FISCAL BLOG

While investing in a college education has undeniable, lifelong economic benefits, excessive levels of student debt can impose hefty financial burdens on borrowers.

Last week, President Biden outlined the details of the American Families Plan (AFP), a $1.8 trillion package including major new investments in education, childcare, healthcare, and family leave.

Economists don’t always agree — but there is a wide consensus developing that the United States is in store for rapid economic growth.

The continued economic recovery and reopening of businesses has been fueled by COVID relief programs and an accelerating vaccination effort.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has caused federal spending on Medicaid to rise sharply as millions of Americans seek benefits under the program.

Beginning in mid-March 2020, the Federal Reserve initiated an aggressive policy of quantitative easing — which involves the purchase of government securities, corporate bonds, and other financial instruments — with the aim of keeping interest rates low and injecting cash into the economy.

Compared to historical trends and other advanced economies, corporate tax revenues in the United States are very low.

Despite the consensus among economists that some amount of inflation is likely to occur in the near term, their level of concern varies.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, 1 in 7 children were classified as being in poverty.

The outbreak of COVID-19 has been both a public health and an economic crisis. In particular, the closure of many businesses has resulted in an unprecedented surge in unemployment claims in the United States.