Furlough 'Consistency and Fairness'
Innovation in Government Dips
TSP Funds Stay Positive in April
5 Agencies with the Most Disconnected Leadership
No Bonuses for VA Benefits Execs
Will You Be Furloughed?
AUTHOR ARCHIVES
Why the Immigration Plan Really Could Give Us Border Security
April 17, 2013 The bipartisan immigration reform proposed by the "Gang of Eight" promises to bring the 11 million illegal immigrants out of the shadows. But first, there’s the little issue of securing the border. The plan requires that a set of border-security goals be met before any undocumented immigrant gets legal status. ...
The Income Tax Form Turns 100
April 15, 2013 There is probably no single number more closely associated with tax day than 1040, the number assigned to the federal income tax form. This year, that form turns 100. On Feb. 3, 1913, Wyoming ratified the 16th amendment to the Constitution, authorizing Congress to tax income. That move gave the ...
Why This Is the Age of Small Government (Sort Of)
April 11, 2013 With the president's budget released on Wednesday, all the plans, Democratic and Republican, are in. And under each, nondefense spending—funding for many of the government's most-visible operations—will reach a 50-year low. Here’s an explanation we wrote when the Senate Democrats and House Republicans released their budgets in March: Every year, ...
Is Chained CPI the Wrong Solution to the Right Problem?
April 3, 2013 When President Obama releases his budget next week, it may include what some tout as an elegant solution to the nation's fiscal problems, a way of measuring price changes known as “chained CPI.” The thinking goes like this: The debt needs to be reined in. Changes to benefit payments don’t ...
There’s Nothing to Fear But the Debt Itself
March 28, 2013 Quick, which segment of federal spending will grow fastest from 2015 through 2021? Did you guess Medicare? If you did, you’d be wrong. It’s an underappreciated fact that a significant contributor to the ballooning debt is ... the debt itself. Federal interest payments are projected to grow faster over the ...
Nondefense Slice of Domestic Spending on Track to Hit 50-Year Low
March 15, 2013 Here’s one key takeaway from the Senate Democratic and House Republican budgets released this week: Under each, nondefense spending—funding for things like welfare programs and government operations—will reach a 50-year low, as a share of economic activity, within a few years. Every year, the government spends money in two broad ...
In the Budget Debate, Even the Definition of Spending Is Up for Grabs
March 6, 2013 If you need a sign that Washington is going to have a tough time breaking its gridlock on the budget, look no further than the fact that Democrats and Republican can't even agree to the terms of the debate. For a while now, a so-called "grand bargain" on long-term deficit ...
Sequester Fears May Be Overhyped, Overblown and Overly Politicized
February 28, 2013 Let’s be clear about one thing: The across-the-board spending cuts known as the "sequester” aren’t a doomsday scenario, or a meteorite that will blow up the economy. Teachers, FBI agents, and Border Patrol officers will not get fired tomorrow, when the sequester kicks in. The Internal Revenue Service will still ...
Introducing Obama's Likely Pick for Energy Secretary
February 21, 2013 President Obama has settled on MIT professor Ernest Moniz to be the next head of the Energy Department, according to reports. Here's what you need to know about him. No Stranger to Government. Moniz has held key energy policy roles under Presidents Clinton and Obama. As under secretary for energy ...
Why It's A Good Sign For Jacob Lew His Hearing Was So Bland
February 14, 2013 Jacob Lew could hardly have asked for a better confirmation hearing: It was bland, civil, and almost forgettable. Even the activists in attendance didn’t interrupt the proceeding. Lew, President Obama’s chief of staff until last month, went in to his confirmation hearing for Treasury secretary on Wednesday without much to ...
