The Debt

The Deficit Is Heading to $1 Trillion. How Worried Should We Be?

By Michael Rainey

Should we be worried about the rising federal deficit? If not, when should we start worrying – when it hits $1 trillion a year? $2 trillion? Never? That’s the topic of debate in a Bloomberg piece...
‘Beware Trillion-Dollar Deficits,’ Barron’s Says

By Yuval Rosenberg

In the latest Barron’s cover story, Jack Hough warns of the long-term risks of rising U.S. public debt. While noting that there’s little chance of hitting debt-related turbulence anytime soon and...
Are Deficit Hawks Dead or Just Playing Possum?

By Yuval Rosenberg

“The deficits hawks are dead,” declared Paul Kane, The Washington Post’s senior congressional correspondent and columnist, in a piece over the weekend. It’s easy to see why Kane says that, and there’...
Why the Markets Aren’t Freaking Out About Soaring US Debt

By Yuval Rosenberg

Does the high and rising level of U.S. public debt matter? If so, how concerned should we be? Goldman Sachs asks those questions in a new research piece, noting that the “fiscal outlook for both...
Is Joe Scarborough Right About the GOP and the National Debt?

By The Fiscal Times Staff

Former GOP congressman and current Trump antagonist Joe Scarborough laid into the president and his party this week, finding fault with, among other things, their track record on deficit spending. "...

‘Things Are So Much Worse’ – but Does Anyone Care About the Deficit?

By Yuval Rosenberg

As we told you yesterday , the Congressional Budget Office estimated this week that the deficit for the first 11 months of fiscal 2018 totaled $895 billion, or $222 billion more than it was over the...
Deficit Soaring in 2018

By The Fiscal Times Staff

The federal deficit was 32 percent larger in the first 11 months of fiscal year 2018 than it was during the same time period in 2017, the Congressional Budget Office announced Monday. The deficit...
The Cost of War Since 9/11

By Michael Rainey

The wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria have cost the U.S. more than $1.5 trillion, according to Department of Defense data reported by CNCB Monday. The Pentagon report covers war-related operational...
Tax Cuts 2.0: What’s in the GOP Plan and Why It Matters

By Yuval Rosenberg

With an eye toward November’s midterm elections, House Republicans on Monday unveiled legislation to make permanent the individual tax cuts and pass-through business deductions that were set to...
Trump Wanted Higher Taxes on the Rich – and to Print Lots of Money: Woodward

By Michael Rainey

Bob Woodward’s book on the Trump administration, “Fear: Trump in the White House,” hits bookstores Tuesday but has been making headlines for about a week as details leak out. According to a review of...

Treasury Gears Up for a Borrowing Binge

By Michael Rainey

As the federal deficit rises, the U.S. Treasury plans to borrow $329 billion between July and the end of September, and another $440 billion in the last three months of the year. If those numbers...
Tax Cuts 2.0 Could Cost $600 Billion

By Michael Rainey

Republicans in the House released a brief outline of their proposed next round of tax cuts Tuesday. The two-page document calls for making the individual tax cuts and pass-through deductions, which...
A Warning About the Next Economic Crisis from Leaders Who Battled the Last One

By Yuval Rosenberg

Three top officials who helped steer the U.S. through the financial crisis a decade ago warned Tuesday that, while the banking system has clearly been strengthened, policymakers might find it harder...
Is Corporate Debt Pointing to a Recession?

By Michael Rainey

A measure of corporate debt levels is reaching worrisome levels, says Joseph Lavorgna, chief economist at the investment bank Natixis. In a note to clients Tuesday, Lavorgna said that the ratio of...
Democrats and the Deficit: The Intraparty Fight Ahead

By Yuval Rosenberg

Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, the 28-year-old Democratic Socialist who stunned the political world and roiled the Democratic Party this month by defeating Rep. Joe Crowley (D-NY) in a primary, believes in...