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.
Federal Reserve Makes $88.9 Billion in Profit
Yesterday, the Federal Reserve announced in a preliminary estimate that it had made a profit in 2012 and transferred $88.9 billion to the Treasury...
The Commonwealth Fund's Plan to Tackle Health Spending
Earlier this week, we discussed the recent slowdown of National Health Expenditures (NHE) and how, while promising, it may not last. That means more...
IRS Taxpayer Advocate Report Shows the Need for Tax Reform
The complexity of our tax code has many advocates making the case for tax reform as we head toward the second round of fiscal negotiations. In a...
The Debt Limit Then And Now
Donald Marron points out, via an old "West Wing" clip, how raising the debt limit used to be seen. Of course, contrast that to now, when we see...
CBO's "Options for Taxing Multinational Corporations"
Yesterday, CBO put out a new report on the system for taxing U.S. multinational corporations, a somewhat complex but important topic when it comes to...
Reasonable Defense Cuts Possible
Recently, former Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) was nominated to succeed Leon Panetta as the Secretary of Defense. He would likely be presented a...
Another Slow Year for Health Care Cost Growth - Will It Last?
With health care spending a central topic in budget discussions, the actuaries at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have released a...
A Roundup of Our Analysis on the Fiscal Cliff Package
Over the past week, CRFB has examined the composition, budgetary effects, and economic effects of the American Taxpayer Relief Act (ATRA), which...
A Detailed Look at the Debt Ceiling Situation
Last week, as reported on our " Debt Ceiling Watch" blog, the U.S. reached the statutory debt limit, and the Treasury Department began using...
Al Simpson and Erskine Bowles on Meet The Press
While the American Taxpayer Relief Act has put off worries about the fiscal cliff for a month, it is clear that we missed a clear opportunity to do...
‘Line’ Items: New Year, Old Battles Edition
Should Old Reluctance Be Forgot? – A new year and a new Congress have been ushered in. However, hopes for putting behind the fighting and foot...
Eight Things You Didn't Know Were In the Fiscal Cliff Deal
The American Taxpayer Relief Act has been discussed at length in the news and on this blog, but much of the discussion has been focused on the big...