As Congress works through the annual appropriations process for Fiscal Year 2026, the pace and priorities are beginning to take shape—though progress remains uneven across both chambers. Both chambers’ Appropriations Committees create their own version of each bill, laying out…
As Social Security marks its 90th anniversary, a transformative decision about its basic character and financing is being made in silence without deliberation by elected officials or the American people. That decision is whether the program should remain self-financed –…
Congress and the President have approved the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), which is projected to increase deficits by $3.4 trillion over the next decade. These unpaid-for tax cuts will worsen our fiscal outlook, drive up the national debt,…
We are in a period of economic and political uncertainty and instability. The jobs numbers released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on Friday add to these concerns. When the President responded by attacking the numbers and firing the…
As Medicare celebrated its 60th anniversary last week, much of the discussion about its financial future centered on a single, ominous metric: the depletion date of the Hospital Insurance trust fund (HI). Medicare’s Trustees say this will happen in 2033,…
Ownership of U.S. Treasury bonds is widely dispersed across foreign governments, the Federal Reserve, financial institutions, state and local entities, and individual households (see chart). This diversity may bolster market liquidity, but it also amplifies risk: federal debt is woven…
With the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), Congress has wrapped up this year’s budget reconciliation process. That landmark legislation added $4.1 trillion to federal deficits (including interest), underscoring just how powerful—yet risky—the reconciliation tool can be.…
The following is a guest essay written by economist Adam Michel, PhD. He is the Director of Tax Policy Studies at the Cato Institute and previously served as Deputy Director of the US Congress Joint Economic Committee. Follow and subscribe…
In an era where partisan rhetoric too often outshouts prudent policy, the integrity of Congress’s internal referees—the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO)—has never been more essential. Yet these two cornerstone institutions are increasingly under fire,…
By Bob Bixby, Host, Facing the Future Click here to listen to the episode now This week on Facing the Future, Jim Capretta of the American Enterprise Institute digs into the 2025 Medicare Trustees Report and explains why federal budget rules…
Concord Action welcomes a variety of viewpoints on issues related to the long-term fiscal health of the nation. The following is a guest essay written by economist Diane Lim who was most recently the Director of the Equity Hub at the U.S.…
If the House-passed $9.4 billion dollar rescissions package canceling funding for foreign aid and public broadcasting is approved by the Senate, it will mark the first time in a quarter century that a President has successfully rescinded funds through the…
