U.S. Economic News
February 10, 2020
U.S. News
The Washington Post reports that the White House is proposing a $4.8 trillion federal budget this week that would cut net domestic discretionary spending by around 5% and set a 15-year target for closing the federal budget deficit. The budget proposal, essentially a statement of the White House’s policy priorities for the upcoming year, includes sharp cuts to the Health and Human Services Department, Education Department, and Department of the Interior while increasing spending for NASA and the Department of Homeland Security. WaPo
The Wall Street Journal reports that the number of people working at small companies was little changed last year, even as larger businesses expanded their payrolls for a record tenth straight year. Finding workers in a tight labor market is especially challenging for small firms, with those in the manufacturing, natural resources, transportation, construction, and retail sectors adding the fewest new workers in 2019. WSJ