Budget

Trump on the $22 Trillion National Debt: 'Growth Will Straighten It Out'

By Michael Rainey

President Trump was asked at his wide-ranging press conference Friday about the roughly $2 trillion increase in public debt during the first two years of his administration: Question: Let me also ask...
A Modest Start for the Space Force

By Michael Rainey

The Pentagon is expected to request about $270 million for the Space Force in its 2020 budget, according to a preliminary Department of Defense memo reviewed by Space News’ Sandra Erwin. The funds...
Trump’s Risky Plan to Get $8 Billion for His Wall

By Yuval Rosenberg

He really did it. President Trump on Friday declared a national emergency in an attempt to bypass Congress and redirect existing funds toward construction of his promised wall along the southern...
The Great Debt Debate: How Dangerous Is It?

By Michael Rainey

MIT economist Olivier Blanchard caused a stir in fiscal circles last month with an academic paper suggesting that current levels of public debt may be less worrisome than many experts think (see our...
Trump to Sign Border Deal — and Declare a National Emergency, Too

By Yuval Rosenberg

Roses are red, Violets are blue, President Trump will sign the spending deal and declare a national emergency too. OK, it’s not the most romantic of gestures, but you could call it a Valentine’s Day...

Trump’s Exploding Deficit

By The Fiscal Times Staff

Federal tax revenues fell by 0.4 percent to $3.33 trillion in 2018, the first year under the new tax law, The Treasury Department said Wednesday. The drop in revenues, combined with a 4.4 percent...
Trump Likely to Sign Border Deal, Avert Another Shutdown

By The Fiscal Times Staff

Lawmakers are scrambling to finalize their compromise package on spending and border security — and resolve a few lingering differences — but once they’re done, President Trump is expected to...
Trump’s ‘Not Happy’ with the Border Deal. Why He’ll Probably Sign It Anyway.

By Yuval Rosenberg

Will he or won’t he? After House and Senate negotiators reached a tentative agreement Monday night on a bipartisan border security deal, the looming question is whether President Trump will veto the...
Goldman Sachs Projects Deficit Will Top $1 Trillion Next Year

By Yuval Rosenberg

The Congressional Budget Office projected last month that the federal budget deficit for this year would be about $900 billion , up 15 percent from last year but about $84 billion less than it had...
Lawmakers Scramble to Avert Another Government Shutdown

By Yuval Rosenberg

Collapsed. Derailed. Fell apart. Broke down. Whatever description you choose, the bottom line on the bipartisan congressional negotiations over border security isn’t good: The talks, which had...

Thousands of Unpaid IRS Employees Did Not Return to Work Early This Week

By The Fiscal Times Staff

More than half of the furloughed IRS employees who had been called back to work during the government shutdown to handle tax returns and taxpayer questions did not return as of Tuesday, according to...
Trump Caves, Agrees to End Shutdown — Without Border Wall Money

By Yuval Rosenberg

It’s over, or soon will be. After 35 days, the longest government shutdown in U.S. history neared a sudden and surprising end on Friday, as President Trump and lawmakers reached a deal to temporarily...
Aviation Unions Warn of ‘Serious Safety Concerns Due to Shutdown’

By The Fiscal Times Staff

In a joint statement issued Wednesday, the presidents of unions representing air-traffic controllers, airline pilots and flight attendants said that they are increasingly concerned about the safety...
Former Trump Chief of Staff John Kelly Joins Call for End to DHS Shutdown

By The Fiscal Times Staff

Five former secretaries of homeland security, including former Trump Chief of Staff John Kelly, sent a letter to the president and Congress on Wednesday calling on them to restore funding for the...
Trump Says He’s Open to a New Shutdown Deal

By Yuval Rosenberg

The Senate on Thursday failed to pass either of two competing plans to end the government shutdown, now heading for a 35th day. "White House officials aren’t sure of their next move," Politico...