#National Debt

Low interest rates on the federal debt have allowed the government to borrow more in recent years without seeing the cost of servicing that debt rise as a share of the economy (GDP). As the debt has climbed from 39…

WASHINGTON -- The Concord Coalition said today that updated projections by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) highlight the need for elected officials and political candidates to focus on the nation’s worsening fiscal challenges. “While not surprising, the projections released today…

Federal budget projections are already quite alarming, with the national debt high by historical standards and rising rapidly. The fiscal picture looks even worse, however, if one takes into account federal insurance programs and other activities that transfer financial risks…

With many lawmakers in both parties acting as if the high and rising national debt doesn’t matter, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell has provided a timely reminder that it does. Powell delivered that message to Senate and House committees last…

How do high and rising federal deficits hurt ordinary Americans? With the Treasury Department’s recent announcement that the deficit had climbed to $779 billion in the fiscal year that just ended -- a 17 percent increase over the previous year…

Lawmakers made noteworthy progress last week on spending bills for the coming year, at least as far as timeliness is concerned. Congress approved three bills and negotiators announced a bipartisan agreement on a much larger package that could avoid a government…

While the White House celebrates the economy’s strong second-quarter showing, it is important to keep in mind that economists generally consider this a temporary phenomenon rather than a harbinger of higher growth levels over the coming decade. The U.S. Commerce…

Large majorities of business economists said in a recent survey that current U.S. fiscal policy is overstimulating the economy and should be aimed at reducing the federal deficit rather than increasing it. The National Association for Business Economics said 81…