Economy

Anti-poverty advocates have vowed to fight the proposed budget plan for good reason.   It's devastating blow to millions of low income people throughout the country.  It's a shockingly transparent effort to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy and increase defense spending.  Most importantly, we all must engage in Smart Dissent because budgets are drafted and approved by Congress, not the President.  It's crucial to be aware of what the White House is proposing and let Congress know it is not acceptable. 

The Budget Cuts Series has a lot to share because the details of the White House proposed budget cuts are coming into light and they are ugly.   We will update continually based on Congressional budget proposals and actions.  

Financial regulations do not come into existence for the purpose of penalizing banks seeking to operate in a lawful and ethic manner.  Instead, they arise on an as-needed basis to retroactively attempt to address ills caused by financial institutions who have acted in their own best interest at the expense of a segment of the population or society overall.  

While everyone was rightfully focused on the firing of the FBI director, Director John Thompson of the U.S. Census Bureau abruptly resgined after Congress refused to provide adequate funding for the upcoming 2020 census.

A coalition of nearly 400 U.S. companies employing a combined 9% of private-sector workers has asked Congress to step in and invalidate state and city laws requiring paid leave.

The strike from the business community is a response to the increasing number of states and municipalities that have taken matters into their own hands, passing local laws that require employers to offer paid time off. 

After several days of rumors, an executive order to withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has been delayed for the time being.  It appears that Congressional Republican's lack of desire to fall in line has stalled Trump's efforts for the time being.

Trump told the leaders of Mexico and Canada on Wednesday that he would not immediately move to terminate the North American Free Trade Agreement, only hours after an administration official said he was likely to sign an order that would begin the process of pulling the United States out of the deal.

This is the latest in the Budget Cuts Series which is an examination of White House proposed budget cuts to learn what's hidden beneath the surface.  We will later update based on Congressional budget proposals and actions.  This post examines the proposed 21% cut to the Labor Department, the key agency that protects U.S. workers from being killed on the job, protects their pay and benefits, helps them get retrained after job loss and provides unemployment benefits.  

In an executive order to be signed on Tuesday, April 18, 2017, the President aims to make it more difficult for companies to hire foreign technology workers in an attempt to keep those jobs for American workers.

Expectations from the industry, however, suggest that this will badly damage the American technology sector. According to Robert Atkinson of the Information Technology Innovation Foundation:

This is another post in our Budget Cuts Series which is an examination of White House proposed budget cuts to learn what's hidden beneath the surface.  We will later update based on Congressional budget proposals and actions.  

The budget plan... calls for the elimination of four independent cultural agencies — the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting...

In late March with little notice, Trump signed an executive order to revoke the 2014 Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces order President Obama put in place to ensure that companies with federal contracts comply with 14 labor and civil rights laws.  The 2014 order was an attempt to keep the worst violators from receiving taxpayer dollars