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WASHINGTON -- Despite their frequent expressions of concern about the federal debt, lawmakers are pursuing a plan that would add hundreds of billions of dollars to the debt over the next decade by extending some tax breaks, making others permanent,…

The expensive tax breaks that lawmakers have been considering tend to get renewed annually. These so-called “tax extenders” would not be paid for, and the estimated 10-year price tag is over $700 billion. Raising the fiscal stakes this year is…

Donald Trump is often described as an “unconventional” candidate. On the federal budget, however, his campaign promises are entirely too conventional. As Concord Coalition Executive Director Robert L. Bixby writes in a new blog post, some candidates deny the necessity…

Donald Trump is often described as an “unconventional” candidate. When it comes to the federal budget, however, his campaign promises are entirely too conventional. Some candidates deny the necessity of reforming popular entitlement programs such as Medicare and Social Security.…

National health expenditures grew more quickly in 2014 than in recent years, according to a new report by actuaries at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). While the five previous years saw historically slow growth, in 2014 spending…

Congress last week again failed to address the structural challenges facing the Highway Trust Fund. Instead lawmakers approved a 5-year bill that increases spending on highway and transit projects but relies on unrelated revenue sources and budget gimmicks. Supporters say…

Washington’s fiscal year began two months ago but elected officials still seem a long way from agreement on spending plans for the next 10 months. As in past years, the regular budget process broke down and lawmakers are now trying…

In Washington, a new holiday tradition is forming: Congress passing large tax breaks without paying for them. At the end of last year, lawmakers retroactively extended 50 temporary provisions -- known as tax extenders -- for 2014. Now reports indicate…