Budget

Trump on the $22 Trillion National Debt: 'Growth Will Straighten It Out'

By Michael Rainey

President Trump was asked at his wide-ranging press conference Friday about the roughly $2 trillion increase in public debt during the first two years of his administration: Question: Let me also ask...
A Modest Start for the Space Force

By Michael Rainey

The Pentagon is expected to request about $270 million for the Space Force in its 2020 budget, according to a preliminary Department of Defense memo reviewed by Space News’ Sandra Erwin. The funds...
Trump’s Risky Plan to Get $8 Billion for His Wall

By Yuval Rosenberg

He really did it. President Trump on Friday declared a national emergency in an attempt to bypass Congress and redirect existing funds toward construction of his promised wall along the southern...
The Great Debt Debate: How Dangerous Is It?

By Michael Rainey

MIT economist Olivier Blanchard caused a stir in fiscal circles last month with an academic paper suggesting that current levels of public debt may be less worrisome than many experts think (see our...
Trump to Sign Border Deal — and Declare a National Emergency, Too

By Yuval Rosenberg

Roses are red, Violets are blue, President Trump will sign the spending deal and declare a national emergency too. OK, it’s not the most romantic of gestures, but you could call it a Valentine’s Day...

Trump’s Exploding Deficit

By The Fiscal Times Staff

Federal tax revenues fell by 0.4 percent to $3.33 trillion in 2018, the first year under the new tax law, The Treasury Department said Wednesday. The drop in revenues, combined with a 4.4 percent...
Trump Likely to Sign Border Deal, Avert Another Shutdown

By The Fiscal Times Staff

Lawmakers are scrambling to finalize their compromise package on spending and border security — and resolve a few lingering differences — but once they’re done, President Trump is expected to...
Trump’s ‘Not Happy’ with the Border Deal. Why He’ll Probably Sign It Anyway.

By Yuval Rosenberg

Will he or won’t he? After House and Senate negotiators reached a tentative agreement Monday night on a bipartisan border security deal, the looming question is whether President Trump will veto the...
Goldman Sachs Projects Deficit Will Top $1 Trillion Next Year

By Yuval Rosenberg

The Congressional Budget Office projected last month that the federal budget deficit for this year would be about $900 billion , up 15 percent from last year but about $84 billion less than it had...
Lawmakers Scramble to Avert Another Government Shutdown

By Yuval Rosenberg

Collapsed. Derailed. Fell apart. Broke down. Whatever description you choose, the bottom line on the bipartisan congressional negotiations over border security isn’t good: The talks, which had...

Is Trump ‘Trapped’ on the Border Wall Deal?

By Yuval Rosenberg

Congressional negotiators looking to hammer out a bipartisan border security spending deal and prevent another government shutdown at the end of next week are reportedly closing in on their goal. “We...
Trump, in Private, Lays Out His Demands for a Border Security Deal

By Yuval Rosenberg

The bipartisan congressional committee working on a border security deal is reportedly getting close to an agreement that would avoid another partial government shutdown at the end of next week. The...
Democrats Unveil Their ‘Green New Deal.’ Here’s What It Does – and Doesn’t Do

By Michael Rainey

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) released their much-anticipated proposal for a Green New Deal Thursday. Framed as a response to the challenges of global warming, the 14...
Natural Disasters Cost $91 Billion in 2018

By The Fiscal Times Staff

The U.S. experienced 14 natural disasters that cost at least $1 billion each in 2018, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Wednesday. Overall, weather and climate disasters did $...
Are Democrats Really Going ‘Socialist’?

By Michael Rainey

President Trump earned a rousing cheer from Republican lawmakers during his State of the Union address when he proclaimed, “America will never be a socialist country.” His proud declaration echoed...