Janet Novack
janetnovack.bsky.social
Janet Novack
@janetnovack.bsky.social
Assistant Managing Editor & Washington Bureau Chief @Forbes. Tax, budget, retirement & education policy. Tax shelters. Scams. Fintech. Investing. email: jnovack@forbes.com
@bsky.app If you're looking for the silver lining in the Senate Democrats' cave, here it is. www.forbes.com/sites/howard...
Trump May Have Won The ACA Subsidy Battle, But He May Lose The War
The GOP either must agree to extend those insurance subsidies or take sole blame for killing an effort to continue assistance that has overwhelming public support.
www.forbes.com
November 11, 2025 at 1:49 PM
Reposted by Janet Novack
A flexible spending account that replaces enhanced ACA premium tax credits would help people with their out-of-pocket health care costs. But, that help would be limited if they couldn't afford to buy insurance to begin with without the enhanced tax credits.
November 10, 2025 at 7:43 PM
Reposted by Janet Novack
Air traffic controllers tell me this will only make things worse.

www.forbes.com/sites/suzann...
Trump To Air Traffic Controllers: ‘Get Back To Work, NOW!!!’
President Trump threatened to dock the pay of unpaid air traffic controllers who missed work during the shutdown—a move that aviation experts say will only make matters worse.
www.forbes.com
November 10, 2025 at 4:53 PM
Scary charts raising the prospect that it's more than just AI that's in bubble territory. www.forbes.com/sites/brando...
It’s Not Just An AI Bubble. Here’s Everything At Risk
Stocks are soaring, gold is too, and risk looks cheap everywhere. These charts trace the signs of what could be the everything bubble taking shape.
www.forbes.com
November 10, 2025 at 1:09 PM
Reposted by Janet Novack
Scoop: “Trump Wine Hits Government Shelves”

me, for @forbes.com

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Trump Wines Sold At Coast Guard Stores On Federal Property
Exchanges in Washington, D.C., and Virginia have stocked Trump-branded wine and cider, allowing his family’s business to earn revenue from sales on federal property.
www.forbes.com
November 7, 2025 at 11:47 AM
Reposted by Janet Novack
Musk just called his robot program, Optimus, "an infinite money glitch" for the wealth it will bring Tesla and urges his shareholders to hold on to their Tesla stock.

One way or the other, we'll likely revisit this quote in the future.
November 6, 2025 at 10:06 PM
Reposted by Janet Novack
A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to fully fund November’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits by Friday

www.forbes.com/sites/kirkog...
SNAP Benefits Must Be Fully Funded For November, Judge Rules
The Trump Administration previously agreed to use contingency funds to disburse half of November’s food benefits to over 42 million Americans.
www.forbes.com
November 6, 2025 at 10:09 PM
Reposted by Janet Novack
The new “no tax on tips” and “no tax on overtime” deductions require additional reporting by employers and payers. To help, the IRS is offering penalty relief in 2025.

www.forbes.com/sites/kellyp...
IRS Gives Employers A Breather On No Tax On Tips, Overtime Reporting For 2025
The new “no tax on tips” and “no tax on overtime” deductions require additional reporting by employers and payers. To help, the IRS is offering penalty relief in 2025.
www.forbes.com
November 6, 2025 at 2:03 PM
Reposted by Janet Novack
While the IRS hasn’t officially confirmed that the program is dead, the website indicates that the program is closed—and states have been notified that it will not be in place for 2026.

www.forbes.com/sites/kellyp...
IRS Kills Off Popular Free Direct File Option For The 2026 Tax Filing Season
While the IRS hasn’t officially confirmed that the program is dead, the website indicates that the program is closed—and states have been notified that it will not be in place for 2026.
www.forbes.com
November 6, 2025 at 2:05 PM
@bsky.app Those who used the IRS' popular Direct File program to file their tax returns are out of luck. The Trump IRS has shut down the program and they'll need to file a special form to get a copy of their last return. www.forbes.com/sites/kellyp...
IRS Kills Off Popular Free Direct File Option For The 2026 Tax Filing Season
While the IRS hasn’t officially confirmed that the program is dead, the website indicates that the program is closed—and states have been notified that it will not be in place for 2026.
www.forbes.com
November 6, 2025 at 1:36 PM
Reposted by Janet Novack
"Democrats swept the major elections Tuesday, delivering a blow to billionaires who mostly funded Republican campaigns"

Sara Dorn for @forbes.com
These Billionaires Won—And Lost Big Time—On Election Night
More than 26 billionaires gave to campaigns to defeat New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani.
www.forbes.com
November 5, 2025 at 6:02 PM
Reposted by Janet Novack
The president says he will defy court orders and illegally withhold SNAP benefits despite there being money in the SNAP contingency fund that the Trump is required to use.
November 4, 2025 at 4:25 PM
Reposted by Janet Novack
Multiple unpaid TSA officers told me the agency is using “scare tactics” to discourage people from calling in sick or taking leave. Buckle in for some ugly travel days ahead.
November 3, 2025 at 7:11 PM
Good explanation, from a tax reporter's point of view, of the stakes in the SCOTUS tariff cases. www.forbes.com/sites/howard...
Trump Tariff Cases Before The Supreme Court Are A Big Deal. Here’s Why
The decision, which could come within a few months, will have a significant impact on Trump’s expansive use of what he calls emergency presidential power.
www.forbes.com
November 3, 2025 at 7:52 PM
It's worse than you thought. This story lays out the consequences of the gutting of the CFPB by Trump hatchet man Russell Vought. www.forbes.com/sites/jeffka...
Trump’s Gutting Of The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Is Leaving The Public Vulnerable To Abuses
A massive dismantling of the financial regulator created to protect consumers is underway, affecting everything from auto lending and digital payments to credit cards and credit reports.
www.forbes.com
November 3, 2025 at 1:06 PM
More than an indignity. #8 on this NY Times list of 12 signs of creeping autocracy. (Gift article.) www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
October 31, 2025 at 10:49 PM
Reposted by Janet Novack
The move comes amid extensive changes to the Washington press corps under President Trump, and echos others at the Pentagon, where recent restrictions on the press have been even more dramatic.
White House Limits Media Access to West Wing Offices in Latest Indignity for the Trump Press Corps
On Friday evening, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung and Press Secretary...
talkingpointsmemo.com
October 31, 2025 at 10:32 PM
@bsky.app Great explainer on the history (dating to the Great Depression) of now-endangered SNAP food benefits and how they're calculated today. www.forbes.com/sites/kellyp...
SNAP Food Aid At Risk In Shutdown Has A Nearly Century Long History
Here’s what you need to know about the federal SNAP program, which provides food assistance to nearly one in eight Americans. It could go dark on Saturday.
www.forbes.com
October 31, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Reposted by Janet Novack
NEW: Planned changes to Social Security’s disability program could leave hundreds of thousands of older blue-collar workers ineligible for aid.

These changes would fall disproportionately on some of President Trump’s most loyal supporters.
Red State Workers Could Lose Out on Disability Benefits as Trump Administration Rewrites Eligibility Rules
Planned changes to Social Security’s disability program could leave hundreds of thousands of older blue-collar workers ineligible for aid. These changes would fall disproportionately on some of President Trump’s most loyal supporters.
www.propublica.org
October 31, 2025 at 12:15 PM
Reposted by Janet Novack
Out-of-pocket premiums for subsidized ACA enrollees will jump by an average of about 114% if enhanced tax credits are not extended. But, it varies a lot from person to person. Our calculator illustrates the change by income, age, family size, and zip code.
www.kff.org/interactive/...
How Much More Would People Pay in Premiums if the ACA's Enhanced Premium Tax Credits Expire?| KFF
The ACA's enhanced premium tax credits are set to expire at the end of 2025. This calculator estimates how much out-of-pocket premiums would increase for families if Congress does not extend the credi...
www.kff.org
October 30, 2025 at 2:55 PM
Reposted by Janet Novack
"Republican Political Spending at Trump Properties Tops $1 Million in 2025"

@taylorgiorno.bsky.social, @davelevinthal.com for @notus.com
Republican Political Spending at Trump Properties Tops $1 Million in 2025
MAGA politicians spent the summer pumping more cash into the president’s hotels, golf courses and resorts.
www.notus.org
October 30, 2025 at 1:21 PM
Reposted by Janet Novack
Donald Trump Jr. in 2021: “Those Hunter no-show no-experience board seats didn’t come without an expected return!”

Donald Trump Jr. in 2024: Gets $2.8M in stock for joining an advisory board that didn't exist until he joined it.

New: me, for @forbes.com

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After Unusual Machines Names Donald Trump Jr. To New Advisory Board, Defense Contracts Follow
Donald Trump Jr. once mocked Hunter Biden's "no-show no-experience board seats." Now he's on his second newly activated advisory board—and that company just announced $15 million in contracts.
www.forbes.com
October 29, 2025 at 5:53 PM
Reposted by Janet Novack
The contrast with SNAP is deafening.

The White House is stretching well beyond what anyone could claim is legal in order to pay the troops — while simultaneously stretching beyond what’s legal to NOT pay SNAP benefits.
The White House says it’s going to use procurement dollars to illegally pay the troops for rather than do it the legal way of enacting a military pay bill.

You cannot w/ a straight face tell me using procurement dollars to pay the military adheres to the purpose statute and the Antideficiency Act.
October 29, 2025 at 10:26 PM