#Congress

More than 7,000 students, retirees, political leaders and other citizens have played The Concord Coalition’s updated Federal Budget Challenge since we put the updated version online a month ago. (more…)

Janet Yellen, who took over as Federal Reserve chair in February, continues to call for a smooth transition to more sustainable fiscal policies on Capitol Hill.In testimony to two congressional committees last week, she said that “having a long-run sustainable…

The Highway Trust Fund is projected to run a $164 billion shortfall over the next 10 years unless lawmakers take action, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).The trust fund consists of two accounts: one for highway work, which receives…

With Congress back in session, some lawmakers have unfortunately focused their attention on once again renewing a group of temporary tax provisions that subsidize certain businesses and other special interests.The provisions -- known as “tax extenders” -- expired at the…

The differences between the 10-year budget plans by President Obama and the House of Representatives would be difficult to resolve under the best of circumstances.Without a Senate plan, however, there is no prospect of a concurrent congressional budget resolution --…

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has released its fourth annual report detailing specific ways in which Congress and federal agencies can improve efficiency by reducing fragmentation, overlap and duplication.Politicians too often vaguely suggest that eliminating waste, fraud and abuse can…

House Republicans passed a budget plan last week that outlines their priorities but does not reflect much interest in bipartisan compromises on broad fiscal reforms this year. The budget passed on a 219-205 vote, without any Democratic support.Senate Democrats --…

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released new projections Monday that show the federal deficit dropping to 2.8 percent of GDP in this fiscal year, nearly a third less than last year’s shortfall. Citizens and elected officials should remember, however, that…