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.
Follow the Yellow Brick Road
We at CRFB believe in the Wizard of Oz theory of deficit reduction. Passing the right package of spending cuts and tax increases requires a brain – so...
House Passes Extensions, But Senate Will Wait Until After Recess
The House today passed a one-year extension of various tax breaks as well as expanded unemployment benefits until November on a 215-204 vote. In a...
Up-Hill Drive for Spending Bills, But No Gas in the Tank for Paying for Them
Two massive spending bills that congressional leaders wanted to dispose of before hitting the road for Memorial Day have hit potholes as lawmakers...
Carlo Cottarelli Joins the Announcement Effect Club
You might have missed it yesterday, but during the second meeting of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, IMF Director of...
OECD on the Fiscal Outlook: The Way Forward
The OECD (the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the Paris-based think tank for the 31 richest countries) released its twice-a...
Translating Dr. Summers’ Econospeak: Are Budget Deficits Good or Bad?
Larry Summers gave a very interesting and thoughtful talk in Washington recently (May 24). But it was delivered in High Oracular Econospeak, so many...
Fiscal Targets: Why We Need Both Medium and Long-Term Targets
The President's Fiscal Commission has been charged with proposing: "Recommendations designed to balance the budget, excluding interest payments on the...
CBO Estimates the Effects of the Stimulus
CBO recently put out its quarterly estimate of the macroeconomic effects of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). They found that...
Senate Will Vote Today on War Supplemental -- and Paying for It
A close vote is expected today to end debate in the senate on a $59 billion supplemental that includes funding for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan...
Spending Cuts Make Good Offsets Too
The extenders bill the House is considering would cost $190 billion between 2010-2020. Only $56 billion of that would be offset. Emergency...
Live Webcast: Fiscal Commission's Second Meeting
The President's Fiscal Commission is holding its second public meeting, which is being webcast live on the White House's website. We've embedded the...
The Budgetary Impacts of Fed Actions
Yesterday CBO issued a very interesting report on the budgetary impact of the Federal Reserve's actions to address the economic and financial crisis...