Fiscal Matters: Keeping Up With the Debate

The latest news on taxes, spending cuts, debt ceiling.

Here We Go Again — and Again - President Obama and congressional Republicans continue to draw their lines in the sand on taxes, spending cuts and the debt ceiling. So far there have been two measures to keep the nation from experiencing another economic freefall. But they are only temporary, short-term fixes, and there is much work left to do. Here's the lowdown on fiscal battles to come and who wins. — Joyce Jones (Photos from left: AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, Alex Wong/Getty Images)

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Here We Go Again — and Again - President Obama and congressional Republicans continue to draw their lines in the sand on taxes, spending cuts and the debt ceiling. So far there have been two measures to keep the nation from experiencing another economic freefall. But they are only temporary, short-term fixes, and there is much work left to do. Here's the lowdown on fiscal battles to come and who wins. — Joyce Jones (Photos from left: AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, Alex Wong/Getty Images)

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Don't Even Think About It - In the last press conference of his first term, Obama warned congressional lawmakers that he will not barter with them over the debt ceiling. The president called for them to lift it without any conditions, such as an equal amount of government spending cuts. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

God Saved John Boehner's Life - The trouble House Speaker John Boehner has wrangling his raucous Republican caucus is not news. According to a Washington Post report, several members were prepared to stage a coup in January. But in the end, "the cabal quickly fell apart when several Republicans, after a night of prayer, said God told them to spare the speaker."   (Photo: AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

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Kicking the Can - The House passed a bill on Jan. 24 to temporarily diffuse the debt-ceiling crisis until May. Republican lawmakers also abandoned their plan to tie raising the debt to spending cuts, but debates over that, taxes and spending loom.  (Photo: AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

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No Budget, No Pay - The bill passed by the House, now under consideration in the Senate, calls for lawmakers to not be paid unless they've passed a budget when the temporary provision to lift the debt ceiling expires.(Photo: AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

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CBC Says - No Budget, No Pay "is merely a short-term fix that does nothing to restore confidence in our economy or put Americans back to work," said Congressional Black Caucus chair Marcia Fudge. "Instead, it places American jobs, programs that protect seniors, veterans and the most vulnerable populations in jeopardy and impugns the constitution by bartering with congressional pay." (Photo: Jim Baron/MCT /LANDOV)

Photo By Jim Baron/MCT /LANDOV

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Expand the Earned Income Tax Credit - The Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit provides an average tax cut of about $800. The president would like Congress to expand the credit to workers who do not have children, including non-custodial parents. The administration believes this will "provide a more meaningful work incentive."   (Photo: Jeremy Woodhouse/Getty Images)

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The S Word - Sequestration is the term used to describe automatic, across-the-board spending cuts to domestic programs and the Defense Department's budget. It is scheduled to begin on March 1. (Photo: Getty Images/ STOCK)

Be Prepared - The White House has instructed federal agencies to prepare to operate at lower funding levels if sequestration goes into effect. In addition to hiring freezes and furloughs, agencies will also consider cutting funding for contracts and grants. (Photo: AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

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Be Prepared - The White House has instructed federal agencies to prepare to operate at lower funding levels if sequestration goes into effect. In addition to hiring freezes and furloughs, agencies will also consider cutting funding for contracts and grants. (Photo: AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Will Republicans Take the Senate? - The GOP needs to pick up just six seats to win control of Congress' upper chamber. According to David Bositis, senior political analyst at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, African-American voters are key to helping some senators keep their seats. They include North Carolina Sen. Kay Hagin and Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu.   (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

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Continuing Resolution - On March 31, a continuing resolution that has kept the federal government funded will expire. If congressional lawmakers don't pass a budget or another continuing resolution, the government could face a shut down. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Laying the Odds - According to House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, sequestration will likely go into effect. The former GOP vice presidential nominee, however, said on NBC's Meet the Press Jan. 27 that lawmakers "aren't interested in shutting the government down."  (Photo: NBC)

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Laying the Odds - According to House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, sequestration will likely go into effect. The former GOP vice presidential nominee, however, said on NBC's Meet the Press Jan. 27 that lawmakers "aren't interested in shutting the government down." (Photo: NBC)