#Federal Budget

Although the Department of Transportation (DOT) announced last week that the Highway Trust Fund will not be exhausted until mid-2016, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx is warning lawmakers not to get complacent about fixing the fund. The $8 billion that Congress…

Although September is half over, there has been little evidence of progress on Capitol Hill towards even a short-term budget deal that would keep the government running after the next fiscal year begins Oct. 1. Amid the usual procrastination, finger-pointing…

With a particularly destructive wildfire season this year, the U.S. Forest Service is struggling with the cost of firefighting operations -- and warning Congress of even more difficult times ahead. “In 1995, fire made up 16 percent of the Forest…

Back from its long August recess, Congress faces some difficult decisions and tight deadlines, the result of another collapsed budget process and persistent procrastination this year. Lawmakers should try to quickly move forward on these decisions, aiming for fiscally responsible…

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…

There were no big surprises in the latest Long-Term Outlook from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). No real surprises, either, in this summer’s annual reports from the trustees who oversee Medicare and Social Security. “And that’s the problem,” say John…

Congress appears once again to have botched one of its key responsibilities: Approving a dozen spending bills for the coming fiscal year in a timely fashion. Many lawmakers, particularly in the GOP leadership, had hoped to put the budget process…

There is a sense of deja vu as lawmakers again struggle with short-term measures for the Highway Trust Fund rather than finding a permanent solution to its chronic financial shortfalls. In a 312-119 vote, the House last week passed an…