Day: April 8, 2025

Originally published at Pennsylvania Policy Center on April 8, 2025. April 8, 2025 By Marc Stier I want to give you an update on the Trump–Republican budget process. I’m going to start with an overview of the political situation surrounding this process and talk about our prospects for making the budget less harmful or even killing the whole Republican effort. Then I’m going to review what we expect to happen in the House this week. Finally, for those who want them, I’ll discuss some of the gory details of this process. Two months ago, we thought the critical moment in the budget process would be right now, when the House and Senate have to agree on a budget resolution. But the Senate has now passed a budget resolution that essentially puts off the difficult decisions to the next two stages of the process, when the legislative committees in the House… Continue reading

Originally published at Pennsylvania Policy Center on April 8, 2025. April 8, 2025 By Marc Stier [vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overflow=”visible” overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_backdrop_filter=”none” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” column_position=”default” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text] The federal budget process was created by the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to accomplish three things. The first was to force Congress to make decisions that take into account both revenues and expenditures with the hope that this would lead to lower deficits. The second was to enable the Senate to make decisions about budget issues by majority rule without the threat of filibuster. And the third was to re-assert Congress’s budget authority by prohibiting the president from not spending—that is, impounding—funds already appropriated by Congress without approval… Continue reading

Originally published at Pennsylvania Policy Center on April 8, 2025. The budget resolution passed by the House and Senate, which gives instructions to House and Senate committees to produce legislation that is combined into a reconciliation bill, calls on the House Agriculture Committee to reduce expenditures of $230 billion over nine years. While SNAP is not mentioned in budget resolution, Republican have made it very clear that they do not intend to make cuts to programs taht benefit farmers. So the $230 million will have to come from SNAP. Following through on this proposal, would cost Pennsylvania $10.46 billion over that period or roughly $1.16 billion per year. That is a reduction of roughly 20% in the $4.26 billion spent on SNAP each year in Pennsylvania. Here I want to describe the impact of these cuts on Pennsylvanians who rely on SNAP, reminding you that SNAP does not just benefit… Continue reading