Fiscal Cliff

Budget Battles

  • Will the Veep Debate Help Ryan Get His Mojo Back?

    By Josh Boak, The Fiscal Times

    By drafting House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan as his running mate, Mitt Romney was supposedly adding a franchise player to the GOP ticket, but the Wisconsin congressman thus far has tarnished...

  • The New War over Low-Wage Workers’ Tax Breaks

    By Merrill Goozner, The Fiscal Times

    The Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit--both geared to low-income earners--encourage work over welfare. But they may get the axe if the government drives over the fiscal cliff at the...

  • How Much Trust Should We Have in Economic Data?

    By Mark Thoma

    Perhaps it’s not surprising that a political party unable to come to grips with the scientific evidence on global warming would extend its claim that the evidence is politically manipulated to other...

  • Three Fiscal Flashpoints that Can Cause a Recession

    By Douglas Holtz-Eakin, The Fiscal Times

    Policymakers, business, markets, and households alike are more aware than ever of the dangers posed by the federal government’s fiscal affairs. Indeed, there are three flashpoints that pose distinct...

  • Surprise! Unemployment Falls to Near 4-Year Low

    By Lucia Mutikani, Reuters

    The unemployment rate unexpectedly dropped to 7.8 percent in September, reaching its lowest level since President Barack Obama took office and providing a boost to his re-election bid.