Obama on tax cut deal

President Obama explains a deal with Republicans on the Bush tax cuts (for further information, read TAI’s coverage of the deal):

Ethanol interests spent big in last two election cycles

New research by the Center for Public Integrity has found that political action committees associated with the ethanol industry gave nearly $1 million to 200 Congressional candidates in the 2008 and 2010 election cycles. Included in that total was $37,900 to U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and $23,125 More…

Deal reached on unemployment extension, tax cuts

President Obama said Monday night that an agreement had been reached with the Republican leadership to extend both the Bush tax cuts and federal unemployment benefits. The Bush tax cuts, including the cuts for the richest taxpayers, would be extended by two years; federal unemployment benefits would be extended until More…

Liberal group launches Iowa ad pushing Obama to fight on tax cuts

A national progressive organization is once again launching a television ad in Iowa, this time urging President Barack Obama to “fight, don’t cave” on ending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy.

The Progressive Change Campaign Committee, which sparked controversy shortly before Election Day with an ad targeting More…

Ethanol industry looks to tack tax credits onto Bush tax cuts extension

The ethanol industry is eying the likely extension of the Bush tax cuts as a potential vehicle for extending key ethanol tax credits. (See our lame-duck preview for more on these tax credits.)

Matt Hartwig, a spokesman for the Renewable Fuels Association, a major ethanol industry trade group, told More…

Lame duck preview: The last hurrah for a Democratic Congress

The midterm hangover having finally worn off, the 111th Congress returns today to kick off the lame-duck session, its last hurrah before its successor takes over. And the 112th Congress will look radically different, with Republicans in control of the House and the Democratic majority in the Senate significantly reduced. More…

Why are Democrats the only ones making concessions on the Bush tax cuts?

As the debate over the possible lapse or extension of the Bush tax cuts heats up in anticipation of Congress’ post-election return next week, you might have noticed that the goal posts of a possible compromise between Democrats and Republicans keep getting pushed back. A long time ago, many Democrats More…

Reid Says the Ball Is in GOP’s Court

Fresh from his victory in Nevada and operating on little sleep, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid made it clear on a conference call this afternoon that Democrats are willing to compromise with their Republican colleagues — and expect the same attitude from the GOP.

“Republicans must take responsibility to solve More…

Prospective GOP congressmen outline creative, if limited, plans to cut spending

Dan Benishek, a Republican favored to win the congressional seat in Michigan’s First District, has loads of ideas for reducing the federal deficit. “The Department of Energy was created in the 1970s to make us energy independent, and look at us now,” he said. “So what is its purpose, then?” More…

GOP House Candidate’s Deficit Reduction Strategy: Merge Commerce, Agriculture and Interior Into Super-Department

Republican House candidates, especially challengers seeking to portray themselves as outsiders to Washington politics, are almost universally running on a platform that our federal deficit has gotten out of control. They’re also almost all opposed to letting the Bush tax cuts expire, however, so they’re going to have to propose More…