Blog
Welcome to our blog – The Bottom Line, where you’ll find up-to-date commentary and analysis on the most important news in the fiscal world. Below is a list of our blog posts.
How Close Did CBO Get?
The Treasury Department released its final estimate of the budget figures for FY 2013 last week, with a final deficit figure of $680 billion. Today...
Line Items: After the Treats Edition
Sugar Crash – Another Halloween has come and gone. Many kids (and adults) have been quickly going through their sugar-filled loot. Eventually, the...
Remember, Remember, the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990
Yesterday was the 5th of November, also known Guy Fawkes Day in the UK. But in the US, this date also has special significance for being the day upon...
SGR Discussion Draft Coming Together
The Senate Finance and House Ways & Means Committees, last week, released a bipartisan, bicameral discussion draft of a proposal to permanently...
A Conference Committee Wishlist
With conference committee meetings underway, many are weighing in with their take on what should be accomplished. On Friday, Fareed Zakaria at CNN...
Administration's FSA Change Adds to Debt
The Obama Administration made an administrative change today to rules regarding Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) that could cost taxpayers hundreds...
Gimmicks at Their Worst: The War "Savings" Gimmick
As lawmakers look to replace the sequester with smarter deficit reduction, it may be tempting to look for easy ways out. Unfortunately in recent...
Another Poll Shows Strong Support for a Comprehensive Deficit Reduction Plan
As if we needed more proof that the country is ready to deal with our debt problem, the Peterson Foundation today released the results of a new poll...
Wessel: Why It's Wrong to Dismiss the Deficit
Two weeks ago, we responded to a Larry Summers op-ed calling for a focus on growth rather than deficits. Yesterday, Wall Street Journal economics...
Short-Term Deficits May Be Shrinking, But Long-Term Problem Remains
Update: This blog has been updated to include the Mid-Session Review and CBO projections for the 2013 deficit. Yesterday, the Treasury Department and...
The Tax Break-Down: the FICA Tip Credit
This is the thirteenth post in our blog series, The Tax Break-Down, which will analyze and review tax breaks under discussion as part of tax reform...
SSA Announces New COLA
Yesterday, the Social Security Administration announced that beneficiaries will be receiving a 1.5 percent Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) this year...