The Senate budget, which reflects Democratic priorities of boosting near-term job growth and preserving social safety net programs, will square off in coming months against a Republican-focused budget passed by the Republican-dominated House of Representatives. Read More
Economy/Taxes
![Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., speaks to the press with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., after the weekly Senate Democrats policy luncheon on March 19, 2013 in Washington, DC. The Senate is expected to pass a revised continuing resolution and send their edits back to the House in order to prevent a government shutdown next week, but any action in the Senate may be delayed until later in the week. (Photo by T.J. Kirkpatrick/Getty Images)](https://web.archive.org/web/20130323184025im_/http://msnbctv.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/164065875.jpg?w=400&h=300&crop=1)
More From Taxes
![OPEC MEETING](https://web.archive.org/web/20130323184025im_/http://msnbctv.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/traffic.jpg?w=196&h=148&crop=1)
A new report card gives America’s infrastructure a D+
The country usually gets bad grades in this report, but this year it actually showed improvement from a D in 2009. Read More
![Chairman of the Republican National Committee Reince Priebus flashes a thumbs up (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)](https://web.archive.org/web/20130323184025im_/http://msnbctv.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/reince-priebus-thumbs-up.jpg?w=196&h=148&crop=1)
RNC chair: It’s not what we say, it’s how we say it
RNC Chair Reince Priebus and his team reached out to more than 50,000 Americans to find out why they lost the last election. The big takeaway from the resulting report? It's time to rebrand and remarket. Read More
![Ohio Gov. John Kasich delivers his State of the State address at Wells Academy/Steubenville High School in Steubenville, Ohio earlier this year. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak, File)](https://web.archive.org/web/20130323184025im_/http://msnbctv.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/kasich.jpg?w=196&h=148&crop=1)
Let Me Start: Doublespeak
Does Ohio's Republican governor John Kasich support of civil unions for same-sex couples? He told the Cleveland Plain Dealer “If people want to have civil… Read More
![Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt.](https://web.archive.org/web/20130323184025im_/http://msnbctv.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/n_cycle_2welch_130320.jpg?w=196&h=148&crop=1)
GOP’s lack of reaction to defense cuts shows how ‘really extreme’ the party has become, says Welch
Going into the sequester, many legislators made a gamble. They bet that once the cuts started to take effect, the pain would be so widespread that public… Read More
![n_mj_eakin_130320](https://web.archive.org/web/20130323184025im_/http://msnbctv.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/n_mj_eakin_130320.jpg?w=196&h=148&crop=1)
Former CBO director: Why too much debt means too little growth
"All you've got to do is look at the historical record and countries get too much debt grow slower than countries who look the same, and have the same approach to economic policy, but have less debt," says former CBO director Douglas Holtz-Eakin Read More
![Capitol Hill](https://web.archive.org/web/20130323184025im_/http://msnbctv.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/capitolhill.jpg?w=196&h=148&crop=1)
A multitude of budgets, a shortage of agreement
The "grand bargain" is proving elusive despite the fact that no fewer than six different budgets are currently circulating on Capitol Hill. Read More
![Speaker John Boehner gestures as he speaks to reporters, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)](https://web.archive.org/web/20130323184025im_/http://msnbctv.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/budgetbattle-jpeg-0c82a.jpg?w=196&h=148&crop=1)
Boehner: ‘We do not have an immediate debt crisis’
Speaker John Boehner and President Obama finally agree on something: there is no immediate debt crisis. But does this agreement bring the two sides any closer to a grand bargain? Read More
![Mitt Romney implicitly praised the CPAC-snubbed Chris Christie in his speech today. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)](https://web.archive.org/web/20130323184025im_/http://msnbctv.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/130315-romney-ap13031516711.jpg?w=196&h=148&crop=1)
Best quotes from CPAC Day 2: Romney, Ryan, Yale and the guy who ripped Trump
Missed the key crazy lines during day two of CPAC? We’ve got you covered. Read More
![prouty_1_](https://web.archive.org/web/20130323184025im_/http://msnbctv.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/prouty_1_.jpeg?w=196&h=148&crop=1)
Scott Prouty offers final thoughts on Romney in ‘last’ television interview
Scott Prouty, the 38-year-old bartender behind the infamous 47% video dropped by NOW with Alex Wagner on Friday, saying it would be "the last television interview that I do." Read More
![Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, speaks to reporters in the spin room after the second presidential debate at Hofstra University, Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2012 Hempstead, N.Y. (Photo by Mary Altaffer/AP Photo, File)](https://web.archive.org/web/20130323184025im_/http://msnbctv.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/portman-spin-e1363396111635.jpg?w=196&h=148&crop=1)
Let Me Start: Change of heart
A dramatic reversal on gay marriage by an influential Republican senator: Ohio's Rob Portman now says he supports gay marriage, a change of heart triggered after his son came out. Read More
![Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.](https://web.archive.org/web/20130323184025im_/http://msnbctv.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/n_cycle_3sanders_130314.jpg?w=196&h=148&crop=1)
Sanders: ‘Insane to simply talk about cut, cut, cut’
Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., blasted Rep. Paul Ryan’s new budget plan, calling it, “disastrous.” Read More
![Chris Van Hollen](https://web.archive.org/web/20130323184025im_/http://msnbctv.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/ap13030704047-e1363287732704.jpg?w=196&h=148&crop=1)
The danger of ‘slash-and-burn’ budgeting
Congressman Chris Van Hollen warns the GOP budget would "sacrifice" the economy at the "altar" of austerity. Read More
![Image: Marco Rubio](https://web.archive.org/web/20130323184025im_/http://msnbctv.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/rubio.jpg?w=196&h=148&crop=1)
Rubio on ‘traditional’ marriage at CPAC: I’m no ‘bigot’
But perhaps most surprising in Rubio’s CPAC speech was what he didn’t talk about: immigration. Read More
![President Obama delivers remarks at the Organizing for Action dinner in Washington on March 13, 2013 (Photo by Yuri Gripas/Reuters)](https://web.archive.org/web/20130323184025im_/http://msnbctv.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/obama_400x3001.jpg?w=196&h=148&crop=1)
Let Me Start: Divided we stand
President Obama's meeting with House Republicans at the Capitol yesterday only served to reinforce the existing divisions between the two sides. Republicans are digging in -- doubling down on budget ideas that have been rejected year after year. Read More
![House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis. arrives for President Barack Obama's State of the Union address during a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday Feb. 12, 2013. (Photo by AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)](https://web.archive.org/web/20130323184025im_/http://msnbctv.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/ap450055565873.jpg?w=196&h=148&crop=1)
Paul Ryan’s imaginary savings
The House Republican Budget counts the repeal of Obamacare as 40% of the total deficit savings. But there's no rational basis for Ryan's assumption that the ACA is going to disappear. Read More
![Image: A group of protesters carry signs against an emergency financial manager being appointed in Detroit](https://web.archive.org/web/20130323184025im_/http://msnbctv.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/2013-03-08t204234z_1259151015_gm1e9390crt01_rtrmadp_3_usa-detroit-emergency.jpg?w=196&h=148&crop=1)
Detroit’s cash crisis: Blame the banks?
Detroit financial mess isn't just because of the flight from the city to the suburbs and the loss of manufacturing jobs in the auto industry but also because of something called "bank walkaways." Read More
![President Barack Obama addresses the National Governors Association in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, Monday, Feb. 25, 2013. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)](https://web.archive.org/web/20130323184025im_/http://msnbctv.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/obama-sequester.jpg?w=196&h=148&crop=1)
Honeymoon’s over? Obama’s approval rating drops to 50%
It isn’t entirely bad news, however. More Americans –47% blame the GOP for the sequester, compared to 33% who blame the president. Do you approve of the way Obama is handling the economy? Take our poll! Read More
![President Obama returning to the White House on March 5, 2013. (Photo by /Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images)](https://web.archive.org/web/20130323184025im_/http://msnbctv.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/obama_dinner.jpg?w=196&h=148&crop=1)
Let Me Start: Charm Offensive
President Obama is set to meet with House Republicans today on Capitol Hill. After years of obstruction, disagreement and - in some cases - downright vitriol - the House GOP conference is hardly friendly territory for this president. So why is he going? Read More
![House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan speaks during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 27, 2013 (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)](https://web.archive.org/web/20130323184025im_/http://msnbctv.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/ryan.jpg?w=196&h=148&crop=1)
Top Links: Even conservatives are tiring of the ‘Paul Ryan’s got a new budget’ act
Paul Ryan's latest budget met with a collective “meh” from the right. The problem? Like most movie franchises, conservative audiences are suffering from sequelitis. Read More