After Moody's Warning, Federal Officials Continue To Ignore Fiscal Reality
Moody's calculates that interest payments on the national debt will consume over a quarter of federal tax revenue by 2033, up from just 9 percent last year.
Moody's calculates that interest payments on the national debt will consume over a quarter of federal tax revenue by 2033, up from just 9 percent last year.
In the last 50 years, when the budget process has been in place, Congress has managed only four times to pass a budget on time.
"The United States has about 20 years for corrective action after which no amount of future tax increases or spending cuts could avoid the government defaulting on its debt."
The federal budgeting process was broken long before Matt Gaetz and Kevin McCarthy's recent spat.
Years ago, when interest rates were low, calls for the federal government to exercise fiscal restraint were dismissed. That was unwise.
Entitlement reform has long been considered a third rail in American politics, but that perspective might be changing.
Congress is being asked to borrow more money to fund broadband access and other pet projects. Only about $9 billion would be spent on natural disaster recovery efforts.
A debt commission won't solve any of the federal government's fiscal problems, but it's the first step towards taking them seriously.
Over the last several years, they have worked nonstop to ease the tax burden of their high-income constituents.
The Federal Reserve's higher interest rates were supposed to trigger changes to fiscal policy. So far, that hasn't happened.
Those sounding the loudest alarms about possible shutdowns are largely silent when Congress ignores its own budgetary rules. All that seems to matter is that government is metaphorically funded.
Rising bond yields mean the national debt is going to be a lot more expensive in the next few years, and we just keep adding to it.
Until Congress is willing to acknowledge that it makes no sense to send monthly checks to wealthy seniors, everything else will be on the chopping block.
The big spending has fueled higher inflation, resulted in larger-than-projected deficits, and contributed to a record level of debt.
It's not the first time that has happened, but there are key differences about what happened this year.
Since Congress won't cut spending, an independent commission may be the only way to rein in the debt.
Short-term solutions and governing from crisis to crisis isn't working.
"Donald Trump added $8 trillion to our debt," Haley said during the opening moments of Wednesday's first Republican primary debate.
Federal officials ignore repeated warnings, and we all pay the price.
The lack of oversight and the general absence of a long-term vision is creating inefficiency, waste, and red ink as far as the eye can see.
Though an improvement over his obsession with wokeness and culture wars, DeSantis can't seem to ditch the populist demagoguery.
The national debt has ballooned from $14 trillion to $32 trillion in a little over a decade.
Plus: Does Tom Cruise really do all of his own stunts?
It's a familiar program. And it will result in higher prices, slower growth, and fewer jobs.
A new Congressional Budget Office report warns of "significant economic and financial consequences" caused by the federal government's reckless borrowing.
Projections of huge savings are making the rounds. Nothing could be further from the truth.
But a lot of Republicans probably will.
The U.S. tax system is extremely progressive, even compared to European countries—whose governments rely on taxing the middle class.
Plus: A listener question concerning the key to a libertarian future—should we reshape current systems or rely upon technological exits like bitcoin and encryption?
After getting lucky for his first few years in office, Newsom now faces his first major budgetary crisis. How he responds will show a lot about his leadership skills.
The longer we wait to address our debt, the more painful it will be.
Last year, Biden was trying to take credit for "the largest drop ever" in the federal budget deficit. Now, the deficit is almost three times as large as it was a year ago.
It's time for President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to strike a deal that will avoid a default and cut spending.
Plus: A listener question scrutinizing current attitudes toward executive power
The most important part of the Limit, Grow, Save Act is the limits.
The main driver behind the reduction is inflation—inflation that politicians created with their irresponsible spending.
A return to so-called normal order wouldn't fix all of Washington's many problems, but it would be a step in the right direction.
Vernon Smith weighs in on Biden's budget, how government causes inflation, and why bailing out Silicon Valley Bank was a bad idea.
If Republicans refuse to gore their three sacred cows, a new CBO report shows that balancing the budget is literally impossible.
Congress' end-of-year rush to fund the federal government has become the norm.
The higher taxes on small businesses and entrepreneurs could slow growth. Less opportunity means more tribalism and division.
But it's exactly what they need to start talking about.
Krugman sees benefit cuts as "a choice" but believes that implementing a massive tax increase on American employers and workers would be "of course" no big deal.
As legislators refuse to act, benefits will be cut without any possibility of sheltering those seniors who are poor.
Plus: a listener question on prohibition and a lightning round on the editors' favorite Super Bowl moments
Legislators will increasingly argue over how to spend a diminishing discretionary budget while overall spending simultaneously explodes.
Biden vowed to block any attempts to cut Social Security benefits, and Republicans made it clear that they have little appetite to try it.
Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are still the chief drivers of our future debt. But Republicans aren't touching them.
(You don't really have to shut up, but here's my money.)
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