The Latest

The current debate over extending the payroll tax cut well demonstrates that policymakers often mean different things when referring to policies that “help” or “expand” the economy. I often hear the words “stimulus” and “growth” used interchangeably, but when economists…

College students and nine former members of Congress will confront the nation’s fiscal and economic difficulties through an interactive exercise this Saturday, Dec. 3, at George Washington University. Participants in the “Principles and Priorities” exercise, developed by The Concord…

Fitch Ratings on Monday affirmed the U.S. government’s AAA rating but lowered its long-term rating outlook from “stable” to “negative” and warned that there is “a slightly greater than 50 percent chance of a downgrade over a two-year horizon.” The U.S.…

With the national debt reaching the $15 trillion mark this month, average citizens are showing a keener appreciation of the need for more sustainable federal budgets than many elected officials. (more…)

The congressional “super committee” charged with recommending at least $1.2 trillion in deficit reduction for the next decade announced Monday that it had failed to reach agreement on a plan. Democrats and Republicans each blame the other for the failure,…

How many Iowans would be prepared to accept cuts in agricultural subsidies as part of a comprehensive deficit-reduction plan? Not many, to hear many politicians tell it. But results from an interactive budget exercise last week in Des Moines indicate…

It is now a little under one week until the deadline for the congressional joint committee on deficit reduction, or super committee, to report its recommendations. Inside Washington, many are skeptical that committee members will meet their goal of $1.5…

While there are many places in the federal budget where taxpayer dollars could be saved, simply “cutting waste” is not a panacea. Harry Zeeve, national field director for The Concord Coalition, emphasizes that point in a new blog post on…