Blogs

After a 13-month hiatus, the debt limit is set to return to the national spotlight when it will be reinstated Monday and raised to the debt’s current level. What the Treasury Department calls “extraordinary measures,” however, would allow the government…

The New Democrat Coalition -- 46 House members who describe themselves as the "pro-growth, fiscally responsible wing of the Democratic Party" -- announced a new platform last week designed to strengthen the role of moderates in Congress. The platform, dubbed…

The New Democrat Coalition, a group of 46 House members who describe themselves as the "pro-growth, fiscally responsible wing of the Democratic Party,"

The House will reportedly vote soon on legislation that would fund the Homeland Security Department for the rest of Fiscal 2015 without reversing President Obama’s immigration policies. While this development angered some conservatives, House approval would presumably break the logjam…

A hearing by the House Ways and Means Social Security subcommittee last week drew attention to the impending insolvency of the Disability Insurance (DI) trust fund in 2016. The hearing featured testimony from Charles Blahous, a public trustee for Social…

Keith Hall, who served as chief economist for President George W. Bush’s Council of Economic Advisers, will become director of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) April 1. The appointment was announced last week by the chairmen of the congressional budget…

Nearly five months after Fiscal 2015 began and with a stop-gap measure expiring this Friday, the House and Senate remain in an embarrassing tug-of-war over Homeland Security spending. Last month the House approved a $39.7 billion current-year funding bill but…

Politicians like to talk about good news, including benefits from government programs. But former U.S. senators Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) and Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) note that politicians “are far less interested in talking about the bad news and hard choices on…