#Discretionary Spending

In an encouraging vote last week, a bipartisan Senate majority approved a repeal of the ethanol tax credit. Although the repeal is not expected to become law, the 73-27 vote raised the possibility of further bipartisan agreement on the elimination…

With Congress increasingly concerned about military spending in Afghanistan and elsewhere, Leon Panetta signaled last week that as the next secretary of defense he would carefully rein in spending. The former director of the Office of Management and Budget said…

Transportation spending will likely return to the agenda on Capitol Hill in the months ahead. The highway authorization bill expired in 2009 and an extension expires at the end of September. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the U.S. spends…

With only 1 percent of the federal budget, foreign aid makes up a much smaller part of the country’s fiscal problems than many people believe, according to Rebecca Williams of the Henry L. Stimson Center.In a guest blog posting for…

With the 2011 appropriations bills finally complete, the House turned its attention to the 2012 bills last week. Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) set the goal of completing the committee's work by the August recess to permit the full…

Last week Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mt.) said "A debt reduction trigger could be an important part of passing legislation to reduce our debt and move our economy in a positive direction toward growth and job creation." He…

Projected federal deficits are so large that Congress should look far beyond the non-defense spending on which it has heavily focused in recent weeks.In a guest commentary on ABC.com, Concord Coalition Executive Director Robert L. Bixby notes that bipartisan groups…

"Where is all of the money going?" While filling out tax returns and writing checks to the federal government, people often ask this question. Finding answers became easier last week when the White House released an online federal tax receipt.By…