federal deficit

August 11, 2014

Will You Get Your Social Security Benefits?

The 2014 Social Security Trustees Report says that after we deplete the remains of the program's trust funds in 2033, payroll taxes will not provide all promised benefits.

July 6, 2014

A Speedy Summary of Spending in the US Federal Budget

Right now, the Congress is supposedly debating the 2015 federal budget. Because the new fiscal year begins October 1, their deadline is September 30. But not […]

March 21, 2014

The One Big Reason We Can’t Really Cut the Federal Deficit

It is tough to be a deficit hawk.   Rather than our typical spike in wartime spending, we have a peacetime deficit. (Please note that the federal […]

January 30, 2014

Have We Halved the Deficit?

In the State-of-the-Union, President Obama said, “Our deficits–cut by more than half.” Looking at the federal deficit as a percent of GDP, we can say that the […]