The Latest

In its Monthly Budget Review for June 2020, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) said on Wednesday, July 8, that the budget deficit for the year so far has reached $2.74 trillion, an increase of $2 trillion over the same nine-month period in…

The Labor Department released new data today on initial unemployment claims by laid-off workers. For the week ending July 11, new claims dropped 10,000 to 1.3 million, extending the downward trend from the peak of 6.9 million in late March. Continuing…

Next week, the House of Representatives will debate its first appropriations package for the fiscal year that begins October 1. Floor action will start with a $259.5 billion package that combines four of the annual spending bills into one “minibus”…

After collapsing by 22 million in March and April, 4.8 million workers returned to work in June, according to today’s Employment Situation Report published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics - significantly more than the 3-4 million consensus prediction among surveyed…

Lawmakers in Washington have enacted four laws in response to the coronavirus pandemic totaling $2.4 trillion. The Congressional Budget Office recently published a summary of those measures, including the estimated effects on discretionary and mandatory spending, revenues, and the deficit.…

Policymakers in Washington have responded to the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic with a remarkable display of bipartisanship. All four rescue bills to date have passed with overwhelming support from both parties in the House and Senate. A crucial…

On June 9, the United States quietly reached an inauspicious milestone: our nation’s total federal debt surpassed $26 trillion for the first time. Given the dual crises of coronavirus and civil unrest that dominate national headlines, it’s not surprising this…

On June 4, roughly 25 young professionals gathered together (remotely), stared at computer screens and watched an animated video over Zoom. Since it happened to be a beautiful evening in late spring in New Hampshire, they either really liked cartoons…