FISCAL BLOG

Unlike the federal government, which currently records $30 trillion in debt, most state governments have balanced budget requirements (BBRs) for their operating budgets which only permit borrowing for certain capital projects.

Student debt is one of the biggest challenges young people will face as they prepare to enter adulthood, and is often their first encounter with debt.

The Social Security and Medicare Trustees released their annual reports, which show that these vital programs are on an unsustainable path.

Skyrocketing student debt has generated significant discussion about ways to improve the financing of higher education in the United States.

Driven by rising interest rates and the accumulation of federal debt, interest will nearly triple in the next 10 years and reach a historic high relative to the size of the economy by 2032.

While this year’s deficit looks much better primarily due to the expiration of pandemic relief programs, CBO projects that the deficit will soon begin to climb again.

The likelihood of a return to higher interest rates is “both reasonably likely at some point and potentially calamitous for the federal government and broader economy.”

Did you know that the federal government is the direct lender for nearly all student loans in the U.S., lending trillions of dollars to millions of borrowers to help increase access to higher education?

President Biden, speaking from the White House today, highlighted deficit reduction as a key way to relieve inflationary pressure and put our nation on a more sustainable economic path.

While nearly all Americans pay taxes, the composition of the type of taxes paid is very different for taxpayers at various points in the income distribution.