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.
Lessons from Portugal: A Way Forward from our Fiscal Impasse for U.S. Political Leaders
Inspiration can come from the most surprising places. Take Portugal, for instance. (Granted, there are major differences between the U.S. and...
Congressman Eric Cantor Introduces YouCut
Yesterday, House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) launched a new project - YouCut. YouCut allows people to vote online or from their cell phones on...
Pearlstein Comes Out with His Own Fiscal Plan
Today in the Washington Post, Steven Pearlstein took the " Deficit Challenge", proposing his own plan on how to reduce future deficits through a...
Fed Restarts Foreign Currency Swaps
In a release late Sunday night, the Fed announced that it has agreed with other major central banks to reopen foreign currency swap lines in order to...
‘Line’ Items: Greek Tragedy Edition
From Sophisticated to Sophocles – The untangling of the complex web of financial manipulation and deceit arising from the “hidden debts” controversy...
Why This Isn't Just a Greek Problem
The EU and IMF just recently agreed to provide a nearly $1 trillion rescue fund for European countries facing troubled fiscal waters. Meetings over...
CBO's Monthly Budget Review: Higher Deficit than Last Year but with Signs of Hope
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) issued its Monthly Budget Review late last week. CBO reports that the federal government incurred a deficit of...
Weekend Editorial Roundup
Here are the highlights from this weekend’s editorials on fiscal and budget policy: The Chicago Tribune criticized both parties for reckless spending...
Marketwatch Update: The US as Safe Haven Returns - but Technical Glitches May Have Also Kicked In
It wasn’t enough that we had a lot of impressive economic news this week (including today’s solidly positive employment numbers – even though...
Greece and the United States: The Importance of Having a Credible Fiscal Framework
European leaders are meeting tonight to talk about Greece and the eurozone crisis. According to press reports, they will likely agree upon and...
Bill of Extenders and Tax Breaks May Include Doc Fix
Policymakers will soon be focusing on passing a new package of extenders and tax breaks that – at a potential cost of around $200 billion over ten...
Debt Crisis Looming; Political and Market Risks Run Large
Yesterday, The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget hosted a chilling conference on “What a Fiscal Crisis Would Look Like in the U.S.” An all...