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.
Beyond Solvency
When we think about Social Security reform, we tend to look at options in terms of their impact solvency -- measured over a 75 years period. In their...
MARKETWATCH: August 2-6
Today’s disappointing employment report (unexpectedly, June was revised downward and July was weak) prompted a Treasury rally, attributed by the...
Social Security and Medicare Trustees Report Released
Today, the Social Security and Medicare Trustees released their annual reports on the financial status of the two programs. The Trustees now project...
The Wrong Targets
CRFB has been calling for policymakers to set fiscal targets for some time. Apparently we haven’t been clear enough on what that means. Unfortunately...
The Importance of PAYGO
The Wall Street Journal reports that a package of tax extenders might have a harder time getting by the PAYGO regime. Since the planned offsets were...
Three Economists Testify Before Senate Budget Committee
Yesterday morning, Richard Berner of Morgan Stanley, Simon Johnson of MIT, and Joel Naroff of Naroff Economic Advisors testified before the Senate...
Celebrating and Strengthening Social Security
Since Social Security was signed into law by Franklin D. Roosevelt on August 14, 1935, it has become the largest government social insurance program...
Finally, Deficit Neutral Stimulus
Finally, the Senate got it right: we have a deficit-neutral stimulus. In fact, the bill would even slightly reduce deficits by $1.4 billion over the...
Appropriations Update: Senate Heading Toward Cutting More
The Senate appears headed toward cutting discretionary spending even below the level called for by Senate appropriators. Senate Majority Leader Harry...
There's a New Sheriff in Town...For Now
With Peter Orszag leaving OMB last Friday and Jacob Lew yet to be sworn in, Jeff Zients has been called in to fill the gap as acting director of OMB...
‘Line’ Items: War Supplemental Finally Passes; Small Biz Bill Not So Lucky
House Gone, Senate Eyeing the Exit – The House started its six-week recess Friday and the Senate will adjourn at the end of this week. Debate and a...
The Right Spending Target
A few weeks ago, Fiscal Commission co-chair Erskine Bowles suggested that in designing a plan, "revenue as a percentage of GDP [should not] be much...