Budget

Does This Mean No More Infrastructure Weeks?

By Michael Rainey

It looks like the Trump administration is throwing in the shovel on its infrastructure plans this year. White House Legislative Affairs Director Marc Short told reporters Friday that the White House’...
Appropriations Watch 2019: Rev Up the Minibuses

By Yuval Rosenberg

Forget the omnibus. The Senate this year is opting for minibuses. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said Thursday that he’ll look to pass fiscal 2019 spending bills in groups of “minibus...
Trump’s 2019 Budget Underestimated New Debt by $2.3 Trillion, CBO Says

By Yuval Rosenberg

Remember President Trump’s 2019 budget — that big document released in February and then immediately dismissed or ignored? Well, a new analysis released Thursday by the nonpartisan Congressional...
Health Subsidies Will Cost More Than $1 Trillion by 2028: CBO

By Yuval Rosenberg

The Congressional Budget on Wednesday put out a new report looking on the health care market for Americans under age 65. Some key points: The number of insured and uninsured: On average this year,...
Why Some Republicans Are Resisting Trump's Spending Cuts

By Yuval Rosenberg

Democrats have taken issue with President Trump’s proposed spending cuts, and some Republicans have serious concerns as well. “We never anticipated the kind of pushback we would have in our own...

Mulvaney: Democratic Criticism of CHIP Clawbacks Is Pure Hypocrisy

By Yuval Rosenberg

Mick Mulvaney is firing back at Democratic critics of the White House’s plan to cut $15.4 billion in spending, including $7 billion in unspent funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program. In...
Sports Gambling May Not Be a Jackpot for States

By Elaine S. Povich, Stateline

Some states were getting ready to jump into sports gambling even before the U.S. Supreme Court legalized it last week, lining up legislation that would allow their states to cash in as quickly as...
Rates on US Bonds Now Higher Than for Other Developed Countries

By The Fiscal Times Staff

Rising interest rates in the U.S. have pushed the yield on 10-year Treasury bonds higher than the yields for similar government bonds from seven major developed countries for the first times since...
More NATO Nations Meeting the 2% Pledge

By Michael Rainey

President Trump met with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg last week, offering the president an opportunity to highlight recent increases in military spending in Europe. “[W]e’ve increased and...
3 Big Risks the US Faces as Debt Levels Soar

By Yuval Rosenberg and Michael Rainey

In a new note to clients, Goldman Sachs economists say that U.S. fiscal outlook “is not good.” If you’re reading this you likely already knew that the picture isn’t pretty — but the new Goldman Sachs...

Congress Has a Lot to Do Before Summer Break

By Michael Rainey

With the tax cuts passed and the White House increasingly focused on foreign policy, Republicans in Congress have set many of their top agenda items – from Obamacare repeal to immigration reform – on...
Will States Win Big with Legal Sports Gambling?

By Yuval Rosenberg

The Supreme Court has cleared the way for more states to bet on sports gambling as a source of revenue. In a 6-3 decision , the high court on Monday struck down as unconstitutional a 1992 federal ban...
From Fighter Jets to Trump's Big Parade, $716 Billion Defense Authorization Bill Moves Ahead

By Michael Rainey

The House Armed Services Committee passed a $716 billion defense policy bill on Thursday, sending it to the full House for a vote later this month. The topline number for military spending in fiscal...
What’s the Democrats’ Midterm Campaign Message?

By Yuval Rosenberg

House Democratic leaders are looking to hone their messaging for the midterm elections, The Hill reports — but it’s not an easy task. “As an early indication of the challenge they face, even party...
Senate Republicans Warm to Trump’s Spending Cuts

By Yuval Rosenberg

Senate Republicans were initially skeptical of the idea of a “rescissions” package to roll back federal spending, with some expressing concern about going back on the $1.3 trillion spending deal they...