Budget

Ill. Assembly Called Back To Work On Pension Fund Shortfall

David Schaper — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 09:34:00 +0000

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

NPR's business news starts with pension problems for Illinois.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

MONTAGNE: The credit rating for the state of Illinois has taken another step closer to junk bond status. Illinois already had the lowest credit rating in the nation before it was downgraded again this week by Moody's and Fitch.

Incentive For TV Series Wipeout Colorado's Film Budget

Emily Boyer — Fri, 03 May 2013 22:46:25 +0000

The $20.5 billion dollar state budget signed by Governor Hickenlooper this week includes $1.3 million dollars for the Office of Film, Television and Media. That’s less than half of what the department received last year.

The Federal Deficit Is Actually Shrinking

Scott Horsley — Wed, 01 May 2013 20:37:00 +0000

During the housing bust, taxpayers were forced to bail out mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. But thanks to the real estate recovery, Fannie Mae could end up paying tens of billions of dollars back to the Treasury this summer.

That's just one of the factors behind a better bottom line for the federal government.

After Belt Tightening, Some States Are Back In The Black

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 08:30:00 +0000

Across the country, state budgets are back in the black after years of belt-tightening and spending cuts. From California to Florida, in nearly every state, the economic recovery has produced a surge in tax revenue.

For governors and state legislators, that's produced a new question: how to spend the money.

The past three years have not been easy ones for elected officials. Nearly every state requires them to produce a balanced budget.

The Ins And Outs Of Obama's Social Security Plan

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 11:09:00 +0000

Transcript

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

One of the big issues when it comes to the debate over U.S. budget woes is entitlement reform. Earlier this month, President Barack Obama sparked controversy when he included a proposal in his budget that would slow the growth of Social Security payments. The idea was an olive branch to Republicans, who say entitlement spending must be reined in. But liberal Democrats argued, if anything, Social Security benefits should be more generous, not less.