Responsibility Politics Behind impasse in Congress: Rising deficits, record debt | View caption Hide caption There’s an element of political theater to the budget showdown that almost caused a government shutdown in the United States over the weekend. But behind the unfinished drama are difficult challenges of debt and deficits. The problem, economists say, isn’t…
Freedom Caucus: The Fight Club of Congress | View caption Hide caption Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, a key player in the shutdown drama, often appears with the Freedom Caucus. But he says he’s technically just an “admirer.” Georgia firebrand Marjorie Taylor Greene was a member, and now isn’t, under circumstances that remain unclear. You can…
West Virginia University officials recently proposed sweeping cuts at its flagship Morgantown campus, startling faculty members and students alike. The “financially beleaguered” state-funded public university proposed eliminating 169 faculty positions and dropping nearly three dozen undergraduate and graduate programs, per Inside Higher Ed. This includes “the entirety of the department of world languages, literatures and…
America just saw its credit rating drop. The Associated Press reported that Fitch Ratings downgraded the U.S. debt rating from AAA to AA. That was “a move that spurred debate in Washington about spending and tax policies.” Fitch said the government’s rising debt burden and the country’s increasingly ugly political fights — including factors like…
AI is transforming education from grade school to grad school and making take-home essays obsolete. Here’s everything you need to know: How is AI changing schooling? It’s raising questions about whether age-old methods of educating people can or should survive in a world where sophisticated answers to virtually any question are just a few keystrokes…
For ACA, a cautionary tale about rushing law changes through legislative short cut This is a cautionary tale about the dangers of rushing a major change in health and tax laws through a legislative short cut – one that may prove timely in the current debate over the ACA. | View caption Hide caption I…
America just saw its credit rating drop. The Associated Press reported that Fitch Ratings downgraded the U.S. debt rating from AAA to AA. That was “a move that spurred debate in Washington about spending and tax policies.” Fitch said the government’s rising debt burden and the country’s increasingly ugly political fights — including factors like…
Does Trump have a fiscal math problem? The spending plan Trump aides described this week will never pass Congress, not even one where both chambers are controlled by Republicans, says the Tax Policy Center. | View caption Hide caption This week, the Trump Administration said it would ask Congress for big increases in defense spending…
Dear lawmakers: Border-adjustable tax can’t shrink trade deficit while producing trillions in revenue Some lawmakers claim a border-adjustable tax will raise massive amounts of revenue to help pay for corporate tax cuts and give a powerful jolt to US-based manufacturers. But both cannot be true. | View caption Hide caption Lawmakers who back a border…
How should government spend carbon tax revenues? A high-powered group of Republicans and business executives proposed replacing regulations for reducing greenhouse gases with a carbon tax. The two most interesting things about this initiative are who proposed it and what they’d do with the money. | View caption Hide caption The other day, a high-powered group…