The Latest

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…)

In the wake of the super committee’s failure last week, Congress faces some key decisions on expiring policies over the next few weeks that could have a significant impact on the federal deficit in the years ahead. On Monday, for…

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…

President Obama signed the first regular appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2012 into law last Friday. The legislation was referred to as a “minibus” and combined three of the twelve regular appropriations bills: Agriculture, Commerce/ Justice/ Science, and Transportation/ Housing…

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…

The Supreme Court agreed on Monday to consider the constitutionality of the legislation approved last year to revamp the U.S. health care system. The court indicated that it would examine not just whether the government can require people to buy…

The federal debt is hitting the $15 trillion mark this month, and it is projected to continue growing rapidly in the years ahead – even assuming the economy fully recovers and U.S. military commitments abroad are reduced.“Absent reform, we will…

House and Senate negotiators reached an agreement yesterday on the first conference report of the appropriations process for Fiscal Year 2012. Referred to as a “mini-bus,” the agreement combines three of the twelve appropriations bills: Agriculture, Commerce/ Justice/ Science, and…