#Economy

Appropriations are on the agenda this week as Congress returns from the Presidents' Day recess. With the continuing resolution (CR) that is currently funding government agencies set to expire on Friday, a government shutdown will occur unless a new CR…

Even if the new Economic Report of the President had actually discussed better ways to raise revenue or to make Social Security and Medicare programs more sustainable, it would have judiciously avoided using the controversial words “taxes” or “entitlements.” (more…)

The Congressional Budget Office has released its annual Budget and Economic Outlook, filled with statistics that underscore the need for both Democrats and Republicans to offer more realistic proposals to put the country on a responsible fiscal path.The official projections…

Lawmakers in both parties promised to work together to revamp the tax code as the House Ways and Means Committee last week held a hearing on the subject. Several recent panels, including the President’s fiscal commission, have suggested that tax…

Congress approved and President Obama signed legislation last week that will increase projected budget deficits by $858 billion. The additional borrowing would finance two-year extensions of the Bush tax cuts, a 13-month extension of unemployment benefits, and a one-year reduction…

Deficit hawks have long warned that unnecessary delays in deficit reduction carry risks and high costs that will only make the job harder down the road. A new study by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) underscores that point. It analyzes…

By now we've seen a number of proposals for fiscal sustainability from groups with very different perspectives. (more…)

The Social Security Administration announced on Friday that for the second year in a row there would be no cost-of-living increase in Social Security benefits for 2011. Why not? As the SSA explains, this is a straightforward, non-political determination based…