Yesterday, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel gave his first major speech since he was confirmed for the job in February. “The Department must understand the challenges and uncertainties, plan for the risks, and, yes, recognize the opportunities inherent in budget constraints and more efficient and effective restructuring,” he said. Secretary …
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported last week that even with improvements in the economy, food stamp participation rates have reached all-time highs. Since 2008, enrollment has increased by 70 percent, reaching a record 47.8 million this past December. Funding for the food stamp program—or, as it’s now called the …
Last week, the President declared April 2013 National Financial Capability Month in an effort to encourage Americans to budget responsibly. This is a commendable goal. However, with the President’s budget more than two months late, it’s worth considering how the President is managing the nation’s finances: He grew the national …
Why does President Obama have time to release his final four picks for the NCAA basketball tournament, but can’t meet the federal budget deadline? For the past two weeks in Washington, Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) have squared off in a battle over the federal budget, …
The Republican Study Committee (RSC) has proposed a budget that balances in just four years while holding tax revenue at near its historical average. It advances more aggressive entitlement reforms than the House Budget Committee plan, including Social Security, and features deeper spending cuts. Nevertheless, the plan also suffers weaknesses, …
Yesterday on “Your World with Neil Cavuto,” Heritage President-elect Jim DeMint applauded the House’s efforts to put forth a budget that balances in 10 years and challenged President Obama to engage in budget discussions. “The only budgets we’ve seen from this President have been budgets that nearly double our debt …
The massive spending bill released by the Senate this week suffers the same flaws as the measure the House passed last week: It spends too much, fails to protect national defense, and is full of unnecessary, wasteful spending. Like the House bill, the Senate’s continuing resolution (CR)—which is needed to …
At first look, the budget unveiled today by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul D. Ryan (R-WI) advances much-needed reforms and importantly accomplishes the crucial goal of balancing the budget within the decade, though this is partially on the coattails of Obama’s tax increases. Not a silver bullet, it is more …