House Democrats are planning on bringing back earmarks at the start of the next Congress. What does that mean for the appropriations process? CQ Roll Call’s Jennifer Shutt and David Lerman discuss and look at the House Appropriations Chairwoman race. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Nov 24, 2020•20 min
The odds are seemingly against a robust COVID-19 relief package and omnibus appropriations bill passing during the lame-duck session. What does this mean for fiscal 2021? CQ Roll Call’s Jennifer Shutt and David Lerman discuss the partisan disagreements and what they mean. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Nov 17, 2020•18 min
President-elect Joe Biden is beginning his transition into the White House, but President Trump continues to contest the outcome of the election, threatening legal action in key states that have been called for Biden. CQ Roll Call’s Jennifer Shutt and Niels Lesniewski game out how the transition will affect the appropriations process during the lame duck Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Nov 10, 2020•18 min
While votes are still being counted in close races, Democrats are beginning to grapple with the likelihood of a narrow House majority and continued Republican control of the Senate. CQ Roll Call’s Jennifer Shutt talks with House Budget Committee Chairman John Yarmuth, D-Ky., about how the election results will impact next year’s budget process. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Nov 04, 2020•16 min
CQ Roll Call’s David Lerman and Jennifer Shutt explain the various ways the election outcomes could impact the appropriations process during the lame duck session and the next couple of years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Oct 27, 2020•18 min
Congressional leaders and the White House must reach agreement on a coronavirus aid deal Tuesday if they want it to become law before Election Day. But Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin still have several unresolved items to work out and internal disagreements amongst Republicans threaten success. CQ Roll Call’s David Lerman and Jennifer Shutt discuss the latest in the negotiations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Oct 20, 2020•15 min
President Donald Trump and GOP leaders are at odds over how much COVID-19 aid the government should spend with Trump saying he wants negotiators to “go big” while Senate Republicans pursue a smaller bill. CQ Roll Call’s David Lerman and Jennifer Shutt discuss why Republicans and the Trump administration are moving in opposite directions as well as the signs of fracturing within the Democratic Party. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Oct 13, 2020•17 min
After years of scandal, Congress banned earmarks in 2011. But growing bipartisan support for congressionally directed spending could could lead to a return as soon as January. CQ Roll Call’s David Lerman and Jennifer Shutt discuss what lawmakers are proposing and how politics will impact the talks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Oct 06, 2020•19 min
As part of a last-ditch effort to secure new COVID-19 aid before the presidential election, House Democrats released a $2.2 trillion COVID-19 relief package on Monday night. But does it move the needle on COVID-19 relief negotiations? CQ Roll Call’s David Lerman and Jennifer Shutt discuss. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sep 29, 2020•18 min
With only days remaining in the current fiscal year, congressional leaders are struggling to pass a stopgap funding measure to avoid a partial government shutdown. CQ Roll Call’s Jennifer Shutt and David Lerman explain how a partisan dispute over farm payments threatens to derail progress on the measure. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sep 22, 2020•16 min
Congress needs a continuing resolution to avoid a partial government shutdown next month. But how long should government operate on a stopgap? CQ Roll Call's David Lerman and Jennifer Shutt explain the political implications behind the duration of a stopgap, as well as the likelihood of any coronavirus relief in the near future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sep 15, 2020•21 min
A dire outlook for a ballooning deficit is the latest hit to the U.S. economy, according to new Congressional Budget Office report. CQ Roll Call’s David Lerman and Paul Krawzak break down how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the deficit and look at the bleak future of Social Security and Medicare trust funds. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sep 08, 2020•16 min
President Donald Trump signed a number of executive actions last weekend to provide some COVID-19 aid, including suspending payroll tax collection and adding $300 to $400 in federal unemployment benefits, as negotiators failed to reach agreement on the next relief package. But is it enough? CQ Roll Call’s Jennifer Shutt and Peter Cohn discuss the executive actions and look at what they might mean for negotiations going forward. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 11, 2020•15 min
Trump administration officials and congressional leaders seem to be making some progress on the next COVID-19 relief bill following more than a week of talks. But key issues remain, including unemployment insurance, schools reopening, and state and local aid. CQ Roll Call’s David Lerman and Jennifer Shutt break down the recent negotiations, discuss the sticking points and look at where negotiations go from here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 04, 2020•19 min
CQ Roll Call’s David Lerman and Jennifer Shutt discuss the latest COVID-19 relief bill from Senate Republicans, breaking down its provisions, disagreements within the GOP and Democrats' criticisms of the package. They also explain how long it could take for negotiators to reach bipartisan agreement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 28, 2020•17 min
Republican leaders are expected to unveil what they want in the next COVID-19 aid package this week, targeting small-business loans, money for schools and hospitals, liability protection for employers and another round of tax rebate checks. But while Republicans want their bill to be roughly $1 trillion, Democrats want that much alone for state and local governments, highlighting a disconnect between the two parties. CQ Roll Call’s David Lerman and Jennifer Shutt discuss what we can expect as ne...
Jul 21, 2020•17 min
CQ Roll Call’s David Lerman and Jennifer Shutt discuss some of the key provisions in the fiscal 2021 Labor-HHS-Education spending bill, including money for emergency funding for public health agencies, reductions to charter school funding and a provision blocking federal funding for abortions in most cases. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 14, 2020•16 min
House Democrats have unveiled fiscal 2021 spending bills that amount to an assault on the Trump administration agenda. CQ Roll Call's David Lerman and Jennifer Shutt outline the likely partisan clashes looming in the election-year appropriations process and the next round of coronavirus relief. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 07, 2020•20 min
An economic recession triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic means a drop in payroll tax revenues that finance the Social Security and Medicare trust funds. CQ Roll Call’s David Lerman and Jennifer Shutt discuss how quickly the funds could be depleted and what Congress might do to save them. They also give a preview of the appropriations process that begins in the House next week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 30, 2020•16 min
Partisan tensions over coronavirus aid and police brutality now threaten to derail the Senate appropriations process, while the House Appropriations Committee prepares for an extremely busy July. David Lerman and Jennifer Shutt discuss what’s changed during the last week and how it’ll impact the appropriations process for months to come. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 23, 2020•15 min
The annual appropriations process is starting later than normal this year due to coronavirus-related delays. CQ Roll Call’s David Lerman and Jennifer Shutt discuss what could trip up lawmakers as they begin debate on nearly $1.4 trillion in spending. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 15, 2020•15 min
A modest decline in unemployment last month gave Republicans fresh ammunition to slow the timing and scale back the size of the next relief package. CQ Roll Call's David Lerman and Jennifer Shutt discuss the complicated negotiations still to come as the Trump administration pushes more targeted aid and Democrats seek more robust relief. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 08, 2020•13 min
Police and fire departments were promised millions of dollars in aid as part of a coronavirus relief package passed in March. While police grants are flowing, firefighters have yet to see a dime. CQ Roll Call's David Lerman and Jennifer Shutt explain the disparity in aid delivery and how it could be changed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 02, 2020•10 min
Emergency relief agencies, already stretched thin by the corornavirus, are bracing for above-average hurricane and wildfire seasons. CQ Roll Call’s David Lerman and Jennifer Shutt discuss the financial and logistical challenges of responding to natural disasters in the age of COVID-19. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 27, 2020•15 min
The House narrowly passed a $3 trillion aid package late Friday, but Senate Republicans are already calling it dead on arrival. CQ Roll Call’s David Lerman and Jennifer Shutt discuss what’s next for the largest aid package so far. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 18, 2020•13 min
House Democrats on Tuesday released their proposal for the fifth coronavirus relief bill. CQ Roll Call’s David Lerman and Jennifer Shutt discuss what’s in the $3 trillion bill, how the legislation sets a starting point for future negotiations with Republicans and why progressives aren’t happy with the package. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 13, 2020•13 min
With debate heating up on a new relief package, CQ Roll Call's David Lerman and Jennifer Shutt discuss what both parties want in it and how partisan disputes on key priorities might drag out negotiations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 05, 2020•17 min
The COVID-19 pandemic is sending shockwaves throughout the U.S. economy. The Congressional Budget Office’s latest projections show economic output plunging, while unemployment and federal deficits soar. So how bad could the economy get? And what does it mean for the shape of future coronavirus relief measures? CQ Roll Call’s David Lerman and Jennifer Shutt discuss. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Apr 27, 2020•13 min
After a long two weeks of negotiating, Congress reached agreement on the next round of aid for the coronavirus pandemic. CQ Roll Call’s Jennifer Shutt and David Lerman break down what’s in the deal and what’s missing from it, before looking ahead to the next relief bill, which will likely prove divisive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Apr 22, 2020•13 min
Lawmakers are at odds over when and how to provide $251 billion in additional funding for the forgivable small business loan program known as the Paycheck Protection Program. Financial services reporter Jim Saksa joins us to discuss the latest on that funding as well as the fourth coronavirus relief package. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Apr 13, 2020•16 min