Federal debt limit comes back into force at $18.1 trillion
After a year with no cap on government borrowing, the federal debt limit has come back into force.
Things to look for as govt. writes new dietary advice
Whether individuals listen or not, the dietary guidelines affect nutritional patterns throughout the country.
Mary Sanchez: We must not let Mexico become a failed state
Mass protests have blocked highways, overtaken town squares and disrupted government buildings.
Congress crams unfinished agenda into final days
Lame-duck lawmakers returned to Washington on Monday for a two-week session in which they hope to prevent a government shutdown and renew tax breaks for individuals and businesses.
Rabbit massages among government waste
A maverick Republican senator criticized faulty missile defenses, unneeded airports and golf course repairs among the projects completed on the taxpayers’ tab.
Government made $100B in improper payments
By its own estimate, the government made about $100 billion in payments last year to people who may not have been entitled to receive them — tax credits to families that didn’t qualify, unemployment benefits to people who had jobs and medical payments for treatments that might not have been necessary.
Officials: Rancher must be held accountable
U.S. Bureau of Land Management officials say they agree with a Nevada sheriff’s position that rancher Cliven Bundy must be held accountable for his role in an April standoff between his supporters and the federal agency.
Nevada rancher’s neighbors weary of attention
American flags flap in the wind on the two-lane state highway to Cliven Bundy’s ranch. Along the roadside, self-described militia members in camouflage who came to defend him from the federal government lounge and smoke, loaded pistols on their hips.
Nevada rancher had limited sympathy in the West
For a while, in certain quarters, Cliven Bundy was celebrated as a John Wayne-like throwback to the Old West — a weathered, plainspoken rancher just trying to graze his cattle and keep the government off his back. But that was before he started sounding more like a throwback to the Old South.
Nevada rancher defends racial remarks
A Nevada rancher who became a conservative folk hero for standing up to the government in a fight over grazing rights lost some of his staunch defenders Thursday after wondering aloud whether blacks might have had it better under slavery.
New ‘face,’ but some old problems for ‘Obamacare’
Abruptly on the spot as the new face of “Obamacare,” Sylvia Mathews Burwell faces steep challenges, both logistical and political.
State employee pay proposal stalls in Miss. Senate
Mississippi senators on Tuesday rejected a proposal to give a $1,000 pay raise to all state employees, but a top budget writer said legislators still might consider a raise for lower-paid government workers.
Our view: Less-intrusive when it suits them
If you were to poll our state legislators, you would find that the vast majority embrace the conservative tenets of small, less-intrusive government based on a strong belief in individual liberty.
Gov’t pay raises killed repeatedly in House
The Mississippi House has rejected about 40 proposals to give pay raises to state employees.
Democrats push for Mississippi state employee raises
Democrats say they’ll keep trying to give all Mississippi government employees at least a $1,000 pay raise in the coming year, even after several attempts were blocked Wednesday in the Republican-majority House.
States look to rein in government surveillance, strengthen privacy
Angry over revelations of National Security Agency surveillance and frustrated with what they consider outdated digital privacy laws, state lawmakers around the nation are proposing bills to curtail the powers of law enforcement to monitor and track citizens.
Economist: Government is top employer in Mississippi
Government is Mississippi’s largest employer these days, state economist Darrin Webb told lawmakers Tuesday.
House ready to OK government-wide $1.1T budget
Shunning the turmoil of recent budget clashes, Congress is ready to approve a massive $1.1 trillion spending bill for this year, a compromise financing everything from airports to war costs and brimming with victories and setbacks for both parties.
Federal government runs Dec. surplus of $53.2B
The U.S. government ran a $53.2 billion surplus in December, signaling further improvement in the nation’s finances.
Pay lags for Miss. government employees
Mississippi government employees make an average of $9,108 less than their counterparts in the surrounding states of Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Tennessee, said the Mississippi State Personnel Board director Thursday.