Blogs

The Supreme Court agreed on Monday to consider the constitutionality of the legislation approved last year to revamp the U.S. health care system. The court indicated that it would examine not just whether the government can require people to buy…

Nearly 200 Iowa residents slipped into the role of congressional deficit-cutters on Monday night, and in many cases were able to reach agreement on the sort of sweeping fiscal reforms that have so far eluded Congress.Working in groups of six…

House and Senate negotiators reached an agreement yesterday on the first conference report of the appropriations process for Fiscal Year 2012. Referred to as a “mini-bus,” the agreement combines three of the twelve appropriations bills: Agriculture, Commerce/ Justice/ Science, and…

Time is running short for members of the congressional “super committee,” which has until a week from tomorrow to recommend a plan to reduce projected federal deficits by at least $1.2 trillion over the next decade.In recent days Democratic and…

The special congressional committee on deficit reduction recently heard testimony from the leaders of two prominent bipartisan panels that developed sweeping proposals that could cut federal borrowing by $4 trillion or more in the next decade -- well above the…

On Capitol Hill last week, attention turned to Fiscal Year 2012 appropriations as the House and Senate convened a formal conference on a “minibus” bill which combines three appropriations bills: Agriculture; Commerce, Justice, Science; and Transportation, HUD. The meeting was…

The Concord Coalition this week recognized Senators Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) for their leadership of the "Gang of Six" in the search for bipartisan fiscal reform. Former Sen. Sam Nunn (D-Ga.), a member of Concord's board of directors,…

Douglas Elmendorf, director of the Congressional Budget Office, last week outlined some of the difficulties facing lawmakers as they weigh further cuts in the “discretionary” spending that Congress approves on an annual basis. Though defense and non-defense discretionary spending account…