by Dan Mitchell | Jul 16, 2019 | Blogs, Economics
One of the few theoretical constraints on Washington is that politicians periodically have to raise a “debt ceiling” or “debt limit” in order to finance additional spending with additional red ink. I have mixed feelings about this requirement. I like that there is...
by Dan Mitchell | Jun 27, 2019 | Big Government, Blogs, Government Spending, Taxation
The Congressional Budget Office just released its new long-run fiscal forecast. Most observers immediately looked at the estimates for deficits and debt. Those numbers are important, especially since America has an aging population, but they should be viewed as...
by Dan Mitchell | Jun 7, 2019 | Blogs, Economics
The folks at USA Today invited me to opine on fiscal policy, specifically whether the 2017 tax cut was a mistake because of rising levels of red ink. Here’s some of what I wrote on the topic, including the all-important point that deficits and debt are best understood...
by Dan Mitchell | Jun 6, 2019 | Opinion and Commentary
Originally published by USA Today on June 5, 2019. When President George W. Bush used the national credit card for the Troubled Asset Relief Program bailout, the establishment applauded. When President Barack Obama doubled the national debt for his failed stimulus,...
by Dan Mitchell | Apr 23, 2019 | Big Government, Blogs, Society, Welfare and Entitlements
Every year, the Social Security Administration issues a “Trustees Report” that summarizes the program’s financing. So every year (see 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, etc) I cut through all the verbiage and focus the numbers that really matter. First, here’s the data...
