Brookings: Topics - Federal Budget

Strengthening United States Fiscal Policy

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Speaking before the Senate Budget Committee, Senior Fellow William Galston discussed how the Untied States’ current fiscal course is unsustainable. The level of deficits, debt, and borrowing from abroad projected for the next decade threatens not only our economic prosperity, but also our currency, global leadership, and national independence, he asserted. Galston recommended that an independent, bi-partisan commission be created to address the challenge of developing a sustainable fiscal policy.

An Update on the Economic and Fiscal Crises: 2009 and Beyond

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

William Gale and Alan Auerbach review recent economic events and their impact on U.S. fiscal performance and prospects, highlighting the historic nature of the 2009 budget outcomes, the unsustainability of plausible ten-year budget projections, and the increasingly dire long-term fiscal problem.

Ben Bernanke’s Second Term and the Federal Budget Forecast

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 09:45:34 GMT

President Barack Obama has nominated Ben Bernanke to serve a second term as Chairman of the Federal Reserve. The nomination came on the same day the White House announced a sharp increase in projected deficits. Alice Rivlin says the deficit projections should serve as an impetus for officials to step up efforts to fix the floundering economy. She also gives the Bernanke nomination her nod of approval.

Town Hall Health Care Debate

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 16:21:19 GMT

The debate over health care reform has moved from Capitol Hill into the heartland where Members of Congress are hosting dozens of packed town hall meetings on the issue. William Frenzel, a Brookings expert and former U.S. representative from Minnesota, and the a co-chair of The Committee For a Responsible Federal Budget—which holds community meetings to gauge how the public feels about government spending—says town hall meetings should be used judiciously.

Why Paying for Health Care Reform Is Difficult and Essential: Numbers and Rules

Wed, 05 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

As Congress continues to debate health care reform, the question of how to pay for it remains at the center of the discussion. The politics of paying for near-universal coverage are formidable and may prove insurmountable, says Henry Aaron. He believes it is essential to identify elements of a full plan that could be financed at a politically acceptable price and would set the stage for later reforms.

Have the Stimulus Programs Failed?

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Critics of the government’s stimulus policies claim the surge in personal saving shows the stimulus has not been effective. Gary Burtless examines whether this claim is credible, finding that the presumed failure of the stimulus package is based on a very unrealistic benchmark.

Deficit: What Caused It, Why It Matters

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

William Gale and Alan Auerbach discuss the size of the long-term budget deficit and why it must be brought under control. They urge fiscal discipline with delicate timing: imposing spending cuts and tax increases too late risks precipitating a crisis in financial markets; imposing fiscal discipline too soon risks weakening the recovery or worsening the recession, as actually happened in the United States in the 1930s. Getting this mix right will require luck, discipline, imagination and leadership.

Implementing ARRA: Innovations in Design in Metro America

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

In this framing paper, Mark Muro, Sarah Rahman and Amy Liu highlight the work of some of the most creative recovery act implementers in metropolitan America, noting that their efforts to innovate come against the grain of federal “business-as-usual.”

Financing Health Care Reform by Soaking the Rich: A Bad Idea All Around

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

William Gale argues that choosing to finance health care reform by taxing the rich is bad economic policy, bad health policy, bad budget policy and poor leadership. He says if we want to seriously reform the health care system, we need our politicians to get serious with some sensible policies.

Here Comes the Next Fiscal Crisis

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The U.S. confronts two major economic challenges: the worst recession since the Depression and a growing imbalance between federal spending and revenues that makes our underlying fiscal policy unsustainable. Policymakers face a delicate balancing act between encouraging economic recovery and establishing fiscal sustainability. William Gale and Alan Auerbach say success will take new ideas, some luck and uncharacteristic honesty and resoluteness — from our leaders and the rest of us.

Fed More Concerned About Deflation Than Inflation

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Alice Rivlin talks to Bloomberg's Tom Keene about U.S. monetary policy, the budget deficit, unemployment, gross domestic product and health care.

Statutory PAYGO: An Important First Step Toward Fiscal Responsibility

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Testifying before the House Budget Committee, Alice Rivlin urged enforcement of the statutory pay-as-you-go budget rules to rein in the long-term deficit. She endorsed the recent actions taken to stimulate the economy and rescue the financial sector, but said the costly measures further obligate Congress and the administration to control deficits.

The Fiscal Crisis: Bad Now, Worse Long-Term

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 17:52:48 GMT

While many steps have been taken to help shore up the floundering U.S. economy, William Gale says that the long-term fiscal situation is still very dire.

Health Reform: The Reality Show

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Henry Aaron discusses the draft bill released by the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, and the Congressional Budget Office 's published estimate that the bill would cost $1 trillion over 10 years and leave 35 million uninsured.

Health Care, Entitlements and the Federal Budget

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Henry Aaron recently spoke about the budget, health care and entitlements at the Youth Action Conference. The conference, hosted by the Concord Coalition in conjunction with the Youth Entitlements Summit highlighted grassroots efforts and policy perspectives of youth organizations in addressing America's long-term fiscal challenge.

Stop Kicking the Fiscal Can Down the Road

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

While the government has been busy with bailouts, who is going to bail out the U.S. government when our creditors tire of lending to us? And now, thanks to the stimulus, virtually all those over age of 65 are receiving $250 checks, regardless of whether or not they need it. Isabel Sawhill says it’s time for Congress and the administration to get serious about getting our fiscal house in order.

The Potential Role of Entitlement or Budget Commissions in Addressing Long-term Budget Problems

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The United States faces a looming fiscal imbalance brought on by an aging population and rising health care costs. Yet, the current political environment discourages our leadership from making the tough choices required to fix our fiscal house. In this paper, a diverse group of budget experts reviews some of the recent history of appointed commissions, and discusses their potential role in long-term federal budgeting policy.

Budget 2010: New Investments in Transforming America’s Schools and Workforce

Fri, 15 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The detailed FY 2010 federal budget reveals many elements of the administration’s strategy to achieve needed reforms in schooling and worker skills. Alan Berube analyzes the significant steps in the departments of Education and Labor budgets toward a national economic strategy that invests strategically in human capital to improve our collective prosperity.

Budget 2010: Sustainability and Quality Places

Thu, 14 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Jennifer Bradley argues that sustainable growth strengthens existing cities and communities, conserves fiscal and natural resources, and advances U.S. efforts to address climate change and achieve energy independence—a central theme of the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program’s Blueprint for American Prosperity

Budget 2010: More and Better Data for Metro Decisionmaking

Wed, 13 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Andrew Reamer points out that the Metropolitan Policy Program has long argued that current, accurate, and accessible federal socioeconomic statistics are necessary to sustain well-functioning metro regions.

Budget 2010: Signaling Changes in Federal Transportation Policy

Wed, 13 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Robert Puentes discusses how President Obama’s FY 2010 budget holds the baseline on transportation infrastructure spending with slight increases at the modal agencies at the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Budget 2010: A New Embrace of Regional Innovation

Wed, 13 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The in-depth versions of President Obama’s first budget released in early May detail a number of significant direct and indirect investments in the innovation capacity of U.S. metropolitan areas. Several of these proposals reflect ideas generated by Metropolitan Policy Program experts.

U.S. Health Care Reform: The Art of the Possible

Sat, 09 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Behind closed doors all over Washington, serious people are working hard to design a major overhaul of the U.S. health care system. We should wish them well, but their chances of success are slim, says Henry Aaron. Since yet another complete failure would be catastrophic, some attention should be given now to policies that, he says, are politically palatable and would begin the evolution to a new and better health system.

Federal Expenditures on Infants and Toddlers in 2007

Tue, 05 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Despite extensive research documenting the benefits of investing in young children, infants and toddlers are underrepresented in the federal budget, researchers from the Brookings and the Urban Institute found. The nation’s 12.5 million children under age 3 are 4.2 percent of the population, but they received just 2.1 percent—$44.1 billion—of federal domestic spending in 2007. Domestic outlays, which exclude defense, homeland security, and international affairs, totaled $2.1 trillion.

Is America the New France? How President Obama's Policies are Transforming the United States

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 11:00:00 GMT

Event Information:

April 28, 2009, 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM

On April 28, the Brookings Institution hosted a discussion to assess the scope and meaning of the Obama Administration's policies, to examine whether or not they are moving towards a model of European social democracy.

The Fiscal Effects of Investing in High-Quality Preschool Programs

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Children living in families with low incomes and those with poorly educated parents are much more likely than other children to grow up to be adults with less education, lower incomes, poorer health, and shorter lives, all of which severely impact federal, state and local budgets. William T. Dickens and Charles Baschnagel examine the effects of investment in selected prekindergarten education programs in a growth model of the U.S. economy to judge the impact they would have on these budgets.

ARRA on the Ground

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Mark Muro and Jennifer Bradley argue that America’s national economic crisis is primarily a metropolitan crisis. How can we stimulate the economy when there’s no single U.S. economy, nor even 50 state economies? Instead we should concentrate on the loosely linked network of 363 metropolitan economies for the good of the nation.

Metro Potential in ARRA: An Early Assessment of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

America’s national economic crisis is also a metropolitan crisis, because metropolitan areas are the true engines of the national economy. So it matters intensely how well the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) empowers metropolitan leaders to boost prosperity. This paper finds that although ARRA is limited in its support for creative metropolitan-area implementation, it delivers critical investments in what matters to metros and holds out significant opportunity for metropolitan empowerment and problem-solving.

President Obama's Budget and U.S. Fiscal Solvency

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 16:51:28 GMT

Ron Haskins, co-director of Brookings’s Center on Children and Families, says President Obama’s budget is unsustainable and adds that it will likely fail to help restore fiscal solvency to the nation’s economy. Haskins says unless lawmakers are willing to compromise on key issues the fiscal situation will worsen.

Will Obama’s Agenda Pass Congress’s Budget Resolution?

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The Congressional Budget Office’s analysis of President Obama’s budget proposal projects a deficit of $9.3 trillion over the next decade, thereby forcing congressional leaders to look for changes to reduce it. Although the Senate Budget Committee has not yet finished marking up its version of the fiscal year 2010 budget resolution, Democrats are likely to diverge from the president’s desires. While Congress supports most of the president’s priorities, they are poised to sideline many of the programs President Obama proposed to implement, writes William Galston.

Making a Good Budget Better

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

President Barack Obama’s budget is the subject of floor debate in the House and Senate this week. Alice Rivlin says that the budget offers good remedies for America’s economic ills, but urges Congress to make it even better by paying for the new investments and reducing the long-term deficits.

Earmark Reform

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

President Barack Obama promised to change how Washington works but the omnibus spending bill he just signed contained more than eight thousand earmarks. Thomas Mann joined Norman Ornstein and Melanie Sloan on the Diane Rehm Show to look at how members of congress set aside money for projects in their districts and how the new administration hopes to reform the process.

Health Care Reform and the Economy

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 15:29:44 GMT

Henry Aaron says health care reform is a critical step forward for the nation and needs to be strategically crafted and implemented. The economy, he adds, could be a factor affecting President Obama’s plans for tackling the issue.

Put Earmarks in Perspective

Fri, 06 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The $410 billion omnibus spending bill has about 9,000 earmarks, constituting less than one percent of the federal budget. Thomas Mann argues that abolishing earmarks would have a trivial effect on the level of spending and budget deficits. Instead, he says attention needs to be placed on the critical decisions that we face in the months and years ahead, including making sure new funds are expended in the most responsible way possible.

Obama's Health Care Overhaul Begins

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Henry Aaron discusses President Obama's recently-released budget and the recent White House health summit, saying that they signal the president's commitment to smart, meaningful reform.

The Scouting Report: Obama's First Budget

Wed, 04 Mar 2009 12:30:00 GMT

Event Information:

March 04, 2009, 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM

President Obama has sent a bold new budget blueprint to Congress, asking for a new, multibillion-dollar health care fund and more money for bank bailouts as needed—and for the first time accounting for the costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Brookings expert Barry Bosworth and Senior Politico Editor Fred Barbash took questions in this week’s edition of the Scouting Report.

New Budget Marks Shift in Transportation Policy

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Robert Puentes discusses how President Obama’s FY 2010 budget marks a shift in transportation policy, especially in mass transit. One proposal to create and fund a National Infrastructure would provide financial assistance to qualified and innovative infrastructure projects—from road and rails to ports and pipes—that matter to the nation as a whole or to a group of multiple states.

Health Care Reform and President Obama's Budget

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 17:23:33 GMT

In this video, Alice Rivlin says that President Obama's budget calls for taxing the wealthy to help pay for aggressive reform of the nation’s health care system and that the plan also seeks to curtail wasteful Medicare and Medicaid spending while increasing services and efficiency in those programs.

Obama's Budget Battle

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

In order to overcome trillion-dollar deficits, the president must get spending under control – and muster a lot of political will says Isabel Sawhill: First, by getting Health Care spending under control; second, by putting Social Security on a sound financial basis; and finally by raising revenues.

Strengthening Our Infrastructure for a Sustainable Future

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

After years of benign neglect, the nation’s crumbling infrastructure is getting its public hearing. Bruce Katz delivered a major speech during a special session of the National Governors Association Winter Meeting dedicated to infrastructure financing, accountability and sustainability. He urged the critical importance of policy reform in shifting the infrastructure conversation from one focused on spending, to one focused on investing.

New Approaches to Addressing Long-Term Fiscal Responsibility

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

A bipartisan group of budget experts from 7 different organizations view President Obama’s Fiscal Responsibility summit as a good first step to addressing the enormous long-term fiscal problem facing the United States, but urge him to lead a major public engagement effort – beyond a one-day summit – to inform Americans of the scale and nature of the long-term fiscal crisis, explain the consequences of inaction and discuss the options for solving the problem. The effort should include the creation of an independent and truly bipartisan commission or other mechanism capable of bringing about decisive action that has broad public support.

The Economic Crisis and the Fiscal Crisis: 2009 and Beyond

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

President Obama hosted a Fiscal Responsibility Summit on Monday and set a goal of cutting the federal budget deficit in half by the end of his term. William Gale and Alan Auerbach analyze the long-term fiscal outlook. Under what they view as optimistic assumptions, they project the deficit to average at least $1 trillion per year for the 10 years after 2009 – even if the economy returns to full employment and the stimulus package is allowed to expire in two years. They say the longer-run picture is even bleaker. Although fiscal policy problems are usually described as medium- and long-term issues, they find that the future may be upon us much sooner than expected.

Delivering Metropolitan Stimulus

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

A historic fiscal experiment in this country will evolve in the weeks, months and years ahead as a $790 billion stimulus package is spent to revive America’s economy. Metropolitan Policy Program experts suggest how this money might be strategically deployed to invigorate our nation’s metropolitan areas, the sources of national prosperity.

A Budget We Can Believe In

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

A diverse group of experts urged President Obama, in his first budget submission, to strike a judicious balance between America’s short-term and long-term economic needs. While the need to boost spending to stimulate the economy is important, they say these short-term steps must not make it harder to achieve our long-term goals. They note that fundamental reforms of major entitlement programs and the tax system are needed to bring spending and revenues into better balance over the longer-term.

Budget Policy Challenges

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

In congressional testimony, Alice Rivlin discusses the stimulus bill and the next steps required to get the economy back on track. Before the current crisis, she argues, Americans were consuming and borrowing too much, while saving too little. If recovery from this recession is to be solid and sustainable, we must transform ourselves into a society that consumes less, saves more and finances a larger fraction of its investment with domestic saving, rather than foreign borrowing.

Office of Management and Budget’s Congressional Mandates to Provide Information on Federal Spending

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In a recent National Academy of Science workshop, Andrew Reamer reviews the array of mandates that Congress has given the White House Office of Management and Budget to maintain data repositories and publish reports on federal expenditures—including grants and contracts—by geography.

Candidate Issue Index: Fiscal Responsibility

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Isabel Sawhill presents leading presidential candidates' positions on issues of fiscal responsibility, including: taxes, government programs and budgetary process issues . This chart is part of a series of issue indices to be published during the 2008 presidential election cycle.

Facing the Music: The Fiscal Outlook at the End of the Bush Administration

Thu, 08 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Alan J. Auerbach, Jason Furman and William Gale discuss the most recent Congressional Budget Office baseline projection, and use it to examine the causes of the fiscal decline since 2000 and the medium- and longer-term fiscal outlook.

Budget Chaos: What, Me Worry?

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

As the baby boomers begin to retire this year, the burden of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid will grow relentlessly. With more people in the programs and more expensive benefits, the nation will quickly encounter a budget disaster. Bill Frenzel and Ron Haskins say that dramatic reforms are needed to avoid budget chaos for future generations.

Taking Back our Fiscal Future

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Unsustainable deficits in the federal budget threaten the health and vigor of the American economy. When the next president and Congress take office in January 2009, they will face one crucial question that has been almost absent from the current election campaign: how to close the enormous gap between projected federal spending and revenues.

How To Take Back Our Fiscal Future

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 10:30:00 GMT

Event Information:

March 31, 2008, 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM

Some of the nation’s top economists and budget policy experts presented a new paper arguing that the first step toward establishing budget responsibility is to reform the budget decision process so that Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid—the major drivers of escalating deficits—are no longer on auto-pilot.

The Cost of Medicare

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 16:25:55 GMT

Paying for Medicare threatens the solvency of the U.S. budget while meeting the needs of the aging Medicare population is a demographic battle. Senior Fellow Alice Rivlin says that, while difficult, our next president must control the costs while maintaining the program.

Our Looming Medical Cost Catastrophe: What’s to be Done?

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 08:30:00 GMT

Event Information:

March 07, 2008, 8:30 AM to 4:15 PM

Panelists at this conference, co-sponsored by Brookings and the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University, considered why past efforts to contain health costs have failed and how America might achieve cost-sensitive health care reform in the future. Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle and Congressional Budget Office Director Peter Orszag offered remarks.

Voting on ‘Metro Tuesday’

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Though Washington is abuzz with talk of a short-term stimulus for the economy, very little is being said about the long-term challenges to American prosperity.

How the Federal Government Can Improve School Financing Systems

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In a CCF working paper, Eloise Pasachoff argues that the federal government has an important role to ensure equal educational opportunity for all.

After the Stimulus

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The economic stimulus package before Congress may provide temporary relief in the short-term, but, ultimately, bolstering America’s long-term economic growth depends on the “three Is”- innovation, intellect, and infrastructure. Alan Berube, research director and fellow at the Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings discusses America’s major metropolitan areas hold the key to economic health for the long haul.

Federal Budget Battles

Tue, 11 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Efforts to pass a massive compromise federal spending bill collapsed Monday. Brookings senior fellow Thomas E. Mann appeared on The Diane Rehm show with Brian Riedl of the Heritage Foundation and Philip Joyce of George Washington University to discuss federal budget battles.

OMB’s Congressional Mandates to Provide Information on Federal Spending

Mon, 22 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

At a meeting of the National Grants Partnership, Andrew Reamer reviews the array of mandates that Congress has given the White House Office of Management and Budget to maintain data repositories and publish reports on federal expenditures—including grants and contracts—by geography. He identifies eight core mandates and discusses the current, and troubled, status of each.

The Intergenerational Balancing Act: Where Children Fit in an Aging Society

Wed, 17 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

In the first annual Kristin Anderson Moore lecture for Child Trends, Isabel Sawhill discusses how future generations will have to deal with the challenges of globalization and low savings rates, and emphasizes the need for higher education and fiscal responsibility.

Funding the Veterans Affairs of the Future

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Testimony by Henry J. Aaron (10/03/07)

Speech on the Economy, Opportunity and Tax Policy with Senator Barack Obama (D-Ill.)

Tue, 18 Sep 2007 12:45:00 GMT

Event Information:

September 18, 2007 at 12:45 PM

The Tax Policy Center and Brookings's Opportunity 08 project hosted Senator Barack Obama for a speech on the economy, opportunity and tax policy.

Slowing the Growth of Health Spending: We Need Mixed Strategies, and We Need to Start Now

Wed, 15 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Americans are deeply concerned about paying their mounting bills for health care. This is true whether they have public (Medicare or Medicaid) or private insurance. And it’s certainly true for the 46 million people with no insurance at all. At the same time, the federal government’s health spending is clearly unsustainable. If current commitments are kept, other government services will have to be slashed or taxes increased drastically just to pay for Medicare and Medicaid.

The Federal Budget, Third Edition : Politics, Policies, Process

Wed, 01 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT

In this third edition of his classic book The Federal Budget, Allen Schick examines how surpluses projected during the final years of the Clinton presidency turned into oversized deficits under George W. Bush.

America's Economy - Headed for Crisis: Realistic Approaches Are Essential

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Deficits do matter. Projections show risks to the economy, an extra "debt tax" on every taxpayer, and highlight the weakened ability of the federal government to invest in the future or respond to unforeseen emergencies. Cutting fraud, waste, and abuse, curbing earmarks, raising taxes on the very wealthy, or streamlining the staffing of the federal government is simply not enough to solve the problem.

Foreign Holdings of U.S. Debt: Is Our Economy Vulnerable?

Tue, 26 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Testimony by Kenneth Rogoff before the House Committee on the Budget (6/26/07)

Out of Business and On Budget : The Challenge of Military Financing in Indonesia

Fri, 01 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Defense#Defense budget and appropriations

The International Budget Project's Open Budget Index: Promoting Transparent and Accountable Budgets

Thu, 10 May 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Event Information:

May 10, 2007 at 12:00 AM

Still Crazy After All These Years: Understanding the Budget Outlook

Fri, 27 Apr 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Paper by William G. Gale, Jason Furman, and Alan J. Auerbach (April, 27 2007)

Iraq Deadline and the Democratic Congress

Fri, 23 Mar 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Interview by Thomas E. Mann, NPR's All Things Considered (3/23/07)

Government Failure versus Market Failure

Fri, 23 Mar 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Testimony by Clifford Winston. (03/23/07)

Restoring Fiscal Sanity 2007: The Health Spending Challenge

Thu, 15 Mar 2007 10:00:00 GMT

Event Information:

March 15, 2007, 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM

Q&A on Restoring Fiscal Sanity 2007

Mon, 12 Mar 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Alice M. Rivlin Interview on Restoring Fiscal Sanity 2007 (3/12/07)

The Department of Commerce Budget Request for Fiscal Year 2008: Observations for Consideration

Tue, 06 Mar 2007 00:00:00 GMT

The Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies is in a unique position to assess the work of the Department of Commerce, argues Andrew Reamer in his testimony before the House Committee on Appropriations.

Restoring Fiscal Sanity 2007 : The Health Spending Challenge

Thu, 01 Mar 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Exceeding $2 trillion annually, health care spending in the United States is growing significantly faster than the national economy. If left unchecked, this health spending crisis will threaten Americans' ability to pay for other essential services.

Priority or Afterthought? Children and the Federal Budget

Thu, 01 Mar 2007 00:00:00 GMT

A country's priorities are reflected in its budget. Most people agree that "children are our future," but there's less agreement on how well we are preparing the next generation to lead us into that future. Many argue that it is important to invest in children and youth, building their knowledge and skills so they can be productive workers and citizens. But are we investing enough in them?

Restoring Fiscal Sanity 2007: The Health Spending Challenge

Thu, 01 Mar 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Book edited by Alice M. Rivlin and Joseph Antos (March 2007)

Taming the Deficit: Forge a Grand Compromise for a Sustainable Future

Wed, 28 Feb 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Currently projected deficits are unsustainable and pose serious risks to the economy, make us dangerously dependent on other countries, impose a "debt tax" on every taxpayer, send the bill for current spending to future generations, and weaken the government's ability to invest in the future or respond to emergencies. The next President will have to act to meet the deficit challenge.

Taming the Deficit, Together

Mon, 12 Feb 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Opinion by Bill Frenzel, Charles Stenholm, William Hoagland and Isabel Sawhill (2/12/07)

Taming the Deficit: A Bipartisan Plan to Balance the Budget

Wed, 07 Feb 2007 09:30:00 GMT

Event Information:

February 07, 2007, 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM

A distinguished panel of experts offered their bipartisan plan of spending cuts and revenue enhancements to balance the budget in the next five years, and set the nation on a sustainable fiscal course for the long run. Participants included G. William Hoagland, former director of budget and appropriations for former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.); Charles Stenholm, former Member of Congress from Texas; and Isabel Sawhill, a Brookings senior fellow.

Options to Close the Long-run Fiscal Gap

Wed, 31 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Testimony by Jason Furman (1/31/07)

Cost-Effective Investments in Children

Mon, 01 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT

How can we balance the budget in the next five years? In a series of papers on budget choices, Brookings analysts examine options for reducing domestic discretionary spending, pruning the defense budget, raising revenues, and investing additional resources in children. An overall deficit reduction plan uses the ideas developed in this series to balance the budget in the next five years. All five papers in this series, and more information about the Budgeting for National Priorities project, can be found at www.brookings.edu/budget.

Taming the Deficit

Mon, 01 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Restraining Federal Domestic Spending

Mon, 01 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Spending restraint has never been more important as a policy objective. Several critical national priorities (the Global War on Terror, emergency preparedness) must be addressed simultaneously and will require substantial resources, even as the country is on the brink of unprecedented and expensive population aging. Curbing the near-term federal budget deficit is an imperative. This paper recommends appropriations cuts to and reforms of a number of government programs (including Amtrak, economic development programs, education funding, and Medicaid administrative funding), along with the adoption of certain new policies that would help reduce government spending. Taken together, these proposals save $275 billion over the five years from 2008 to 2012—more than half the savings needed to balance the budget at the end of this period.

Reducing the Deficit Through Better Tax Policy

Mon, 01 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Pruning the Defense Budget

Mon, 01 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Returning to Bipartisan Fiscal Responsibility

Tue, 05 Dec 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Opinion by Diane Lim Rogers in washingtonpost.com's Think Tank Town (12/5/2006)

Cool-headed, Warm-hearted Economics

Sun, 03 Dec 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Opinion by Peter Orszag (12/3/2006)

Time for a Budget Summit

Sun, 05 Nov 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Opinion by Bill Frenzel in the San Francisco Chronicle (11/5/2006)

Promoting Fiscal Discipline and Broad-Based Economic Growth

Thu, 28 Sep 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Testimony by Peter Orszag, Senate Budget Committee (9/28/06)

Of Silk Purses and Sows' Earmarks

Mon, 25 Sep 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Reamer Opinion 9-25-2006

Brookings Papers on Economic Activity 1:2006

Fri, 01 Sep 2006 00:00:00 GMT

BPEA provides academic and business economists, government officials, and members of the financial and business communities with timely research on current economic issues.

Restoring Growth in Puerto Rico : Overview and Policy Options

Tue, 01 Aug 2006 00:00:00 GMT

In this innovative new book, economists from U.S. and Puerto Rican institutions address a range of major policy issues affecting the island's economic development.

Warm Hearts and Cool Heads: Promoting Growth and Opportunity in a Globalizing Economy

Thu, 29 Jun 2006 00:00:00 GMT

A June 29, 2006 speech by Peter R. Orszag at the APEC Symposium on Socio-Economic Disparity.

Ignoring Debt Makes it Get Worse

Sun, 30 Apr 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Opinion by Isabel V. Sawhill, The Philadelphia Inquirer (4/30/06)

Debt is Cheating Our Children's Future

Sun, 23 Apr 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Opinion by Isabel V. Sawhill, Kansas City Star (4/23/06)

Transitioning Ex-Offenders into Jobs and Society

Mon, 10 Apr 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Opinion by Hugh B. Price, washingtonpost.com (4/10/06)

Rising Debt Is Very Scary

Sun, 02 Apr 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Opinion by Diane Lim Rogers and Andrew L. Yarrow, The Baltimore Sun (4/2/06)

Welfare Reform, Success or Failure? It Worked

Wed, 15 Mar 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Article by Ron Haskins, APHSA Policy & Practice (03/06)

Domestic Entitlements and the Federal Budget

Wed, 15 Feb 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Testimony by Isabel V. Sawhill, House Committee on the Budget (2/15/06)

The President's Budget and the Long-Term Fiscal Outlook

Fri, 10 Feb 2006 09:30:00 GMT

Event Information:

February 10, 2006, 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM

The day after President Bush released his fiscal 2007 budget, Brookings hosted two panels of experts and policy-makers who addressed key policy issues: Is this budget fiscally responsible? How can we assess the President's priorities? What are the budget's chances for passage, and what is likely to be modified by Congress?