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.
About Those Additional Stimulus Ideas...
With unemployment still growing, rising from 9.7 percent in August to 9.8 percent this past September, discussions have developed over the potential...
Only 30% of 2008 Tax Rebates Spent
Recently, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported on the results of the Economic Stimulus Payments, or tax rebates, of early 2008. Those who...
The Deficit Warnings Keep Coming
In a speech on global imbalances, Fed Chairman Bernanke again warned about the need to put the U.S. on a sustainable fiscal path, saying: "The United...
US Budget Watch Releases Analysis of Fiscal Implications of Health Care Reform Plans
Today US Budget Watch released "Evaluating Health Care Plans: An Analysis of the Short- and Long-Term Fiscal Implications of Reform Plans." The paper...
Congress Debates Medicare Payment Patches
Update: Debate on this issue got pushed back until today in the Senate. CRFB recently released this press release on the issue : Don't Let Doc Fix Add...
Weekend Editorial Roundup
Here are the highlights from this weekend’s editorials on fiscal and budget policy: In an editorial titled, “ 2.47 trillion dimes,” The Washington...
How the CBO Estimates Cost
UPDATE: Pete Davis and Donald Marron commented on this story and defend the CBO as the best way to estimate cost. Douglas Holtz-Eakin explains that...
One More FDIC Bank Closing
On Friday evening, the FDIC reported that it has taken over an additional bank ( San Joaquin Bank) for a cost to the FDIC of around $103 million. This...
A Really Big Deficit
The message from the end of the year deficit number is clear: we must start planning how to get the deficit under control. A $1.4 TRILLION deficit is...
Obama Nominates New Social Security Trustees
Today, the White House nominated Charles Blahous, III and Robert Reischauer. Both have been nominated to fill vacant posts for public trustees on the...
Say 'Bayh' to the Debt?
This week, Senator Bayh (D-IN) and nine other Democratic senators sent a letter to Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) expressing concern over the size of the U...
Meeting Today of President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board
Today PERAB, otherwise known as the Tax Reform Subcommittee of the President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board, is holding a meeting focusing on tax...