Taxes & Budget
Coverage of the national budget and your taxes.
Tax the rich? California voters will decide in November; other states could follow
The anti-billionaire movement has taken hold in California, where voters provided enough signatures to force a landmark ballot initiative that would levy a one-time, 5% tax on the state’s richest residents.
Twenty-six jurisdictions to hike minimum wage next month
Twenty-six state and local governments will raise their minimum wage on July 1 — a flurry of legislative action that supporters say is long overdue and critics insist will worsen the nation’s affordability crisis.
Maryland agency sues Prince George’s County for raiding park funds to plug budget holes
Prince George’s County officials are facing a lawsuit after diverting more than $39 million in property tax revenues designated for parks to fill a budget deficit.
New bill would require states to report food-stamp fraud
Sen. Rick Scott, Florida Republican, introduced a bill Wednesday that would make states submit fraud data in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
Trump signs $70 billion immigration enforcement package
President Trump signed a Republican-backed $70 billion immigration enforcement package Wednesday to fund U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection through the duration of his presidency.
House sends $70 billion immigration enforcement package to Trump’s desk
House Republicans on Tuesday passed the party’s $70 billion immigration enforcement funding package, sending it to President Trump for his signature.
Social Security’s retirement trust fund faces funding shortfall one year earlier than expected
Social Security’s retirement trust fund is projected to face a funding shortfall in 2032, a year earlier than last year’s projections, according to an annual report released Tuesday, while Medicare’s hospital insurance trust fund will be unable to pay full benefits in 2033, which is unchanged from last year’s estimate.
GOP’s $70 billion immigration package remove Democrats’ leverage to reform enforcement
Democrats are set to lose their leverage for reining in President Trump’s deportation force as Republicans prepare to send him a bill this week funding immigration enforcement agencies through the remainder of his term.
Federal agencies made $186 billion in improper payments last year, watchdog finds
Federal agencies made an estimated $186 billion in improper payments in the 2026 fiscal year, totaling about $3 trillion in payment errors since 2003, according to a new report.
Senate passes $70 billion immigration enforcement funding package after overnight voting session
The Senate early Friday passed a $70 billion package to fund immigration enforcement agencies through the remainder of President Trump’s term, after pulling an all-nighter.
GOP concerns about Anti-Weaponization Fund again stall immigration enforcement money in Senate
A desire among a handful of Senate Republicans to codify the death of the Trump administration’s $1.8 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund is threatening the party’s ability to pass a $70 billion immigration enforcement funding package.
Trump refuses to commit to dropping $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund
President Trump declined to commit to scrapping plans for a $1.8 billion fund that would have compensated his allies and Jan. 6 rioters, one day after the Justice Department’s top official said they were retreating from the program that sparked a political backlash on both sides of the aisle.
Trump revives tariff plan citing forced labor in foreign countries
President Trump has reignited his trade war with a plan to impose tariffs on 60 U.S. trading partners nearly four months after the Supreme Court struck down his earlier levies.
Acting attorney general says $1.8 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund is permanently dead
The Justice Department is permanently abandoning its plan to set up a $1.8 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told Congress on Tuesday.
Florida Legislature OKs Gov. Ron DeSantis’ plan to let voters decide whether to end property taxes
Florida voters in November will get the chance to make the Sunshine State the first in the nation to end property taxes.
Justice Department to drop Anti-Weaponization Fund in compliance with court ruling
The Justice Department is dropping a $1.8 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund it created as part of a settlement with President Trump.
