County threatens to reduce funding for library
Not one computer station sat open Wednesday afternoon in the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library on Seventh Street North.
Community colleges make cuts along with tuition increases
Community colleges across Mississippi are eliminating nearly 250 jobs for the upcoming year to close budget gaps, and five are dropping at least one intercollegiate sport.
Hood: Legislature can’t take some special funds
Mississippi’s attorney general says in newly issued opinions that the Legislature cannot legally “sweep” some special funds collected by state agencies — including his own — into the state’s main account to plug holes in next year’s budget.
Bryant cutting $25M in 2nd round of reductions
Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant on Wednesday made his second round of state spending cuts since the current budget year started July 1, with revenue continuing to fall short of expectations in a sluggish economy.
Education, health, prisons face cuts in FY17 budget draft
Mississippi’s top budget writers are recommending spending cuts to schools, universities, community colleges, prisons, Medicaid, and mental health and human services for the coming year.
GOP tax plans benefit rich despite populist campaign talk
Jeb Bush went to Detroit and talked about leveling the playing field. Marco Rubio wrote a book about helping the working class. Rand Paul is promising to expand the Republican Party beyond its traditional base.
Army troop cuts could grow if budget impasse persists
In the midst of a war against the Islamic State that the Obama administration says will last many years, the Army is moving ahead with big troop cuts.
Doctors face steep Medicaid cuts as fee boost ends
Primary care doctors caring for low-income patients will face steep fee cuts next year as a temporary program in President Barack Obama’s health care law expires.
Social Security closes offices as baby boomers age
Budget cuts have forced the Social Security Administration to close dozens of field offices even as millions of baby boomers approach retirement, swamping the agency with applications for benefits, a senior agency official told Congress Wednesday.
House defies Pentagon on defense spending
The House defied the Pentagon on Thursday, overwhelmingly backing a $601 billion defense authorization bill that saves the Cold War-era U-2 spy plane, military bases and Navy cruisers despite warnings that it will undercut military readiness.
Spending-cut efforts hit roadblocks
The budget gurus in Congress have failed for years to find a grand bargain to reduce the government’s long-term debt, so this year they decided to go small.
Congress signals tough fight for Pentagon overhaul plan
Lawmakers signaled a difficult battle ahead for the Obama administration’s plan to dramatically overhaul the nation’s military, voicing opposition Tuesday to proposed cuts in benefit packages, long-standing weapons programs and bases that mean money and jobs across America.
Hagel says military must shrink to face new era
Looking beyond America’s post-9/11 wars, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Monday proposed shrinking the Army to its smallest size in 74 years, closing bases and reshaping forces to confront a “more volatile, more unpredictable” world with a more nimble military.
Farm bill doesn’t just benefit farmers
It isn’t just farmers who will benefit from the sweeping farm bill that Congress has sent President Barack Obama. There’s also help for rural towns, grocery stores in low-income areas and, most notably, the nation’s 47 million food stamp recipients.
Wicker: Long-term changes need for entitlement programs
Roger Wicker is optimistic about cuts approved by the U.S. House and Senate in appropriation spending for 2014. In total, the federal government will appropriate $1.1 trillion this fiscal year.
Docs say cutting food stamps could backfire
Doctors are warning that if Congress cuts food stamps, the federal government could be socked with bigger health bills. Maybe not immediately, they say, but over time if the poor wind up in doctors’ offices or hospitals as a result.
Military pension cuts now unsure; changes likely
The Pentagon’s top civilian says it’s time to tame burgeoning military personnel costs, but he’s facing a test of wills with the nation’s powerful veterans groups, which want no cut in their benefits.
GOP, Obama line up behind modest budget deal
Top Republicans and President Barack Obama are lining up behind a modest but hard-won bipartisan budget agreement that seeks to replace a portion of tough spending cuts facing the Pentagon and domestic agencies.
Milk prices could rise if farm bill looms
A New Year’s deadline that could send the price of milk skyward looms over congressional negotiators as they try to reach agreement on a five-year farm bill. They’ve been tripped up by differences over the nation’s food stamp program and how to restructure farm subsidies.
Should you worry or is U.S. military at the ready?
Warnings from defense officials and some experts are mounting and becoming more dire: The nation’s military is being hobbled by budget cuts.