Deal

"Furloughed to Fairways."

4:21 PM, Apr 30, 2013 • By DANIEL HALPER

Furloughed federal employees who like to play golf are in luck. There's a deal waiting for them, courtesy of the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority.

"Thousands of area federal employees will be furloughed on certain days between April and September this year as a result of the Federal Sequester. In response, the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority (NVRPA) is offering a special deal for those furloughed federal employees who enjoy the outdoors and a good round of golf," the group writes in a press release, announcing its sequester deal.

"Starting on the first day of May, federal employees will be able to play any one of the three courses owned by NVRPA for just $25. This deal, which is about 30% off the regular greens fee, will be honored Monday through Thursday after 10 A.M. Federal employees must bring a civilian federal employee ID to the course to take advantage of the deal, which is targeted at furloughed employees."

Ted McCleskey, a civilian Defense Department employee, is quoted in the press release as saying, “NVRPA is giving a real morale boost to furloughed workers. To me, it’s more than just the golf discount-through Furlough to Fairways, NVRPA is showing that the Northern Virginia community supports us.”

The deal appears to be aimed at "The Department of Defense, the Federal Aviation Authority, the Internal Revenue Service, the Department of Management and Budget and many other departments [who] will be sending workers home on a regular basis (often weekly) as a result of the Sequester," as the press release states.

Hosted by Michael Graham.

4:22 PM, Mar 14, 2013 • By TWS PODCAST

THE WEEKLY STANDARD podcast with Fred Barnes. Hosted by Michael Graham.

12:40 PM, Mar 13, 2013 • By STEPHEN F. HAYES

There will be no grand bargain.

Forget the grand bargain.

7:10 AM, Mar 12, 2013 • By STEPHEN F. HAYES

What’s the purpose of Barack Obama’s “charm offensive?” And who is the target?

11:32 AM, Feb 13, 2013 • By DANIEL HALPER

Senate minority leader Harry Reid, a Democrat, asks for another tax hike this morning:

"Democrats believe we should replace this harsh austerity with a balanced approach that targets wasteful spending and tax loopholes," said Harry Reid, "and ask the wealthiest among us to contribute a little more to reduce the deficit."

9:34 AM, Jan 3, 2013 • By DANIEL HALPER

Bill Kristol, with Kirsten Powers and Charles Krauthammer, last night on Fox News:

No signing ceremony.

6:01 AM, Jan 3, 2013 • By DANIEL HALPER

President Barack Obama's staff used an autopen (a machine that mimics one's signature) to sign the "fiscal cliff" legislation that Congress passed on New Year's Day. There was no ceremony or photo-op for the autopen bill signing.

1:34 PM, Jan 2, 2013 • By DANIEL HALPER

Metro stops in Washington, D.C. will now feature advertisements that warn of overspending. "Talk Is Cheap," the tagline on a series of ads reads. "Overspending Is Not."

9:27 AM, Jan 2, 2013 • By DANIEL HALPER

After hailing the passage of the "fiscal cliff" last night, President Barack Obama laid down a marker on the debt ceiling: It will not, he said, be up for negotiation.

EDIT.v16-22.Feb21.Continetti.AP Photo.Ryan J Foley

8:14 AM, Jan 2, 2013 • By DANIEL HALPER

Paul Ryan, the chairman of the House Budget Committee, explains why he voted in favor of the "fiscal cliff" deal last night in the House of Representatives:

“We’ll never get our debt under control unless we tackle its main drivers: too little economic growth and too much spending. Without presidential leadership, it will be difficult to forge bipartisan solutions to our debt and economic challenges.

Round-trip cost of president's return trip: $3.6 million.

7:04 AM, Jan 2, 2013 • By DANIEL HALPER

After Congress agreed temporarily to avert the "fiscal cliff" last night, President Barack Obama hailed the deal in brief remarks delivered from the White House, and then headed to Air Force One to take a midnight flight to Hawaii. Obama had left his family days earlier to return to Washington to deal with the "fiscal cliff."

2:24 PM, Jan 1, 2013 • By WILLIAM KRISTOL

I suggested earlier today that enough House Republicans should support the Senate fiscal cliff bill to see that it passes. But here's an email from a reader whom I know and respect:

12:15 PM, Jan 1, 2013 • By WILLIAM KRISTOL

The fiscal cliff deal that the Senate passed early this morning is ridiculous in too many ways to count. There seem to be no figures from the Congressional Budget Office and only "very preliminary" figures from the Joint Tax Committee about the real spending and revenue implications. The two month delay of the sequester will make actual governance even more difficult (how is the Pentagon supposed to plan for the rest of the year?).

2:39 PM, Dec 31, 2012 • By DANIEL HALPER

A senior Republican Senate aide passes along the tax terms of the deal being worked out by Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill and the White House to avert the "fiscal cliff." These terms are "locked," says the source, between Senate Republicans and the White House: