#Discretionary Spending

With Congress now in its long August recess after failing to pass a single spending bill for the fiscal year that starts Oct. 1, speculation has understandably grown over the possibility of a government shutdown this fall. Senate Majority Leader…

Presidential hopefuls should note recent polling results in Iowa that reflect widespread voter concerns about the nation’s budget problems, according to a guest column this week by two “First Budget” leaders in the Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier. “We find it…

While Congress has approved a budget resolution for the first time in six years, lawmakers in both parties are voicing reasonable doubts about whether it is a realistic blueprint for the years ahead. The Senate approved the 2016 budget resolution…

WASHINGTON -- The Concord Coalition welcomes the House and Senate passage of a budget resolution that promises to balance the budget and substantially slow the growth of federal debt over the next 10 years. Concord warns, however, that these goals…

More than five months into Fiscal 2015, the House last week finally approved Homeland Security funding for the rest of the year, giving up on efforts to include provisions to block President Obama’s immigration policies. The 257-167 vote came after…

The New Democrat Coalition, a group of 46 House members who describe themselves as the "pro-growth, fiscally responsible wing of the Democratic Party,"

Nearly five months after Fiscal 2015 began and with a stop-gap measure expiring this Friday, the House and Senate remain in an embarrassing tug-of-war over Homeland Security spending. Last month the House approved a $39.7 billion current-year funding bill but…

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently reported improvements since 2013 in many problematic areas in the federal government but also noted growing concerns in veterans health care, information technology and tax law enforcement. The agency’s new biennial update on “high-risk”…