Blogs

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has released an excellent analysis on the "Economic Effects of Reducing the Fiscal Restraint That Is Scheduled to Occur in 2013." The CBO term “fiscal restraint” has been more popularly referred to as “the fiscal…

The Medicare actuaries have released updated alternative scenarios for the program, providing data and analysis that underscore the possibility that its long-term costs could well turn out to be higher than last month’s annual report from the Medicare trustees indicated.…

In late April, the Medicare Trustees released an annual report on the financial status of the program. In their report, the trustees are required to analyze where Medicare costs are heading based on a strict reading of current law. However, there are…

Washington faces big decisions this year on budget issues that include tax cuts, “automatic” spending cuts and an increase in the federal debt limit. But recent remarks by elected officials underscore the deep differences between many Republicans and Democrats. (more…)

Hundreds of concerned citizens across the country have engaged in thoughtful and often spirited discussions about federal budget options this month through Principles & Priorities, The Concord Coalition’s popular deficit-reduction exercise.Working in groups of a half-dozen people or more, participants…

Last week the House passed legislation to replace most of the automatic spending cuts required in Fiscal Year 2013 with cuts to mandatory spending programs. The Budget Control Act requires the automatic spending cuts because the Joint Select Committee on…

Throughout this painfully prolonged economic recovery, economic developments as they are reported have often been confusing. They seem to send mixed messages about the best courses of action for fiscal policy. (more…)

History is filled with examples of governments that got into trouble by running up large debts, a phenomenon that is particularly appropriate to recall in early May. (more…)