President

Budget Battles

  • Fiscal Cliff Cuts Will Diminish Obama’s Second Term

    By Peter Wallsten and Zachary A Goldfarb, The Washington Post

    Even if President Obama succeeds in getting Republicans to agree to tax hikes on the wealthy as part of a “fiscal cliff” deal, the country’s grim budget realities will still cast a long shadow —...

  • Boehner to Obama: I Need An Offer We Can’t Refuse

    By Josh Boak, The Fiscal Times

    House Speaker John Boehner laid down a major condition Friday in his talks with President Obama about the fiscal cliff: Make me an offer that can pass both chambers of Congress.

  • Job Growth Quickens, Jobless Rate Lowest Since 2008

    By Lucia Mutikani, Reuters

    Employment grew faster than expected in November as the hit from superstorm Sandy on payrolls was less forceful than many feared. At the same time, the jobless rate fell to a near four-year low, but...

  • Why Obama Can’t Bring Back the 90s Economic Boom

    By Josh Boak, The Fiscal Times

    When selling his tax hike to the public, President Obama often advertises the economic gravy train that chugged through the Clinton era as proof that higher taxes won’t derail growth. But affluence...

  • The Hidden Flaw in Obama’s and Boehner’s Cliff Plans

    By Eric Pianin

    While President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner generally agree on the need for $4 trillion in deficit savings over the coming decade as part of a fiscal cliff deal, both back plans that likely...