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…
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…
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…
In addition to the political challenges facing the “super committee” on deficit reduction, it is running short of time. It has a historic opportunity to move beyond partisanship to forge a comprehensive plan for fiscal reform, but under the debt…