By Robert Romano “We have a higher deficit with China now than we did before.” That was former Vice President Joe Biden in the first presidential debate versus President Donald Trump, claiming that the U.S. trade in goods deficit with China is greater now than it was four years ago. Here’s […]
Photo credit: 401kcalculator.org By Richard McCarty On Sept. 29, the U.S. Senate voted to adopt a continuing resolution that will carry forward current spending levels until Dec. 11, after the election, setting up a year-end battle over an omnibus spending bill. With control of both the White […]
By Robert Romano At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when a lot less was known about the virus and how to counter it, and while the nation was still ramping up production of testing and hospital resources including ventilators needed, 25 million jobs were lost across […]
By Richard McCarty It is that time of year again. The air is getting crisp. Air conditioners are finally getting a break. Sweaters are reappearing, and swimsuits are disappearing for another year. Stores are filled with rustic fall decorations and Halloween candy. The usual crowd is delighted […]
By Rick Manning A survey conducted by the American Federation of Government Employees in August found 56 percent of federal employees were still working from home via telework amid the COVID-19 pandemic. If representative of the currently estimated 2.2 million federal civilian workforce , that would mean about 1.2 million federal employees are working […]
By Catherine Mortensen This morning, my son, a high school senior doing virtual learning, texted me, “I didn’t get out of bed for first period.” I replied, “Yikes!” To which he shot back, “It’s okay, I just did the class from bed.” This cannot be a thing! […]
By Robert Romano Another 1 million Americans left continued unemployment claims the week of Sept. 5 on an unadjusted basis, the latest data from the Department of Labor shows. That brings the number collecting unemployment from its 13.8 million Aug. 29 level, and from its 22.8 million May 9 […]
By Robert Romano In May, the Department of Labor Inspector General warned that the new pandemic unemployment assistance program passed by Congress in the $2 trillion CARES Act earlier this year, because of a flimsy self-certification requirement for individuals to receive benefits immediately, “will lead to increased improper payments and […]
By Robert Romano The state of California accounts for 22 percent of all regular unemployment claims and a whopping 49 percent of all pandemic unemployment claims, despite only accounting for 15.2 percent of the working age U.S. population , data from the Department of Labor shows. In an unusual explosion of activity, 4.4 million of its 6.97 […]
