Blog
Welcome to our blog – The Bottom Line, where you’ll find up-to-date commentary and analysis on the most important news in the fiscal world. Below is a list of our blog posts.
Has the Government Spent $2 Trillion on the Wars in the Middle East?
During the fourth Republican debate last night, Donald Trump suggested that we have spent $2 trillion on the wars in the Middle East. Between Fiscal...
Does the U.S. Spend More on Its Military Than the Next 10 Countries Combined?
During last night’s debate in an exchange between Senators Rand Paul and Marco Rubio on defense spending, Paul claimed that “we spend more on our...
Follow Along with Our @FiscalFactCheck of the #GOPDebate
It's hard to believe that two weeks have already passed by and the next #GOPDebate is upon us. Tonight we will continue to keep the candidates honest...
Bonus Depreciation Has Cost Over $200 Billion So Far and Could Cost $450 Billion
With Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) being elected as Speaker of the House, the Ways & Means (W&M) Committee Chair has gone to Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX). In an...
Gene Steuerle: Recent Social Security reform doesn’t fix unfair spousal benefits
The budget compromise forged by Congress and the Obama administration at the end of last month makes two fundamental changes in Social Security.
Can the Budget Realistically Be Balanced Without Touching Social Security or Medicare?
During this election cycle, candidates may try to claim that it’s possible to bring the federal budget to balance without touching Medicare or Social...
Does John Kasich Have a Plan to Balance the Budget in Ten Years?
During the November 10 Republican debate, Gov. John Kasich (R-OH) touted his plan which he said would balance the budget by the end of his second term...
New Reconciliation Estimate Still Points to Long-Term Trouble
In light of recent developments, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has updated its estimate of the health care reconciliation bill (previously...
Infographic Comparing Candidates' Tax Plans
Fiscal FactCheck released an infographic comparing the costs of several GOP presidential candidates’ tax plans. So far, the Tax Foundation has scored...
Five Gimmicks Only Budget Wonks Get
The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, signed into law earlier this week, is fully offset over the next ten years, according to the scoring conventions of...
Budget Deal Takes 20 Years to Offset Its Cost
The recently-enacted budget deal does not offset its ten-year cost like advocates have claimed, but what about the longer-term impact? The deal...
A New War Spending Gimmick In The Budget Deal
The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 is now the law of the land. While the law does not necessarily prevent a government shutdown, it does raise the...