Remember the debt? That $17 trillion problem? Some in Washington seem to think it’s gone away. The Washington Post reported that “the national debt is no longer growing out of control.” Lawmakers and liberal inside-the-Beltway organizations are floating the notion that it’s not a high priority any more. We beg …
Heritage economist Salim Furth gave testimony last week to the Senate Budget Committee, reminding the Senators that economic research shows that deficit reduction should be pursued through spending cuts, not tax increases. Now he has responded to written questions in detail and explored the exemplary 1990s budget cuts. There is …
The number of people on Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) reached a record high this year. But a large number of people are double-dipping from both the disability insurance (DI) and unemployment insurance (UI) programs. A bill introduced last week would put an end to these overpayments, which unnecessarily drain the …
Journalists should check with both sides before committing pen to paper, especially those at respectable outlets like The Washington Post. It would have served Post reporter Dylan Matthews well if he had followed this dictum. In a blog post, Matthews attempted to refute testimony I gave before the Senate Budget …
After hitting the debt limit on March 19, the Treasury Department under Secretary Jack Lew is now employing its toolset of “extraordinary measures” to continue deficit spending without legally breaching the debt limit. It will provide about $260 billion in borrowing capacity, which should last beyond at least Labor Day, …
Contrary to claims by cheerful news sources, Social Security’s deficit outlook is not “unchanged” or “no worse.” Social Security’s unfunded obligation rose by $1 trillion according to the latest trustees’ report. U.S. taxpayers now owe $12.3 trillion to pay scheduled benefits—in addition to what Social Security can hope to collect …
With talk heating up for Congress to create an Internet sales tax, Heritage pulled in leading telecommunication and tax experts yesterday for a Capitol Hill briefing on the potential fallout that the misnamed Marketplace Fairness Act (MFA) could have on e-commerce. Katie McAuliffe, federal affairs manager for Americans for Tax …
With the Congressional Budget Office preparing to release a cost estimate for the Senate’s Gang of Eight bill in the coming days, a key Republican lawmaker yesterday insisted that any projection look beyond the 10-year budget window to fully understand the magnitude of granting amnesty to 11 million illegal immigrants. Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL), ranking member …
Congress is considering the renewal of massive agriculture subsidies that proponents characterize as a crucial “safety net” for struggling family farms. In fact, most of the taxpayer support is actually pocketed by the well-to-do, including former President Jimmy Carter, the current Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and …
