National Priorities Project

Budget Term of the Week - Appropriations Process

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 10:43:30 -0400

Appropriations Process – The annual process through which Congress creates the discretionary budget.

Appropriations bills specify how much money will go to different agencies and programs. In addition to these funding bills, Congress must pass legislation that provides the federal government the legal authority to actually spend the money.3 These laws are called authorizations. Authorizations often cover multiple years, so authorizing legislation does not need to pass Congress every year the way appropriations bills do. When a multi-year authorization expires, Congress often passes a reauthorization to continue the programs in question.

What comes next? Find out here!

Do you live in Western Mass? Follow this flowchart to see if you...

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 09:43:08 -0400

Do you live in Western Mass? Follow this flowchart to see if you should sign up for the first ever Hack for Western Mass! (Hint - Your answer should be yes)

Federal Government Spending: Less Transparency in a World of Open Data | APDU: The Association of Public Data Users

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 09:46:01 -0400

Federal Government Spending: Less Transparency in a World of Open Data | APDU: The Association of Public Data Users:

Do you care about open data and the future of government transparency? Sign up for this free webinar with our director of data and technology on May 1st!

How is the rest of the budget spent? Find out here.

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 11:49:42 -0400

How is the rest of the budget spent? Find out here.

How YOUR income tax dollar gets spent. Get your personalized tax...

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 12:04:40 -0400

How YOUR income tax dollar gets spent. Get your personalized tax receipt here.

How does President Obama’s budget proposal compare to the...

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 12:38:34 -0400

How does President Obama’s budget proposal compare to the Congressional budget proposals and what Americans say they want? Larger version here.

A Tax Day Plan For Righting the Republic

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 10:29:54 -0400

A Tax Day Plan For Righting the Republic:

What would happen if the federal budget matched up with what Americans say they would like it spent on? Read research director Mattea Kramer’s op-ed and find out.

From our friends at the National Women’s Law Center.

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 09:41:33 -0400

From our friends at the National Women’s Law Center.

Have you paid your income taxes? Do you know where they’re...

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 10:09:24 -0400

Have you paid your income taxes? Do you know where they’re going? Follow the money and get a tax receipt here.

Budget Term of the Week - Interest on Debt

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 10:05:00 -0400

Interest on Debt is the interest payments the federal government makes on its accumulated debt, minus interest income received by the government for assets it owns.

Want to know how much you paid towards interest on federal debt? Get your tax receipt.

There’s a lot more where this came from. Check out A People’s Guide to the Federal Budget!

Happy April Fool’s Day! Today NPP is asking supporters to...

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 12:38:25 -0400

Happy April Fool’s Day! Today NPP is asking supporters to give the gift of odds. Will you make a donation of just $7.00 to NPP today? Will you help demand a better budget for our nation? bit.ly/donateaprilfools

National Priorities Project will be at bookstores, universities,...

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 17:00:58 -0400

National Priorities Project will be at bookstores, universities, and community centers in the Northwest April 5th-9th! If you are in the region, please say hello. If you would like to see A People’s Guide in your region, let us know!

It’s almost April 15th, time for that annual appointment...

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 10:09:08 -0400

It’s almost April 15th, time for that annual appointment with the IRS. Do you know where your taxes go? Find out.

Budget Term of the Week - Federal Funds

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 10:48:26 -0400

Federal Funds are funds collected by the federal government for general purposes, as opposed to trust funds, which are collected by the federal government for specific purposes like Social Security and Medicare.

There’s a lot more where this came from. Check out A People’s Guide to the Federal Budget!

March Madness - A Tale of Two Budgets

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 10:35:35 -0400

March Madness - A Tale of Two Budgets:

Is the budget process as busted as your bracket? Something is finally happening in Congress, but the President still hasn’t released his budget. Find out what’s going on.

Budget Term of the Week - Outlays

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 10:16:48 -0400

Outlays are money paid out by the U.S. Treasury; they occur when obligations are actually paid off, primarily by issuing checks or making electronic fund transfers.

There’s a lot more where this came from. Check out A People’s Guide to the Federal Budget!

We compared the budget proposals from Rep. Paul Ryan, Sen. Patty...

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 10:27:09 -0400

We compared the budget proposals from Rep. Paul Ryan, Sen. Patty Murray, and the Congressional Progressive Caucus. What do these budget proposals say about other topics? Find out.

Top 5 Things to Know About the Congressional Budget Proposals

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 10:00:13 -0400

Top 5 Things to Know About the Congressional Budget Proposals:

Three budget proposals for 2014 arrived in Congress last week – one authored by House Budget Chair Paul Ryan, another by Senate Budget Chair Patty Murray, and one by the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Here’s what you need to know.

Wondering where the budget process went wrong? What...

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 10:24:00 -0400

Wondering where the budget process went wrong? What should’ve happened and what did happen. Demand a better budget. http://bit.ly/fiscalcliff2

Happy Pi Day! Celebrate accordingly and don’t forget to...

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 10:38:27 -0400

Happy Pi Day! Celebrate accordingly and don’t forget to refresh your memory on the federal budget pies.