Blogs

The extenders bill that the House will consider this week is a timely reminder of why it is important for Congress to complete action on a budget resolution. A budget resolution continues to elude Congress, but there has been considerably…

The President’s Bipartisan National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform is scheduled to hold its second full meeting this Wednesday morning. At the request of panel members, the Congressional Budget Office is providing the commission with budget projections and other…

Today the Senate began considering the $59 billion supplemental spending bill (HR 4899) that its Appropriations Committee approved last week. The bill includes emergency funding for priorities such as military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, disaster assistance and veterans disability payments.The Concord Coalition urges policymakers…

The extenders bill that the House will consider this week is a timely reminder of why it is important for Congress to approve a budget resolution. Such a measure continues to elude Congress, but there has been considerably less trouble reaching agreement on a bill that will add…

A key test of the new pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) law is taking shape as Congress considers how, or whether, to pay for the extension of major tax and spending policies. In recent years, the list of expiring policies has grown as…

Holding up Dwight D. Eisenhower as a model, Defense Secretary Robert Gates is urging the American military to cut bureaucracy, improve its efficiency and “make every dollar count” as the country struggles with its fiscal challenges. Pentagon reform is critical, Gates…

A recent story on CNN-Money by Steve Hargreaves asks “What will BP really pay?” I think a more fundamental question to ask at this point is “What should BP pay? And should no one else?” As the story explains (emphasis added): (more…)

The federal government ran an estimated budget deficit last month of $85 billion, marking the second year in a row that there has been an April deficit. The government usually runs large surpluses in April as income taxes pour into…