The Federal Budget

Blog Posts

A general view of the U.S. Capitol, in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, February 9, 2023. (Graeme Sloan/Sipa USA)No Use Germany.

FixGov

Why is federal spending so hard to cut? — There’s a right way and a wrong way

Elaine Kamarck

Monday, March 13, 2023

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks about his budget for fiscal year 2024 at the Finishing Trades Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., March 9, 2023. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

FixGov

The president’s budget and the battle ahead

Molly E. Reynolds

Friday, March 10, 2023

The Department of The Treasury building is seen in Washington, D.C. on January 19, 2023, as the United States hits the debt ceiling set by Congress. (Photo by Bryan Olin Dozier/NurPhoto)NO USE FRANCE

FixGov

Why is federal spending so hard to cut? — Three popular ideas that won’t fix the federal debt

Donald F. Kettl

Wednesday, March 1, 2023

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Events

Related Books

The $13 Trillion Question

Edited by David Wessel

2015

Central Banking after the Great Recession

Edited by David Wessel

2014

Presidential Pork

By John Hudak

2014

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Experts

Isabel V. Sawhill

Senior Fellow - Economic Studies, Center on Children and Families, Future of the Middle Class Initiative

isawhill

William G. Gale

The Arjay and Frances Fearing Miller Chair in Federal Economic Policy

Senior Fellow - Economic Studies

Director - Retirement Security Project

Co-Director - Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center

WilliamGale2

Ron Haskins

Senior Fellow Emeritus - Economic Studies

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Multimedia

Image of US Treasury Department website with definition of the debt limit, next to some 100 dollar bills.

Podcast Episode

What’s happening with the debt ceiling (again)?

Wendy Edelberg, William G. Gale, Molly E. Reynolds, David Wessel, and Adrianna Pita

Wednesday, January 25, 2023

The Federal Budget

Fiscal policy and budget deficits following the pandemic

N. Gregory Mankiw and Phillip Swagel

Monday, March 28, 2022

Laptop with stethoscope and and pie chart.

Up Front

How budget flexibility tools help address social determinants of health

Stuart M. Butler, Timothy Higashi, and Nehath Sheriff

Monday, October 5, 2020

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More on The Federal Budget

FILE PHOTO: US President Joe Biden delivers his State of the Union Address before lawmakers in the US Capitol in Washington, DC, U.S., March 1, 2022. Jim Lo Scalzo/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

Biden State of the Union 2023: Debt ceiling rhetoric is politically potent but often wrong

Isabel V. Sawhill

Wednesday, February 1, 2023

FILE PHOTO: The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) building is seen in Washington, U.S. September 28, 2020. REUTERS/Erin Scott/File Photo

Cutting IRS funding is a gift to America’s wealthiest tax evaders

Vanessa Williamson

Thursday, January 26, 2023

Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-NY) holds a press conference in Statuary Hall following a vote in the House of Representatives in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 12, 2023. This marks the conclusion of McCarthys first week as Speaker after 15 rounds of ballots, which was the first time in over 100 years that more than 1 ballot was needed. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Sipa USA)No Use Germany.

The McCarthy deal is guaranteed fiscal brinkmanship

Molly E. Reynolds

Thursday, January 12, 2023

A general view of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, July 19, 2022. (Graeme Sloan/Sipa USA)No Use Germany.

What Americans still want from government reform — a midsummer update

Paul C. Light

Wednesday, July 20, 2022

Inflation-related updates to ‘Recession Remedies’

Wendy Edelberg and Mitchell Barnes

Wednesday, May 18, 2022

Joint Chiefs Chairman General Mark Milley and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin testify before a House Armed Services Committee hearing on "Department of Defense's Budget Requests for FY2023”, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., April 5, 2022. REUTERS/Tom Brenner

As Biden administration’s defense budget and National Defense Strategy emerge, concerns abound

Kelly McElveny

Wednesday, April 13, 2022

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Reports

BPEA Fall 2022 conference

A conversation with HASC Chairman Adam Smith

The future of the defense budget

Senior Fellow - Economic Studies, Center on Children and Families, Future of the Middle Class Initiative

The Arjay and Frances Fearing Miller Chair in Federal Economic Policy

Senior Fellow - Economic Studies

Director - Retirement Security Project

Co-Director - Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center

Senior Fellow Emeritus - Economic Studies