We noted earlier this week that CBO's current law economic assumptions in the near-term do not look very stellar, especially in 2013 when the economy is scheduled to absorb a large fiscal shock as a large number of tax cuts expire and the "sequester" resulting from the failure of the Super Committee cuts spending automatically across-the-board.

As is the case every first Friday of the month, BLS released its jobs data, which for December showed another solid month for employment. About 200,000 new jobs were added and the unemployment rate fell to 8.5 percent. The underemployment rate, a broader measure which includes workers who have stopped looking for a job and people who are working part-time for economic reasons, fell from 15.6 percent to 15.2 percent in December; this measure has declined by more than a percentage point over the last three months. 

Going big is getting bigger. A letter to the Super Committee today from a coalition of business organizations that spans numerous industries underscores the growing support from the corporate community for the panel to go above and beyond its mandate. The letter garnered the support of 200 business organizations.

Earlier today, Texas Governor and Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry announced details of his "Cut, Balance and Grow" plan for spending and tax reform.

Two recent warnings over the United States' fiscal outlook are worth taking a look at. First, Bank of America Merrill Lynch released a report last week voicing concerns about the Super Committee and the risk of another potential credit-rating downgrade if they don't succeed.

The Republican presidential contenders will be at it again tonight in yet another debate, but for those who are already suffering from debate fatigue, this evening's affair at Dartmouth University in the first primary state of New Hampshire promises to be different. First of all, the questions will focus on the economy, meaning that voters should hear more from the candidates on the two intertwined issues that polls indicate matter most to them - the economy/jobs and deficits/national debt.

In case you missed it last Wednesday, CRFB President Maya MacGuineas and CRFB board member Douglas Holtz-Eakin testified in front of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Policy.

In a recent report, JP Morgan summed up a number of reasons, from a financial perspective, on why it is important for the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction (or Super Committee) to "Go Big" and exceed their savings mandate of $1.5 trillion.  The report warns that markets will be closely watching the committee's work, as fears that stagnant economic growth may persist are mounting in the face of inaction on the nation's debt.

Yesterday, we argued that to actually stabilize the debt as a share of the economy, you probably need to propose a plan with even more savings than what would stabilize the debt under current projections. The risks come from both the economic and political uncertainties:

Yesterday, the President offered a plan for how he would pay for his $447 billion jobs proposal. The pay-fors would come entirely from revenues, mainly from limiting itemized deductions and other tax expenditures for people earning over $200,000 ($250,000 for families) per year.