Budget Tracker Extra

The rising deficit, the president's request for 5% in budget cuts and discussions of needing to trim Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security set off a storm of debate just three weeks before the midterms. Roll Call's senior Senate reporter Niels Lesniewski, senior CQ budget reporter Paul M. Krawzak and co-host Jennifer Shutt explain why Congress is unlikely to deal with any of it.

Stock market losses and interest rate increases by the Federal Reserve may be making some people jittery especially President Donald Trump. But none of it is abnormal, explains CQ's numbers guru, budget and appropriations editor Peter Cohn.

Three Republican House Appropriations subcommittee chairmen - Kevin Yoder of Kansas, John Culberson of Texas and John Carter of Texas - face tough re-elections, says Roll Call senior political reporter Bridget Bowman. A loss for Yoder and Culberson would mean that lame-duck lawmakers end up negotiating two vital spending bills — Homeland Security and Commerce-Justice-Science.

It's not all 12 as they had hoped, but lawmakers did get five big spending bills signed into law, leaving seven others for the lame-duck session. The president's insistence for border wall funding could take center stage, says CQ appropriations reporter Jennifer Shutt.

With three spending bills signed into law, Congress is unlikely to pass all nine outstanding bills before the fiscal year ends on Sept. 30, says CQ appropriations reporter Kellie Mejdrich. Meantime, President Donald Trump has sent mixed signals on whether he would sign an $855 billion spending package the House plans to adopt this week, and talks on another four-bill package remain mired in policy fights.

House and Senate lawmakers made a deal to give the Pentagon a huge spending boost and defy President Donald Trump's call to cut various health, education and labor programs. CQ Defense reporter John M. Donnelly and Health reporter Andrew Siddons unpack the mammoth spending package now making its way through Congress.

Congress is racing to pass at least three spending bills as early as this week and is poised to make progress on others, says CQ Budget Tracker editor David Lerman. Time, however, is running out.

House and Senate leaders like to brag about their respective chambers' progress on passing spending bills but not one has won final passage, CQ budget and appropriations reporter Kellie Mejdrich says. She unpacks the reasons behind the bottleneck that now includes a new hurdle:President Trump's freeze on federal workers' wages.

With the fiscal year ending Sept. 30 and midterm elections just around the corner, Republicans hope to pass nine spending bills to tout on the campaign trail. CQ senior budget reporter Paul M. Krawzak explains why that might be a heavy lift.

The Senate takes up a spending package this week that rejects White House attempts to cut school funding by about 11 percent next year. CQ's Kellie Mejdrich explains the conflict over education priorities between Congress and the White House and which side is likely to prevail.

The Senate will attempt to pass the two biggest spending bills of the year in one fell swoop. Consideration of the Defense and Labor-HHS-Education bills could begin this week. CQ's Kellie Mejdrich explains why the package could prove to be a heavy lift.

The Senate is racing through spending bills at a breakneck speed with strong bipartisan support, in contrast to its record of recent years. CQ’s Ryan McCrimmon explains how the Senate was able to pick up its pace on appropriations, and why progress could still come to a standstill in September.

Senate lawmakers will try this week to outdo their House colleagues by passing a four-bill spending package —if they can overcome snags, says CQ appropriations reporter Jennifer Shutt.

House appropriators are set to give President Donald Trump some of the border wall funding he's been seeking, says CQ immigration reporter Dean DeChiaro. He explains what's in the Homeland Security spending bill.

CQ budget reporter Kellie Mejdrich breaks down why Senate appropriators face stiff opposition from the House and White House over how to pay for a private health care program for veterans.

Congress returns from its Fourth of July break with expectations that it will tackle a robust spending agenda including the two chambers negotiating the final shape of three spending bills — as lawmakers hope to avoid another 12-bill omnibus. But, there are several challenges ahead both inside and outside of the annual appropriations process. CQ appropriations reporters Ryan McCrimmon and Kellie Mejdrich discuss what the final three months leading into fiscal 2019 hold with guest host...

The Congressional Budget Office recently issued an alarming report on the nation's debt outlook, which CQ senior budget reporter Paul M. Krawzak says should worry millennials.

The Senate hit some speed bumps in its push last week to pass a package of spending bills including how to pay for private health care for veterans, says CQ appropriations reporter Kellie Mejdrich.

CQ budget and appropriations reporter Jennifer Shutt breaks down the various budget measures Congress will take up this week, including the three-bill spending package and a possible House budget resolution to set spending and revenue guidelines for the coming fiscal year.

The House moved two big appropriations packages — a bundle of spending bills and a measure to cancel almost $15 billion already allocated — but their future remains uncertain amid Democratic opposition.