Budget

Trump's Claim That 'Mexico Is Paying for the Wall!' Leaves Experts Stumped

By Michael Rainey

President Trump returned to a favorite claim about who would pay for the border wall in a tweet Thursday: Sen. Chuck Schumer replied with a tweet of his own: "Mr. President: If you say Mexico is...
Boxed In by Trump, GOP Hurtles Toward a Shutdown

By Michael Rainey

House Republicans considered moving forward with a bill that would have given President Trump the $5 billion he has demanded for border wall construction, but it looks like they’re leaving town...
Moody’s Warns of Declining US Fiscal Strength

By The Fiscal Times Staff

Trump’s tax cuts combined with a slowing economy will diminish the United States’ “fiscal strength” over the next 10 years, Moody’s Investor Service said Wednesday. The gradual decline could pressure...
What’s at Stake in the Government Shutdown Fight

By Yuval Rosenberg

Tuesday’s stunningly contentious meeting between President Trump and Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer did nothing to dissipate the uncertainty over a partial government shutdown at...
$733 Billion? $700? $750? Trump Sows Confusion on Defense Spending

By Michael Rainey

President Trump has offered significantly different opinions on future defense spending in the last few weeks, indicating in October that next year’s budget would be cut amid rising deficits and then...

Deficit Climbs to $303 Billion Over First Two Months of Fiscal 2019

By The Fiscal Times Staff

The U.S. budget deficit jumped to $303 billion in October and November, the first two months of the 2019 fiscal year, according to data released by the Congressional Budget Office Monday. Here are...
Inside the Remarkable — and Costly — Decline of the IRS

By Michael Rainey

Weighed down by budget cuts and staff reductions, the number of audits performed by the Internal Revenue Service has been dropping for years. A new report from ProPublica and The Atlantic takes a...
Trump Says He’d Be ‘Proud’ to Shut Down the Government Over Border Security

By Yuval Rosenberg

With funding for parts of the federal government set to expire on December 21, nobody expected Tuesday’s Oval Office meeting between President Trump and Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck...
Why a Shutdown Really Could Happen Right Before Christmas

By Yuval Rosenberg

Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer are scheduled to meet with President Trump on Tuesday to resume negotiations over funding for a border wall with Mexico. The talks will set the stage...
Trump Suddenly Wants Billions More for Defense: Report

By Michael Rainey

President Trump will request $750 billion for the next Pentagon budget, reversing course on possible defense cuts he discussed just a few weeks ago, Politico’s Wesley Morgan reported Sunday. Top...

No, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, a $21 Trillion Pentagon Accounting Error Can’t Pay for Medicare for All

By The Fiscal Times Staff

Newly elected representative and social media lightning rod Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) sparked a round of controversy this weekend when she compared the potential cost of Medicare for All to the...
Congress Nears Deal Pushing Shutdown Deadline to Just Before Christmas

By Michael Rainey

Congress and the White House are working on a deal for a two-week extension of government funding that would push the deadline for a fight over a possible government shutdown and money for President...
Trump, After Boosting Military Budget, Calls It ‘Crazy!’

By Yuval Rosenberg

Although he has repeatedly hailed the deal he made earlier this year to increase spending on what he called a “depleted” military, President Trump on Monday declared on Twitter that U.S. defense...
Trump Ready to Spend ‘Buckets of Money’ on Infrastructure: Report

By Yuval Rosenberg

Get ready for more “infrastructure weeks” ahead in 2019. The Trump administration is preparing to make another push for a $1 trillion infrastructure package, The Wall Street Journal reports (paywall...
'Don't Cut Military Spending,' Republicans Warn Trump

By Yuval Rosenberg

The Republican chairs of the Senate and House Armed Services committees take to the op-ed page in Friday’s Wall Street Journal (paywall) to push back on President Trump’s recent request to trim the...