The Latest

The Supreme Court is keeping the country in suspense a little longer over its decision on the 2010 health care law. The ruling is now expected on Thursday, the last day of the court’s current term.The law – seen by…

In a 64-35 vote, the Senate last week approved bipartisan legislation to reauthorize farm programs for the next five years. The legislation covers a wide variety of programs administered by the Department of Agriculture, including those that provide farm income…

Several dozen House members told President Obama last week that they supported Speaker John Boehner’s position that the next increase in the federal debt limit should be coupled with spending “cuts and reforms” of a greater amount. “We agree with…

Uncertainty over how elected officials will deal with key fiscal decisions this year is already “weighing on the economy” and probably reducing spending by individuals and businesses, according to Doug Elmendorf, director of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). “We think…

The Medicare actuaries have just updated their projections for National Health Expenditures (NHE) and the overall picture they illustrate is a welcome one, but likely reflects temporary factors and cannot serve as an excuse for politicans to rest on their…

Pointing to warnings from congressional budget experts and the trustees who oversee Medicare and Social Security, The Concord Coalition’s Midwest regional director recently emphasized the importance of simultaneously dealing with immediate economic problems while laying the groundwork for broad fiscal…

Last week both Doug Elmendorf, director of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), and Ben Bernanke, chairman of the Federal Reserve, urged Congress to put the country on a more responsible long-term fiscal path without jeopardizing the current economic recovery. Their…

A tax code with tens of thousands of pages. The huge defense budget. The complexities of Medicare and Social Security, plus a myriad of government programs for which Congress approves money on an annual basis . . . . All…