Can Republicans and Democrats finally address the national debt?
Perhaps the most surprising outcome of the 2020 elections is the narrowness of the governing margins in Congress. While Joe Biden was expected by most observers to be the next… Read More
Video: The Potential Return of Earmarks
Wednesday morning, Taxpayers for Common Sense President Stephen Ellis and Congressional Institute President Mark Strand talked about the potential return of earmarks on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal. They… Read More
All I Want for Christmas is…Reconciliation Reform
Today marks the third anniversary of the signing of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 into law. Enactment of this legislation was a major policy victory for… Read More
Congress needs to curb presidential power. Here’s how it can start to.
George Will writes in the Washington Post about the powers and responsibilities vested in the House and Senate as well as recommendations for strengthening the bodies from the Select… Read More
ICYMI: Members of Congress have lost control over spending
(This piece originally appeared in the Washington Post.) The Constitution affords Congress the “power of the purse”: “No money shall be drawn from the Treasury but in Consequence of Appropriations… Read More
Twelve Ways to Find Dirt in “Clean” Appropriations Bills
(This piece originally appeared in Legislative Procedure.) If Congress does not act soon, funding for approximately one-third of the Federal government will expire on Thursday, at the end of… Read More
What’s really driving the national debt?
Last week, Bloomberg reporter Steven Dennis tweeted an idea for a “fun data project:” “For every senator give them a deficit score. / What is the net deficit as scored by… Read More
COVID-19’s punishing effects on the federal deficit and debt
The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB) has a new report on COVID-19’s deleterious effects on the feral budget. CRFB projects: Deficits will expand by $5.7 trillion over… Read More
The power of the Spending Tracker
Over the last few months, Congress has appropriated trillions of dollars in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Amid this flurry of spending, annual deficits are projected to be nearly $4 trillion… Read More
ICYMI: Broad coalition supports strengthening the legislative branch by providing additional funding
The Honorable Nita LoweyChairCommittee on AppropriationsUnited States House of RepresentativesThe Honorable Richard ShelbyChairCommittee on AppropriationsUnited States SenateThe Honorable Kay GrangerRanking MemberCommittee on AppropriationsUnited States House of RepresentativesThe Honorable Patrick LeahyRanking… Read More