Blogs

Almost every politician at the national level has expressed concern at one point or another about the federal government’s budget deficits. But one clear takeaway from the past 25 years is that these concerns are often situational and quickly abandoned…

Concord Coalition supporters gathered to celebrate 25 years of fiscal responsibility education and advocacy at the historical Colonial Inn on Sept. 25 in Concord, Mass. At a lunch four speakers discussed Concord’s achievements, lessons learned over the past 25 years,…

Members of Congress often talk about the need to improve government efficiency, but recent testimony from an official with the Government Accountability Office (GAO) is a reminder that lawmakers could help by simply getting their budget work done in a…

The official federal budget process was established in 1974 by the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act. In practice, the process prescribed by the law has never been followed to the letter, and in recent years it’s been abandoned almost…

On Sept. 8 the national debt increased by over $300 billion, surpassing $20 trillion for the first time in history -- a symbolic reminder of the federal government’s flawed fiscal policy. But how exactly did we get to this point,…

The original purpose of creating a statutory debt limit in 1917 was not to prevent the government from running up too much debt, but to remove the requirement that Congress authorize individual issuances of debt. The intent was to help…

During budget negotiations in the coming weeks, Congress should ensure that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has sufficient funding to effectively enforce the tax laws and improve taxpayer assistance and education services. This would allow the federal government to actually…

Many politicians and members of the public who are frustrated with the inability of Congress and the president to make responsible fiscal choices have proposed a seemingly simple solution:  Amend the Constitution to require a balanced budget. While the sentiment…