Issue Briefs

With pressure mounting to show progress in reining in the nation’s unsustainable structural budget deficit, Social Security reform may soon return to the policy agenda. Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush each made attempts at reforming Social Security in…

The President’s fiscal commission is dividing its work among three subgroups that will focus on taxes, discretionary spending, and mandatory spending for programs such as Social Security and Medicare.These working groups will meet on Wednesdays, on a rotating basis. The…

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said last week that the country must start making tough decisions to rein in future deficits while still meeting the economic needs of an aging population. His unusual focus on fiscal policy came as International…

Trustees of the Social Security system have long warned that as more and more baby boomers retired, Social Security would eventually start sending out more money in benefits than it was collecting from its payroll tax. At that point the…

Before leaving town in December, Congress raised the statutory debt limit by $290 billion to $12.39 trillion. This was a short-term patch that will only provide enough borrowing authority to last until mid-February. Congress must, therefore, address the issue again…