Issue Briefs

The federal deficit jumped to $587 billion in Fiscal 2016, up from $439 billion the previous year, the Treasury Department reported Friday. As a percentage of GDP, the deficit increased to 3.2 percent, up from 2.5 percent in Fiscal 2015.…

In tomorrow night’s presidential debate, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump should have a good opportunity to address some of the critical fiscal choices that await the next president and Congress. Two earlier presidential debates failed to provide voters with much…

Despite the professed interest of both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump in discussing important issues, the second presidential debate on Sunday was another missed opportunity to seriously address the enormous fiscal challenges that will face the next president and Congress.…

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated Friday that the federal deficit for Fiscal 2016 totaled $588 billion, an increase of $149 billion over the previous year. The deficit for Fiscal 2016, which ended Sept. 30, equaled an estimated 3.2 percent…

Tonight’s vice presidential debate and next Sunday’s presidential debate offer more opportunities for the Democratic and Republican campaigns to put some much-needed focus on the growing federal debt and related issues such as tax and entitlement reform. Unfortunately, the debt…

The next president will face difficult challenges with the federal budget, and younger Americans have much at stake in whether those challenges are effectively met. Three speakers delivered that message Thursday to students at Washington University in St. Louis, site…

After failing to approve any regular appropriations bills this year, Congress must take action this week on short-term stop-gap legislation to keep the government open after Friday. Fiscal 2017 begins Saturday and Congress should have approved a dozen appropriations bills…

Lawmakers ought to have an opportunity to vote on a common-sense proposal to shift the federal government to a biennial budgeting cycle before leaving town at the end of September, Concord Coalition Government Relations Director Phil LaRue writes this week.…