in the plan are wishful thinking at best. Overall, the

October 27, 2015Howard Gleckman

Federal Budget and Economy: TaxVox

The Debt Limit: Here We Go Again

In less than a month—and in perhaps as little as 18 days-- the federal government will be unable to pay its bills. Realistically, there is only one way to avoid such a fiscal mess: Congress must raise the federal debt limit so Treasury can borrow more money. But how will that happen? On one hand,

October 15, 2015Howard Gleckman

Business Taxes: TaxVox

Could a Carbon Tax Prevent The Catastrophic Consequences of Climate Change That Obama Fears?

In recent days, President Obama has painted the risks of climate change in apocalyptic terms. Speaking in Anchorage, AK on Monday, Obama warned that without quick action to slow or reverse global warming, "entire nations will find themselves under severe, severe problems: More drought. More floods

September 1, 2015Howard Gleckman

Individual Taxes: TaxVox

Clinton Would Tinker With, Not Rewrite, the Tax Code

While many Republican presidential candidates are promoting their versions of broad-based tax reform, Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton so far seems disinterested in fundamentally restructuring the code. Instead, she’d retain the framework of the current tax law, while tweaking the code to

August 11, 2015Howard Gleckman

Federal Budget and Economy: TaxVox

Hillary Clinton Outlines Her Play-It-Safe Tax Agenda

In what her campaign billed as a major economic policy speech today in New York, Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton outlined her agenda for what she described as a Growth and Fairness Economy. And while she included a number of tax proposals, few were new. Indeed, the speech was

July 13, 2015Howard Gleckman

Federal Budget and Economy: TaxVox

Obama-Era Tax Reform: RIP

If you still thought there was any chance Congress would pass tax reform before the next election, you can officially abandon hope. In an online interview published Sunday on Morning Consult , Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) hammered the last nail in the coffin. Asked about his

June 8, 2015Howard Gleckman