Budget

Trump Blasts ‘Ridiculous’ Spending Bill: Is a Shutdown Back on the Table?

By Michael Rainey

President Trump on Thursday blasted the spending bill passed by the Senate earlier this week for its lack of funding for his border wall with Mexico. The bill is a key part of the congressional...
Spending Bills Leave Conservatives Frustrated

By The Fiscal Times Staff

Lawmakers have been passing spending bills with unusual speed and little fanfare lately, most recently the $854 billion package covering the Departments of Defense, Health and Human Services, Labor...
Senate Approves Spending Bill, Reducing Chances of a Shutdown

By Yuval Rosenberg

In a 93-7 vote, the Senate on Tuesday passed a package of spending bills that would boost fiscal 2019 funding for the Defense Department and provide full-year funding for the departments of Education...
‘Beware Trillion-Dollar Deficits,’ Barron’s Says

By Yuval Rosenberg

In the latest Barron’s cover story, Jack Hough warns of the long-term risks of rising U.S. public debt. While noting that there’s little chance of hitting debt-related turbulence anytime soon and...
The Air Force Wants More Planes – and a Lot More Money

By Michael Rainey

The Air Force is 71 years old today, and its birthday wish list is a doozy. Saying that growing threats from China and Russia call for a substantial increase in U.S. air power, Air Force Secretary...

Kudlow: ‘I Don’t Buy’ That Tax Cuts Boosted Deficit

By Yuval Rosenberg

Larry Kudlow is at it again. Speaking at the Economic Club of New York, the top economic adviser to President Trump said that, while the administration is looking to cut federal spending — including...
Are Deficit Hawks Dead or Just Playing Possum?

By Yuval Rosenberg

“The deficits hawks are dead,” declared Paul Kane, The Washington Post’s senior congressional correspondent and columnist, in a piece over the weekend. It’s easy to see why Kane says that, and there’...
Social Security Pulled 27 Million People Out of Poverty in 2017

By Michael Rainey

Since 2011, the U.S. Census Bureau has produced a more sophisticated measure of poverty that, among other things, includes the income effects of government assistance programs such as Social Security...
Arkansas Drops Thousands from Medicaid

By Michael Rainey

More than 4,000 people will lose their Medicaid coverage in Arkansas for failing to meet the state’s new work requirements. Earlier this year, the Trump administration approved the new work rules,...
Why Democrats Want to Bring Back Earmarks

By Michael Rainey

Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) wants to restore earmarks as part of Democrats’ effort to “ fix government ” should the party win control of the House in November. The use of earmarks — funds for...

Freedom Caucus Divided on Shutdown

By Michael Rainey

Members of the hardline conservative Freedom Caucus in the House are debating the desirability of a government shutdown ahead of the midterm elections, Politico reported Thursday. Caucus chair Mark...
Trump Backs Off on a Government Shutdown – Briefly, Sort of, Maybe

By Michael Rainey

In a new interview with the Daily Caller , a conservative website, President Trump downplayed the possibility of a government shutdown ahead of the midterm elections in November. “I don’t see even...
Nuclear Plant Closures Bring Economic Pain to Cities and Towns

By Martha T. Moore, Stateline

BUCHANAN, N.Y. — From the road, overgrown greenery and a formidable razor-wire fence block the view of the twin domes of Indian Point Energy Center. But Indian Point’s neighbors in this densely...
Who's Using the Social Safety Net? More and More, It’s the Middle Class

By Michael Rainey

Middle-class families account for a growing share of social safety net spending in the U.S., according to a report from the Brookings Institution Tuesday. The Axios chart below, based on the...
Here’s What Democrats Want to Do if They Win the House in November

By Yuval Rosenberg

Election Day is just over two months away, but Democrats — with reason to be confident that they can win control of the House — are already planning their legislative agenda for 2019. In addition to...