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...

A Faint Glimmer of Hope for an End to the Shutdown?

By Yuval Rosenberg

Day 32 of the partial government shutdown brought a tiny, faint glimmer of hope that the impasse could be resolved, even as Republicans and Democrats prepare for the next round of legislative volleys...
How Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Is Already Shifting the Debate on Taxes and Deficits

By Yuval Rosenberg

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the youngest woman ever elected to Congress, has wasted no time in making waves in Congress, emerging as a focal point for the national press — and social media powerhouse...
28 Days Later: The Government Shutdown Horror Story Continues

By Yuval Rosenberg

If the partial government shutdown was a horror movie, it could now be called “28 Days Later.” We’re rapidly closing in on the one-month mark for the partial government shutdown, and developments...
Shutdown Could Be a Hint of Things to Come

By Michael Rainey

As long as the current government shutdown ends within the next few weeks, the cost to the overall economy should be relatively modest, says Andrew Hunter of Capital Economics. Much of the lost...
Trump Strikes Back at Pelosi, Blocking Her Overseas Trip

By Yuval Rosenberg

Friday will be day 28 of the partial government shutdown, but Thursday’s developments offered little hope that closed federal departments and agencies would be reopening soon — and little to allay...