Accessibility links
The Federal Budget Crunch The debate over the federal budget and how much to cut has pitted the Republicans and the Democrats against each other.
Special Series

The Federal Budget Crunch

Saturday

A 'Radical' Plan To Cut Military Spending

Defense Secretary Robert Gates talks with troops during a visit April 7 at Camp Victory in Baghdad. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

A 'Radical' Plan To Cut Military Spending

As Congress and the White House set a higher priority on cutting the budget deficit, a retired military man sees ways to reap major savings. In a plan he acknowledges as "somewhat radical," former Army Col. Douglas Macgregor proposes slashing the defense budget by 40 percent in just three years.

A 'Radical' Plan To Cut Military Spending

Listen · 5:13
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/135872891/135875145" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Friday

Debt Crisis Hangs Over Washington Politics

Vice President Joe Biden begins negotiations next week with House and Senate leaders on a deficit reduction framework. The White House hopes the talks will persuade Congress to raise the ceiling on the federal debt. If the debt limit isn't raised by early July, the U.S. could default on its financial obligations for the first time in history.

Debt Crisis Hangs Over Washington Politics

Listen · 4:39
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/135829375/135829390" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Wednesday

GOP Budget Architect Heads Home To Mixed Reviews

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) speaks during a public meeting Tuesday at Gateway Technical College in Kenosha, Wis. His plan to fundamentally restructure Medicare and cut social safety net programs like food stamps and Medicaid has at times been a tough sell as its supporters head home and meet with their constituents. Jeffrey Phelps/AP hide caption

toggle caption
Jeffrey Phelps/AP

GOP Budget Architect Heads Home To Mixed Reviews

WPR News

House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan has drawn huge crowds at listening sessions in his Wisconsin district. While a few constituents have asked him to run for president in 2012, others have raised a slew of concerns, from what will happen to their medical coverage to Ryan's plan to cut taxes for the wealthy.

GOP Budget Architect Heads Home To Mixed Reviews

Listen · 4:10
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/135771348/135746399" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Friday

Navigating The Budget Maze, Without Getting Lost
iStockphoto.com

Navigating The Budget Maze, Without Getting Lost

The budget proposals from President Obama and House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan are filled with claims about reducing deficits, spurring economic growth and cutting spending. But they're often not particularly reliable or well-founded. Experts explain how to read the numbers to find out what's really going on.

Navigating The Budget Maze, Without Getting Lost

Listen · 4:11
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/135632482/135640269" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Wednesday

Obama To Hold Town Hall At Facebook Headquarters

President Obama holds a town hall meeting at Facebook's headquarters in Palo Alto, Calif. Facebook users have been submitting queries for more than a week. NPR's Mara Liasson talks to Michele Norris.

Obama To Hold Town Hall At Facebook Headquarters

Listen
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/135578893/135579303" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Planet Money

Standard And Poor's Role In A Post-Crisis World

S&P and the other big rating agencies are still important. Despite post-crisis changes, the agencies are still woven into the financial system.

Standard And Poor's Role In A Post-Crisis World

Listen
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/135556232/135556301" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Tuesday

Agency's Warning Heats Up Debt Ceiling Debate

Earlier this year, Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) helped introduce the bipartisan CAP Act, which would aim to cut federal spending by $7.6 trillion over 10 years. Mark Humphrey/AP hide caption

toggle caption
Mark Humphrey/AP

Agency's Warning Heats Up Debt Ceiling Debate

For months, lawmakers have known that the nation is on the way to hitting the debt ceiling, and news that credit rating agency Standard and Poor's has lowered its outlook on U.S. borrowing only puts more pressure on the coming debate. Now, lawmakers are weighing their options in the face of another high-stakes vote.

Agency's Warning Heats Up Debt Ceiling Debate

Listen
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/135546561/135548611" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Monday

S&P Issues Warning On U.S. Credit Rating

The credit rating company Standard & Poor's has issued a negative warning on the triple-A credit rating of the United States. S&P says the U.S. has not come up with a credible plan to address fast-rising deficits and mounting debt. S&P warns there's a 1-in-3 chance that it could downgrade the U.S. top credit rating within two years. Markets were down sharply on the news.

S&P Issues Warning On U.S. Credit Rating

Listen
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/135519643/135519613" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Saturday

Obama, Ryan Agree: Corporate Tax Code Needs Overhaul

House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) takes questions in reaction to President Obama's speech on a federal spending plan at the Capitol on Wednesday. J. Scott Applewhite/AP hide caption

toggle caption
J. Scott Applewhite/AP

Obama, Ryan Agree: Corporate Tax Code Needs Overhaul

The president and the Republican chairman of the House Budget Committee were on opposite sides of a heated debate this past week over the best way to cut the federal deficit. But there's one thing Obama and Congressman Paul Ryan agree on: They both want to overhaul the corporate tax code.

Obama, Ryan Agree: Corporate Tax Code Needs Overhaul

Listen
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/135464262/135464219" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
House's Budget Blueprint Draws Up Party Lines

House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan says the 2012 plan is about protecting Medicare. J. Scott Applewhite/AP hide caption

toggle caption
J. Scott Applewhite/AP

House's Budget Blueprint Draws Up Party Lines

House Republicans passed their 2012 budget Friday without a single Democrat voting for it. Its prospects in the Democratically controlled Senate appear dim at best, but it will likely provide plenty of fodder for next year's campaigns.

House's Budget Blueprint Draws Up Party Lines

Listen
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/135464222/135464207" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Friday

Opinion

Week In Review: Obama's Budget Speech; 2012 Presidential Election

Robert Siegel speaks with our regular political commentators, E.J. Dionne of The Washington Post and Brookings Institution, and David Brooks of The New York Times.

Week In Review: Obama's Budget Speech; 2012 Presidential Election

Listen
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/135446786/135446775" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

House Passes Ryan's 2012 Budget Plan

The House passed a 2012 budget resolution Friday in a partisan vote of 235-193 with four Republicans dissenting. The blueprint, put forward by Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, would reduce spending by trillions of dollars over the next decade, in part by overhauling Medicare and Medicaid. It's a non-starter in the Senate — but a benchmark for the conservative majority in the House, which will have to convince voters that fiscal discipline trumps a popular entitlement.

House Passes Ryan's 2012 Budget Plan

Listen
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/135446782/135446774" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript