federal budget
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Talk of the Town: Passing the Buck
The National Association of State Budget Officers and the National Governors Association have a new report (PDF) out showing the strain federal spending cuts and increasing healthcare costs put on state budgets. In short, if the plan for deficit reduction was to pass the buck to the states, the message from the states is that it’s Continue reading
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Reforming a Deduction to Provide Homes for the Poor
When the National Low Income Housing Coalition first launched our proposal to fund the building and preservation of affordable housing with the savings from modification of the mortgage interest deduction, there were skeptics who told us the mortgage interest tax break was untouchable. With everything we heard about “sacred cows” and “third rails,” it would Continue reading
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Talk of the Town: Over the Cliff
Ground feel unsteady under your feet? It might be that you’re standing at the edge of a fiscal cliff. According to Politico, “If Congress doesn’t take action by the end of the year, a package of tax cuts adopted during George W. Bush’s administration expire while deep spending cuts kick in. If that happens, the Continue reading
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News Round-Up: Strapped for Cash
Farmworkers are essential to maintaining a functioning economy in areas where agriculture is an important industry. But often, agricultural workers’ wages are so low that they are unable to afford housing in their communities. This report from Ventura County, California shows the impact of low wages and high rents on farmworker families, like extreme overcrowding Continue reading
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News Round-Up: Desperate Times, Inadequate Measures
Evidence has been mounting for decades that there exists in the United States an extreme shortage of rental housing affordable to the lowest income Americans. What those with influence choose to do about this situation is another matter. The Los Angeles Times and the Huffington Post reported last week that a Los Angeles landlord took advantage Continue reading
On the Home Front 