Chart of the Week: The geography of the House’s conservative core
More than half of House Republicans who wanted to use the appropriations process to de-fund the Affordable Care Act are from the South.
As Debt Limit Deadline Nears, Concern Ticks Up But Skepticism Persists
Survey Report With just two days to go before an Oct. 17 deadline to raise the nation’s debt limit, 51% of the public views a rise in the nation’s debt limit as “absolutely essential” in order to avoid an economic crisis, while 36% think the country can go past the deadline without major problems. Public […]
Partisans Dug in on Budget, Health Care Impasse
Survey Report Nearly a week into the first government shutdown in more than 17 years, most Americans express frustration and concern about the situation. Yet on the core issue dividing Republicans and Democrats in Washington – whether cuts or delays to the 2010 health care law should be part of any budget deal – there […]
On Twitter: Dueling views on the shutdown and Obamacare
Two separate, but related conversations have been prominent on Twitter—one about the government shutdown and the other about President Obama's health care law, the landmark legislation at the heart of the Congressional impasse that triggered the shutdown.
Federal government shutdown: The data casualties
Which federal data sources are, aren't and may be affected by the government shutdown.
How much might a government shutdown cost? Plenty, history says
The estimated cost of the two federal government shutdowns in fiscal 1996 was more than $1.4 billion ($2.1 billion in today's dollars).
The last government shutdown and now: a different environment
As the government faces its first shutdown since 1995-1996, the standoff between the Obama administration and Republicans over the federal budget is occurring in a different public opinion environment than when President Bill Clinton faced off with the GOP-controlled House.
Lessons from the last government shutdown
The 1995-1996 government shutdowns didn’t help the GOP’s image, but the party had lost support among the public well before they happened.
Chart of the Week: The bipartisan federal debt limit
Raising the federal debt limit has given both Republicans and Democrats, in Congress and the White House, fits for decades.
The most popular areas of government are shedding the most workers
Popularity is no protection against budget cuts: The parts of government that Americans like the most — state, cities and counties, and the U.S. Postal Service — are also the ones shedding workers the fastest. The most recent nonfarm payroll figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show that the public sector continues to be a drag on […]
