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With Fiscal 2014 winding down, the Treasury Department’s latest monthly statement indicates the federal deficit is heading for another substantial drop. This expected improvement largely reflects a strengthening economy, however, and should not obscure the intermediate- and long-term fiscal challenges…

Actuaries from the Center on Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) report that in 2013 health care spending grew slowly for the fifth consecutive year, yet it will likely pick up over the next decade with stronger economic growth and new…

Residents of Rockford, Illinois recently joined U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos and The Concord Coalition to discuss the nation’s fiscal challenges and participate in an interactive exercise to reduce projected federal deficits over the next 10 years.Dozens of people from across…

Back from its long August recess, Congress must quickly move forward on the task that has eluded it all year: Reaching agreement on plans to fund the government in Fiscal 2015, now only three weeks away.In addition, lawmakers are planning…

Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) is challenging his colleagues on Capitol Hill to approve comprehensive, long-term postal reforms rather than simply trying to block the Postal Service’s own consolidation plans.Unfortunately, Congress has failed for years to pursue such reforms, creating a…

Opponents of health care reform often talk as if any cost savings would come at the expense of patient care. Yet this assumes that the money is being well spent, and there is ample evidence that this is not always…

Our nation’s reliance on a 24-hour news cycle has bred an environment focused on quick stories with tag lines to keep us engaged. Listening to a recent panel discussion, I realized that the emphasis on sound bites needs to change…

Tax expenditures will reduce government revenue by $7.2 trillion over the next 5 years, according to recent estimates by the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) staff. These provisions in the tax code reduce what individuals and corporations pay; they range…