The Latest

Appearing today on MSNBC’s Morning Joe program, former senators Judd Gregg (R.-N.H.) and Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) outlined the nation’s fiscal challenges and explained how a new initiative called “First Budget” will press the 2016 presidential candidates to address these challenges.…

A hearing by the House Ways and Means Social Security subcommittee last week drew attention to the impending insolvency of the Disability Insurance (DI) trust fund in 2016. The hearing featured testimony from Charles Blahous, a public trustee for Social…

A hearing by the House Ways and Means Social Security subcommittee last week drew attention to the impending insolvency of the Disability Insurance (DI) trust fund in 2016. While there were some disagreements, there was also a clear bipartisan consensus…

Nearly five months after Fiscal 2015 began and with a stop-gap measure expiring this Friday, the House and Senate remain in an embarrassing tug-of-war over Homeland Security spending. Last month the House approved a $39.7 billion current-year funding bill but…

This year’s Economic Report of the President cheers 2014 as a “breakthrough year” for the country’s recovery and advocates policies that the administration says will encourage further growth and strengthen the middle class. “The unemployment rate plunged to its lowest…

Ignoring Senate doubts and presidential veto threats, the House last week moved forward with legislation to permanently extend various tax breaks that would otherwise expire. The House Ways and Means Committee has approved legislation that would increase projected deficits by…

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently reported improvements since 2013 in many problematic areas in the federal government but also noted growing concerns in veterans health care, information technology and tax law enforcement. The agency’s new biennial update on “high-risk”…

Des Moines – Two of the nation’s leading experts on health care policy said today that it was critical for 2016 presidential candidates to offer credible proposals to hold down health care costs -- and the federal debt -- in…