Burning Question: On federal spending, is it time to hit the gas or the brakes?
Lawmakers and Obama administration officials apparently are of two minds on the issue.
It's a little hard to see where Congress and the Obama administration are headed on federal spending this year.
Yesterday, Brian Friel reported on our sister site, NationalJournal.com, that while President Obama's fiscal responsibility commission met at a Senate office building to further discuss the goal of slashing the federal budget deficit in the next five years, Education Secretary Arne Duncan was on the other side of Capitol Hill asking for $23 billion in additional debt-financed spending to avert teacher layoffs.
Some Democrats want to continue priming the economic pump, fearing a double-dip recession. Republicans say asking for big new spending projects at the same time you've pledged to cut the deficit doesn't make sense.
Deficit Debate: The Gas or the Brakes?
(NationalJournal.com)
Burning Question is a recurring feature that looks at key issues and compelling stories being explored at other publications and social media sites.