Blogs

A bipartisan bill to plug the Highway Trust Fund’s growing shortfall with additional revenue from motor fuels taxes was introduced last week by Reps. Jim Renacci (R-Ohio), Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.), Reid Ribble (R-Wis.) and Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.). The Bridge to…

Congressional negotiators presented often-contrasting views on taxes, defense spending, health care, safety net programs and the economy as they held their first formal meeting Monday to develop a joint budget resolution for Fiscal 2016. The House and Senate approved separate…

The Senate Tuesday night overwhelmingly passed bipartisan legislation to permanently fix the formula for determining how physicians are paid under Medicare. The final vote of 92-8 sent the legislation, already passed in the House, to President Obama, who is expected…

With presidential hopefuls kicking off their official campaigns, voters should keep in mind that the next occupant of the White House must lead the country in putting the government on a more responsible and sustainable fiscal path. So candidates should…

President Obama reminded lawmakers that they must replenish the Highway Trust Fund soon when he recently sent a 6-year, $478 billion transportation proposal to Capitol Hill. Both surface transportation programs and payments to the Highway Trust Fund from the general…

Pentagon officials have given Congress lists of “unfunded requirements” that are in addition to their official 2016 budget requests, attempting again to persuade lawmakers that fiscal austerity efforts are squeezing the Defense Department too tightly. The military services have compiled…

A group of Iowans today got a chance to do something that has long eluded Congress: Make tough budget choices to put the federal deficit on a sustainable downward path. They did so in the hope that these kinds of…

The House and Senate last week approved Republican 2016 budget blueprints that promise a balanced budget within 10 years, call for higher defense spending and envision repealing the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The plans, however, rely on some gimmicks and…