Budget Battles
-
What's in the GOP's New Coronavirus Relief Plan?
Congress is back in Washington this week and getting down to the difficult task of negotiating the next, and potentially final, coronavirus relief package. The parties are far apart, with House...
-
Bipartisan Group of Lawmakers Wants Next Coronavirus Bill to Address Rising Debt
Congress is likely to pass another coronavirus relief bill at some point, but doing so may require addressing the mounting deficit concerns of a bipartisan group of lawmakers. A group of 60 House...
-
A Look at America’s ‘Broken Retirement System’
By Michael RaineyMillions of baby boomers are discovering that getting older isn’t getting any easier, thanks in part to a retirement system that fails to deliver security for millions of Americans. “Every day, 10,...
-
How the Coronavirus Could Damage Social Security
By Michael RaineyThe trustees for Social Security say the program’s long-term outlook for hasn’t changed much in the last year – but that’s ignoring any potential negative effects from the coronavirus. The latest...
-
Biden, Sanders Clash Again Over Social Security
The most heated moments in Sunday night’s Democratic presidential primary debate came during an exchange between Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders over Social Security. For months now, Sanders has slammed...
-
Trump’s Coronavirus Tax Cut Falls Flat on Capitol Hill
President Trump promised Monday evening that his administration would quickly announce “very major,” very “substantial” and “dramatic” steps to boost the economy in the face of the coronavirus threat...
-
Sanders Releases Funding Options for His Big Plans
By Michael RaineyFacing questions about how he intends to pay for an ambitious policy agenda that includes single-payer health care, student debt cancellation and an expansion of Social Security, Vermont Sen. Bernie...
-
What's Missing From Mike Bloomberg’s Social Security Plan
Democratic presidential contender Mike Bloomberg rolled out a vague plan Sunday that calls for shoring up Social Security’s finances, expanding benefits for the poorest and creating a government-...
-
The American Dream Alive and Well in ... Finland?
By Michael RaineyBernie Sanders’s opponents routinely accuse him of being a “socialist” bent on importing nefarious foreign values to the U.S., and President Trump took that approach one step further this past...
-
Budget Deficit to Top $1 Trillion a Year for Next Decade: CBO
The U.S. budget deficit is expected to top $1 trillion in fiscal year 2020 and remain above that level indefinitely, lifting the national debt over the next decade to its highest level since World...
-
The Next Big Fiscal Question: How to Raise More Revenue?
By Michael RaineyAn all-star roster of fiscal experts gathered at the Brookings Institution Tuesday to debate the future of American tax policy. The initial discussion featured former U.S. Treasury secretaries...
-
The Trouble Ahead for Federal Trust Funds
By Michael RaineyThe aggregate balance of the hundreds of federal trust funds and other dedicated funds will start declining in two years, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office...
-
Biden and Sanders Trade More Shots Over Social Security
Former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders continue to trade shots over Social Security. On Tuesday night, Sanders tweeted out an ad featuring an audio clip from a 1995 Biden Senate...
-
Sanders and Biden Clash Over Social Security
With less than two weeks to go before the Iowa caucuses, Social Security has emerged as a major point of contention in the Democratic presidential primary. The fight: Sen. Bernie Sanders recently...
-
Where the Democratic Candidates Stand on Social Security
By Michael RaineyWith Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden clashing over their plans for the program, Social Security has become a flashpoint for the Democratic presidential candidates as we head toward the Iowa caucuses...