#Budget Process

With the budget conference committee starting to meet this week, some political leaders seem to be thinking that the ideal “grand bargain” on the budget would be: Do nothing.Concord Coalition Executive Director Robert L. Bixby warns that this could become…

The federal government began a partial shutdown today because it lacked a budget for the new fiscal year, raising concerns about whether Washington has become so dysfunctional that it might also fail to raise the federal debt limit before the…

A bipartisan proposal introduced in the Senate would provide a more complete picture of the long-term impact of current fiscal policies, including their burden on younger Americans and future generations.Senators John Thune (R-S.D.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) introduced the Intergenerational…

The House and Senate appear to be making little effort to work out their differences over spending levels, let alone any broader budget deal that might involve President Obama.“We no longer have ‘regular order’ so much as we have regular…

The Senate passed a sweeping immigration bill last week aided by a costly amendment that directs $46.3 billion more to be spent on border security than under current law. The Senate waived its budget rules to pass the legislation.The Congressional…

A new Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report warns of grave difficulties if Washington can’t agree on a new federal debt limit by October or November.As in the past, the Treasury is buying more time on the debt limit with what…

Is the federal budget heading for unsustainable deficits or unsustainable surpluses? It all depends on the long-term assumptions. (more…)

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