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Wednesday February 10, 2010

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Federal Budget

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioMaking a Good Budget Better

Alice M. Rivlin, March 26, 2009, The Washington Post

Making a Good Budget BetterPresident Barack Obama’s budget is the subject of floor debate in the House and Senate this week. Alice Rivlin says that the budget offers good remedies for America’s economic ills, but urges Congress to make it even better by paying for the new investments and reducing the long-term deficits. Read More

Federal Budget, Taxes, Health Care, Social Security, U.S. Economy

VIDEO

Save to My PortfolioPresident Obama's Budget and Education Policy

Grover J. "Russ" Whitehurst, February 04, 2010

In submitting his first budget to Congress, President Obama asked for a $3 billion dollar boost in education while freezing spending in many other programs. Grover J. Whitehurst says this budget proposal contains some solid ideas for improving education but it changes the federal-state dynamic, which may rankle some people.

Federal Budget, Education, U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Politics, U.S. Congress

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioBudget 2011: Driving Innovation Despite the Budget Cap

Mark Muro, February 04, 2010, The Brookings Institution

Budget 2011: Driving Innovation Despite the Budget CapMark Muro examines President Obama's proposed innovation investments in the federal budget, and finds that though the top-line numbers are lacking, the budget would provide a major increase to civilian research and development. Muro writes that these investments could lead to technology will be a key part of creating jobs and increasing American energy independence. Read More

Innovation, Federal Budget, Energy Security, U.S. Department of Defense

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioBudget 2011: Investing in Infrastructure

Robert Puentes, February 04, 2010, The Brookings Institution

Budget 2011: Investing in InfrastructureWhen it comes to infrastructure, President Obama faces a tricky balancing act. On one side he needs to invest in the kind of infrastructure that the nation needs to remain competitive and put us on the path to a low-carbon future. On the other he has to operate in a constrained fiscal environment with programs that are in fundamental need of reform. Read More

Federal Budget, Broadband Policy, Highways, President Obama's Budget: Background Reading, Transportation

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioBudget 2011: Funding for the Department of Education

Alan Berube, February 04, 2010, The Brookings Institution

Budget 2011: Funding for the Department of EducationIn a FY 2011 budget that freezes non-defense discretionary expenditures, the Department of Education has attracted some attention for being one of the few places in the federal government that would attract an increase in funding if the plan is enacted. Read More

Education, Federal Budget, No Child Left Behind, U.S. Department of Education

PAST EVENT

Save to My PortfolioThe Scouting Report: President Obama’s Budget Proposal

Wednesday, February 03, 2010
12:30 PM to 1:30 PM
Washington, DC

The Scouting Report: President Obama’s Budget ProposalPresident Obama’s budget for the federal government landed on Capitol Hill February 1 with a plan to freeze non-military discretionary spending for three years beginning in 2011. On Wednesday, February 3, Isabel Sawhill discussed the release of the federal budget and what it will mean for the coming fiscal year in a live web chat moderated by POLITICO’s senior editor Fred Barbash. Read More

Budget Deficit, The Presidency, Federal Budget, U.S. Economy

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioThe Scouting Report Web Chat: President Obama's Budget Proposal

Isabel V. Sawhill, February 03, 2010, The Brookings Institution

The Scouting Report Web Chat: President Obama's Budget ProposalPresident Obama’s $3.8 trillion budget for the federal government landed on Capitol Hill this week with proposed spending cuts and freezes, increases for defense and homeland security spending, and a new jobs plan – along with a projected deficit of 1.55 trillion for this year. On Wednesday, February 3, Isabel Sawhill discussed the release of the federal budget and what it will mean for the coming fiscal year in a live web chat moderated by POLITICO’s senior editor Fred Barbash. Read More

Budget Deficit, Federal Budget, The Presidency, U.S. Economy

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioBudget 2011: Industry Clusters as a Paradigm for Job Growth

Mark Muro and Sarah Rahman, February 03, 2010, The Brookings Institution

Budget 2011: Industry Clusters as a Paradigm for Job GrowthThe Obama administration’s FY2011 budget request unveils several proposals to support regional industry or innovation “clusters” through multiple federal departments, which could put the U.S. on par with other nations in providing support to these systems of business development. Read More

Cities, Economic Development, Federal Budget, Fiscal Policy, Innovation

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioReviewing the Federal Budget

William A. Galston, February 01, 2010, The Brookings Institution

Reviewing the Federal BudgetWilliam Galston looks at how President Obama's FY 2011 budget tackles deficit reduction and fiscal restraint. Galston notes that most economists believe the recovery is weak, and the possibility of a double-dip recession remains, therefore another year of economic stimulus is likely necessary. Read More

Federal Budget, U.S. Economy, Budget Deficit, U.S. Politics, U.S. Congress

VIDEO

Save to My PortfolioPresident Obama's Plans to Create Jobs and Cut Spending

Bill Frenzel, January 27, 2010

In his State of the Union address, President Obama recommitted himself to creating jobs and offered a plans to freeze government spending and create a presidential commission to address the budget deficit. Bill Frenzel gives mixed reviews to this flurry of ideas and proposals from the president.

Budget Deficit, U.S. Economy, Unemployment, Federal Budget

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioKeep it Simple, Mr. President: Advice for the State of the Union Address

Anthony Popiel and Charles McLean, January 26, 2010, The Brookings Institution

Keep it Simple, Mr. President: Advice for the State of the Union AddressFrom healthcare to Afghanistan to the U.S. economy to counter-terrorism policies, President Obama will likely cover several critical issues in his first State of the Union address.  Anthony Popiel and Charles McLean argue that Obama's message will resonate best with Americans if the president "keeps it simple" and focuses on a few key priorities. Read More

Unemployment, Terrorism, Federal Budget, Homeland Security

PAST EVENT

Train Wreck: A Conference on America's Looming Fiscal Crisis

Friday, January 15, 2010
8:00 AM to 4:00 PM
University of Southern California, Los Angeles
CA

The Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center and USC-Caltech Center for the Study of Law and Politics presented a conference on the long-term fiscal crisis. Leading experts from a range of disciplines assessed the causes of the current crisis, the magnitude of the challenge facing the country in the next decade, and the possible responses by the federal government and the states. Read More

Taxes, Tax Reform, Federal Budget, U.S. Economy

VIDEO

Save to My PortfolioA Fiscal Commission to Balance Spending and Restraint

William A. Galston, December 18, 2009

As the federal government continues its efforts to stabilize and expand the economy it must also take action to manage its mounting debt. William Galston supports the idea of a fiscal commission to help the Obama administration and Congress walk the fine line between spending and fiscal restraint.

Fiscal Policy, Federal Budget, U.S. Economic Growth, U.S. Economy

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioKid's Share: An Analysis of Federal Expenditures on Children through 2008

Julia B. Isaacs, Tracy Vericker, Jennifer Macomber and Adam Kent, December 09, 2009, The Brookings Institution

Kid's Share: An Analysis of Federal Expenditures on Children through 2008In the third annual Kids’ Share report, Julia B. Isaacs, Tracy Vericker, Jennifer Macomber and Adam Kent examine federal spending expenditures and federal tax policies that support and impact children and families. They find that since 1960, the children’s share of the federal budget has diminished by a quarter, while spending on the share devoted to the non-child portions of entitlement programs has more than doubled. Read More

Children & Families, Federal Budget, Social Issues, U.S. Economy

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioStrengthening United States Fiscal Policy

William A. Galston, November 10, 2009, Senate Budget Committee

Speaking before the Senate Budget Committee, Senior Fellow William Galston discussed how the Untied States’ current fiscal course is unsustainable. The level of deficits, debt, and borrowing from abroad projected for the next decade threatens not only our economic prosperity, but also our currency, global leadership, and national independence, he asserted. Galston recommended that an independent, bi-partisan commission be created to address the challenge of developing a sustainable fiscal policy. Read More

Budget Deficit, Executive Branch, Federal Budget, Governance, U.S. Congress

In Brief

President Barack Obama has sent his administration's first budget to Capitol Hill. It calls for $3.55 trillion in fiscal 2010, with over $640 billion for a new health care fund and a new plan to rescue failing banks. For the first time, the budget accounts for the cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Brookings experts have a long history of analyzing the federal budget and providing recommendations for long-term fiscal responsibility.

Featured Experts

Alice M. Rivlin

Alice M. Rivlin

Senior Fellow, Economic Studies

Alice Rivlin, the first director of the Congressional Budget Office, is an expert on urban issues as well as fiscal, monetary and social policy. She directs the Greater Washington Research project. 
Read More

Isabel V. Sawhill

Isabel V. Sawhill

Senior Fellow, Economic Studies
The Cabot Family Chair

A nationally known budget expert, Isabel Sawhill focuses on domestic poverty and federal fiscal policy. She is also co-director of the Center on Children and Families at Brookings.
Read More

William G. Gale

William G. Gale

Senior Fellow, Economic Studies
Arjay and Frances Miller Chair in Federal Economic Policy

Bill Gale, the Arjay and Frances Miller Chair in Federal Economic Policy in the Economic Studies Program at Brookings, is an expert on tax policy, fiscal issues, pensions, and saving behavior. He is also co-director of the Tax Policy Center and director of the Retirement Security Project.
Read More

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Spotlight

TopicEducation

The economic and political well-being of any society requires a well-educated citizenry. Brookings’s work extends beyond the K-12 bookends to include pre-school interventions, higher education and the challenges of education in developing countries.

ExpertMwangi S. Kimenyi

Mwangi S. Kimenyi is a senior fellow with the Africa Growth Initiative. He focuses on Africa's development, including institutions for economic growth, the political economy, and private sector development.

TopicHealth Care

Brookings is committed to producing innovative policy solutions to our nation’s most difficult challenges. The country may face no more important domestic policy challenge than the much-needed reform of our health care system. Through an institution-wide effort, Brookings delivers new ideas and offers policy solutions to improve health care both at home and globally.

ExpertMark McClellan

Mark McClellan works on promoting high-quality, innovative and affordable health care. Once commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration and administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Dr. McClellan now directs the Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform.

Policy CenterCenter on Children and Families

The Center on Children and Families studies policies on the well-being of America's children and their parents and seeks a more effective means of addressing poverty, inequality and lack of opportunity in the United States.

ExpertVanda Felbab-Brown

Vanda Felbab-Brown focuses on the national security implications of illicit economies and strategies for managing them. She is an adjunct professor in the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.

ExpertSuzanne Maloney

Suzanne Maloney studies Iran, the political economy of the Persian Gulf and Middle East energy policy. A former U.S. State Department policy advisor, she has also counseled private companies on Middle East issues.

Research ProjectArms Control Initiative

Few problems pose greater challenges to U.S. national security than controlling, reducing and countering the proliferation of nuclear arms. The Brookings Arms Control Initiative brings the Institution’s multidisciplinary strengths to bear on the critical challenges of arms control and non-proliferation.

Research ProjectAfrica Growth Initiative

The Africa Growth Initiative conducts high-quality policy research and analysis focused on attaining sustainable economic development and prosperity in Africa, while amplifying the voice of African researchers in policy-making and planning.

Research ProjectLatin America Initiative

The Latin America Initiative provides high-quality, in-depth, and independent research across a range of economic and political issues, and offers policy recommendations aimed at U.S. and Latin American policymakers.

ExpertIsabel V. Sawhill

A nationally known budget expert, Isabel Sawhill focuses on domestic poverty and federal fiscal policy. She is also co-director of the Center on Children and Families at Brookings.

ExpertTed Gayer

Ted Gayer is the co-director of the Economic Studies program and the Joseph A. Pechman Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution. He conducts research on a variety of economic issues, focusing particularly on public finance, environmental and energy economics, housing, and regulatory policy.

ExpertAmy Liu

Amy Liu is deputy director of the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program. Her policy studies include economic competitiveness, metropolitan growth and development, governance reforms, urban reinvestment, and social equity.

ExpertRichard C. Bush III

Richard Bush is the director of the Center for Northeast Asian Policy Studies. His public service career spans Congress, the intelligence community and the U.S. State Department. He currently focuses on China-Taiwan and U.S.-China relations, the Korean peninsula and Japan’s security.

Policy CenterCenter for Northeast Asian Policy Studies

CNAPS conducts research, analysis, and outreach designed to enhance policy development and understanding on the pressing political, economic, and security issues facing Northeast Asia.

Research ProjectBrookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement

The Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement monitors displacement problems worldwide, works with governments, regional bodies, international organizations and civil society to create more effective policies and institutional arrangements for Internally Displaed Persons.

Policy CenterUrban-Brookings Tax Policy Center

The Tax Policy Center, a joint venture of the Urban Institute and Brookings Institution, is comprised of nationally recognized experts in tax, budget and social policy who have served at the highest levels of government.

ExpertDomenico Lombardi

As president of the Oxford Institute for Economic Policy, Domenico Lombardi’s work at Brookings focuses on the international financial crisis and the reform of the IMF and the World Bank. He is an expert on G-20 and G8 Summits.