Blog

Welcome to our blog – The Bottom Line, where you’ll find up-to-date commentary and analysis on the most important news in the fiscal world. Below is a list of our blog posts.

Aug 21, 2019 | Budgets & Projections

New CBO Budget Projections Show Toll of Budget-Busting Legislation

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) just released its latest baseline, projecting high and rising debt made worse by recent legislation. CBO...

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Aug 19, 2019 | Taxes

How Much Would a Payroll Tax Holiday Cost?

Update 8/20/19: While speaking in the Oval Office, President Trump confirmed that a payroll tax cut and indexing capital gains were under discussion...

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Aug 15, 2019 | Budgets & Projections

Where Does the Budget Stand Compared to Historical Averages?

Recently, there has been a lot of discussion over whether the country has a revenue problem or a spending problem. While there is no way to...

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Aug 15, 2019 | Other Spending

Appropriations Watch: FY 2020

Updated 8/15/2019: Press reports indicated the Senate would not proceed with appropriations bills until lawmakers reached a deal with the White House...

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Aug 7, 2019 | Other Spending

Was a "No" Vote on the Budget Deal a Vote for "More Spending"?

In support of the $1.7 trillion Bipartisan Budget Act of 2019 (BBA19), Senator David Perdue (R-GA) gave a floor speech and penned an op-ed arguing...

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Aug 7, 2019 | Budget Process

Upcoming Congressional Fiscal Policy Deadlines

Updated 8/7/2019: The House passed an agreement to raise the discretionary spending caps by $160 billion each year for FY 2020 and FY 2021 and...

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Aug 7, 2019 | Health Care

Senate Finance Prescription Drug Bill Would Reduce Deficits by $100 Billion

The Senate Finance Committee recently approved by a 19-9 vote a prescription drug bill, the Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act, that the...

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Jul 31, 2019 | Budgets & Projections

Even With Lower Interest Rates, Debt Remains Unsustainable

With the Federal Reserve today announcing a 0.25 percentage point decrease in the federal funds rate, it appears interest rates will remain...

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Jul 31, 2019 | Budgets & Projections

Recent Fiscal Irresponsibility Will Double Deficits

As deficits are expected to climb above $1 trillion in the coming years, it's worth noting that tax cuts and spending hikes passed just in the...

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Jul 30, 2019

Factchecking and Live-Tweeting the Democratic Presidential Primary Debates

Tonight and tomorrow's Democratic presidential primary debates mark the second of the 2020 campaign and will surely touch on fiscal issues. Through...

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Jul 25, 2019 | Budgets & Projections

President Trump’s $4 Trillion Debt Increase

If the recent budget deal is signed into law, it will be the third major piece of deficit-financed legislation in President Trump's term. In...

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Jul 25, 2019 | Budgets & Projections| Other Spending

Addressing Common Claims About the Budget Deal

The President and Congressional leaders announced a plan to raise the caps on discretionary spending by $322 billion for Fiscal Years (FY) 2020...

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Offsets in Caps Deal Don't Even Cover Interest Costs

Jul 24, 2019 | Budgets & Projections| Other Spending

Budget Deal's Offsets Don't Even Cover The Interest

President Trump and leaders in Congress announced a deal this week to increase caps on discretionary spending by $169 billion in 2020 and $153...

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Chairman Larson's Social Security 2100 Act

Jul 24, 2019 | Social Security

Ways and Means to Hold Hearing on Social Security 2100 Act

The House Ways and Means Committee will hold a hearing on Social Security Subcommittee Chairman John Larson’s (D-CT) Social Security 2100 Act (SS2100...

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Jul 23, 2019 | Budgets & Projections| Other Spending

Five Reasons to Oppose the Budget Deal

Congressional leaders and the President announced a proposed budget deal yesterday to raise the caps on discretionary spending for Fiscal Years (FY)...

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Jul 23, 2019 | Budgets & Projections| Other Spending

Proposed Budget Agreement Could Cost $1.7 Trillion

Update: A Congressional Budget Office (CBO) score of the deal shows that the offsets are $55 billion rather than $77 billion as reported in the press...

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