#Discretionary Spending

While still working on tax legislation, Congress now finds itself in an all-too-familiar place: Only days away from a possible government shutdown because spending decisions that should have been made months ago are still up in the air. Since Fiscal…

Members of Congress often talk about the need to improve government efficiency, but recent testimony from an official with the Government Accountability Office (GAO) is a reminder that lawmakers could help by simply getting their budget work done in a…

Congress is again down to the wire on spending legislation for the current fiscal year, which is already half over. Returning to Washington after a 2-week recess, lawmakers need to take action before a stop-gap measure expires at midnight on…

Last week, the Congressional Budget Office published a blog exploring the role of fiscal policy in improving economic productivity. The subject is particularly interesting given how frequently politicians propose to pay for their agendas, be they tax cuts or spending increases, with…

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell made headlines recently when he suggested that the GOP must pay for its campaign promises, stating his preference for “deficit-neutral” tax cuts and offsets for new spending.“I think this level of national debt is dangerous…

As Congress settles into a near seven-week recess, it seems increasingly likely that a stopgap Continuing Resolution (CR) will be needed before the Sept. 30 deadline for legislative action to keep government services operating. The likelihood of a CR has…

In its spending bill for Fiscal 2016, Congress seemed to acknowledge that medical research had been cut too deeply for over a decade. The legislation will boost that funding in the coming months. “But without reforms to address the basic…

It has been easy for advocates of generationally responsible tax and spending policies to look at Capitol Hill with dismay for the past few years. A few consequences of inaction and lack of bipartisanship include: A complete breakdown in the…