FISCAL BLOG

Economists generally agree that public investment in infrastructure has a positive effect on productivity, and therefore on gross domestic product.

The concentration of income toward high earners has become more pronounced over the last 36 years.

CBO reports that the fiscal outlook is dramatically worse than it was last year, primarily due to the fiscally irresponsible tax legislation and budget deal that were enacted within the past few months.

On March 15, 2018 the federal government passed an unfortunate milestone: $21 trillion dollars in gross federal debt.

There are three widely used measures of federal debt. What are the important differences between these measurements?

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will lower revenues significantly and made changes to both tax rates and bracket widths.

There are separate limits on the amount of funding that can be provided for defense and nondefense purposes through the appropriation process.

Proposed work requirements would be a major change in the way that Medicaid works, and would have important implications for the program, its beneficiaries, and the federal budget.

Spending on children is shrinking as a percent of GDP.

A continuing resolution is a temporary funding measure that Congress can use to fund the federal government for a limited amount of time.