The Debt

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...
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...
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...
Democrats Unveil Their ‘Green New Deal.’ Here’s What It Does – and Doesn’t Do

By Michael Rainey

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) released their much-anticipated proposal for a Green New Deal Thursday. Framed as a response to the challenges of global warming, the 14...
Foreign Ownership of US Debt Continues to Decline

By Michael Rainey

Foreign demand for U.S. government debt has been declining in recent years but domestic investors have picked up the slack, The Wall Street Journal’s Daniel Kruger and Kate Davidson reported...

SOTU 2019: 3 Important Things Trump Said, and 1 Big Thing He Didn’t

By Yuval Rosenberg

President Trump’s 82-minute-long State of the Union address Tuesday night put a uniquely Trumpian spin on the usual recipe for the address: a healthy helping of rah-rah patriotism and legislative...
Is It Time to Start Selling 100-Year Bonds?

By Michael Rainey

With the U.S. facing a $12 trillion deficit over the next decade, the Treasury Department is exploring ways to maintain robust demand for American debt. One option being considered is the sale of “...
‘Greatest Threat’ to the US? Two Top Democratic Economists Aren’t So Worried About the Debt

By Michael Rainey

Starbucks founder Howard Schultz told “60 Minutes” Sunday that he is considering a run for president in 2020, possibly as a “centrist independent,” and one of his top issues is the growing national...
Deficit Rising, but Won’t Hit $1 Trillion Until 2022, CBO Projects

By Michael Rainey

In new budget and economic projections released Monday , the Congressional Budget Office said annual deficits are expected to rise above $1 trillion in 2022, two years later than previous estimates,...
How Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Is Already Shifting the Debate on Taxes and Deficits

By Yuval Rosenberg

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the youngest woman ever elected to Congress, has wasted no time in making waves in Congress, emerging as a focal point for the national press — and social media powerhouse...

The Great Debt Debate

By Michael Rainey

We told you last week about a new paper from economist Olivier Blanchard that caused a stir by suggesting that government debt may be less problematic than many experts have believed. Blanchard found...
Leading Economist Says Government Debt Might Not Be So Bad After All

By Michael Rainey

Renowned macroeconomist Olivier Blanchard says that policymakers may need to fundamentally revise their views on the long-term cost of government debt. Delivering the presidential address at last...
Why the Next Fiscal Fight Could Be Much More Dangerous

By Michael Rainey

The partial government shutdown has had a limited impact so far, but the dysfunction currently on display in Washington doesn’t bode well for another fiscal fight on the horizon, says Chris Krueger...
CBO Offers 121 Ways to Shrink the Deficit

By The Fiscal Times Staff

The Congressional Budget Office has released a 326-page guide that describes dozens of ways the federal government could reduce its large and growing budget deficit. The 121 policy options included...
Moody’s Warns of Declining US Fiscal Strength

By The Fiscal Times Staff

Trump’s tax cuts combined with a slowing economy will diminish the United States’ “fiscal strength” over the next 10 years, Moody’s Investor Service said Wednesday. The gradual decline could pressure...