You Thought Medicare Was Safe? Think Again. In the NewsJuly 1, 2025 You Thought Medicare Was Safe? Think Again. In an op-ed published by The Contrarian, Donald Berwick explains how congressional Republicans’ budget reconciliation bill threatens to cut more than $535 billion from Medicaid over the next nine years. Jul 1, 2025 The Contrarian Donald Berwick
Congressional Republicans’ Tax Legislation Would Massively Increase Federal Debt, Even With Enormous Spending Cuts ArticleMay 15, 2025 Congressional Republicans’ Tax Legislation Would Massively Increase Federal Debt, Even With Enormous Spending Cuts The legislation would heavily benefit the wealthy while substantially increasing costs for American households. May 15, 2025 Alan Cohen
Senate Republicans Are Ignoring Senate Rules To Cut Taxes for the Rich ArticleApril 4, 2025 Senate Republicans Are Ignoring Senate Rules To Cut Taxes for the Rich The Senate majority made clear its intent to add trillions of dollars to the national debt while taking food away from the hungry and health care away from the poor. Apr 4, 2025 Bobby Kogan, Alan Cohen
Progressive Principles for the 2025 Tax Debate: Having No Deal Is Better Than Having a Bad Deal ReportDecember 9, 2024 Progressive Principles for the 2025 Tax Debate: Having No Deal Is Better Than Having a Bad Deal Facing the $4 trillion expiration of the Trump tax cuts next year, Congress must not greenlight a tax deal that will worsen income inequality and lose revenue. Dec 9, 2024 Brendan Duke, Bobby Kogan, Jessica Vela
How Does Budget Reconciliation Work? ArticleNovember 19, 2024 How Does Budget Reconciliation Work? What are the rules of reconciliation? What is allowed in, and what is not? Nov 19, 2024 Bobby Kogan, Alan Cohen
The Inflation Reduction Act Still Reduces the Deficit ArticleJune 27, 2024 The Inflation Reduction Act Still Reduces the Deficit Higher clean energy tax credit costs mean they are working better than expected. Jun 27, 2024 Bobby Kogan, Brendan Duke
Fact Sheet: Recommendations for the Department of Labor To Take Further Action on AI Fact SheetJune 17, 2024 Fact Sheet: Recommendations for the Department of Labor To Take Further Action on AI This fact sheet offers recommendations for how the Department of Labor can utilize its authorities to address artificial intelligence (AI). Jun 17, 2024 Reed Shaw
Permanently Extending the Trump Tax Cuts Would Increase Upward Pressure on the Debt Ratio by More Than 50 Percent ArticleJune 5, 2024 Permanently Extending the Trump Tax Cuts Would Increase Upward Pressure on the Debt Ratio by More Than 50 Percent If Congress renews the Trump tax package, the fiscal gap will grow from 2.1 percent of GDP to 3.3 percent of GDP, making debt ratio stabilization 54 percent harder. Jun 5, 2024 Bobby Kogan, Jessica Vela
CBO’s Long-Term Projections of the Primary Deficit Fell Each Year of the Biden Administration ArticleApril 4, 2024 CBO’s Long-Term Projections of the Primary Deficit Fell Each Year of the Biden Administration The Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO) long-term projections of the primary deficit and debt decreased sharply during the Biden administration. Apr 4, 2024 Bobby Kogan
What Happens During a Government Shutdown? ArticleSeptember 21, 2023 What Happens During a Government Shutdown? Learn how a government shutdown affects you. Sep 21, 2023 Bobby Kogan
House Republican Appropriations Proposal Breaks the Debt Limit Deal ReportSeptember 6, 2023 House Republican Appropriations Proposal Breaks the Debt Limit Deal The Senate’s bipartisan appropriations bills protect key priorities, while the House Republican appropriators’ proposal would set the United States on a path toward shutdown. Sep 6, 2023 Bobby Kogan, Jean Ross
Speaker McCarthy’s Debt Ceiling Proposal Would Undo Benefits of Inflation Reduction Act ArticleApril 26, 2023 Speaker McCarthy’s Debt Ceiling Proposal Would Undo Benefits of Inflation Reduction Act Leaders in the House Republican caucus are trying to gut the Biden administration’s climate law; here’s what Americans stand to lose. Apr 26, 2023 Rachel Chang
Budget Caps Are Budget Cuts ArticleApril 24, 2023 Budget Caps Are Budget Cuts The House Republican proposal to cap discretionary funding would lead to deep programmatic cuts, slashing funding by nearly 60 percent within a decade. Apr 24, 2023 Bobby Kogan
Congress Must Raise the Debt Ceiling ArticleMarch 22, 2023 Congress Must Raise the Debt Ceiling Failure to increase the debt ceiling would have a catastrophic impact on the economy and federal programs. Mar 22, 2023 Jean Ross
The House Republican Proposal To Avert a Debt Ceiling Crisis Is Untested and Unworkable ArticleMarch 21, 2023 The House Republican Proposal To Avert a Debt Ceiling Crisis Is Untested and Unworkable Proposals to prioritize certain payments in lieu of increasing the debt ceiling would increase, not decrease, the federal government’s risk of default. Mar 21, 2023 Alan Cohen, Jean Ross
The Inflation Reduction Act Would Only Raise Taxes From Wall Street and Big Corporations ArticleAugust 2, 2022 The Inflation Reduction Act Would Only Raise Taxes From Wall Street and Big Corporations Contrary to critics’ claims, the Inflation Reduction Act would only increase taxes for large corporations and the wealthy while providing meaningful benefits for middle-income families across the country. Aug 2, 2022 Jean Ross, Jessica Vela
The Inflation Reduction Act Brings Down Costs and Boosts Energy Supply, Cutting Inflation and Making Historic Investments Fact SheetJuly 29, 2022 The Inflation Reduction Act Brings Down Costs and Boosts Energy Supply, Cutting Inflation and Making Historic Investments The Inflation Reduction Act would solve mismatches between supply and demand at work in the U.S. economy, reducing inflation and strengthening the country’s long-term economic outlook. Jul 29, 2022 Rose Khattar, Lily Roberts
The Build Back Better Act’s Investments in the IRS Will Substantially Reduce the Tax Gap ArticleNovember 17, 2021 The Build Back Better Act’s Investments in the IRS Will Substantially Reduce the Tax Gap Treasury economists’ estimate that modernizing the IRS will net $400 billion in new revenue will not be reflected in official Congressional Budget Office scores of the bill, but the savings are real and could be even greater. Nov 17, 2021 Jean Ross, Seth Hanlon
One Year Later, the TCJA Fails to Live Up to Its Proponents’ Promises ReportDecember 20, 2018 One Year Later, the TCJA Fails to Live Up to Its Proponents’ Promises President Trump’s tax bill did not reform the tax code, has not benefited American workers, and increased the deficit by $1.9 trillion. Dec 20, 2018 Andrew Schwartz, Galen Hendricks
Trump: Making the Trade Deficit Great Again ReportApril 5, 2017 Trump: Making the Trade Deficit Great Again President Trump’s combination of tax cuts, hawkish monetary policy, and financial deregulation will cause the U.S. dollar and trade deficit to rise. Apr 5, 2017 Brendan Duke
We’ve Made Remarkable Progress Toward Reducing the Deficit ArticleFebruary 5, 2013 We’ve Made Remarkable Progress Toward Reducing the Deficit The Congressional Budget Office’s most recent budget projections show that the United States has made astounding progress toward reducing the federal budget deficit. Feb 5, 2013 Michael Linden
Budget Cuts Set Funding Path to Historic Lows ReportJanuary 29, 2013 Budget Cuts Set Funding Path to Historic Lows Spending on a raft of key federal programs from airport security to health care research under the “non-defense discretionary” budget banner will dip to all-time lows under the Budget Control Act. Jan 29, 2013 Michael Linden
Loopholes in the Estate Tax Show Why Revenue Must Be on the Table ArticleJanuary 24, 2013 Loopholes in the Estate Tax Show Why Revenue Must Be on the Table Before Congress sacrifices needed public investments or puts programs that serve middle-class families at risk in the name of deficit reduction, it should ensure that the estate tax is actually paid by the few wealthy estates still subject to it. Jan 24, 2013 Seth Hanlon, Sarah Ayres Steinberg
Next Round of Deficit Reduction Must Tackle Hidden Spending in the Tax Code ReportJanuary 22, 2013 Next Round of Deficit Reduction Must Tackle Hidden Spending in the Tax Code Reducing or reforming certain tax breaks for high-income individuals and corporations could raise $1 trillion in revenue over 10 years. Jan 22, 2013 Seth Hanlon
House Republicans Still Haven’t Learned Lessons from Their 1995 Government Shutdown ArticleJanuary 17, 2013 House Republicans Still Haven’t Learned Lessons from Their 1995 Government Shutdown Facing three potential fiscal crises in the next 10 weeks, House Republicans and the president would do well to look back at the 1995 government shutdown for compromise ideas and lessons learned. Jan 17, 2013 Scott Lilly
The Deficit Reduction We Have Achieved So Far ArticleJanuary 8, 2013 The Deficit Reduction We Have Achieved So Far Three-quarters of the $2.4 trillion in deficit reduction already enacted since the start of fiscal year 2011 has been spending cuts. Jan 8, 2013 Michael Linden, Michael Ettlinger
Revenue from the Fiscal Cliff Deal in Context ArticleJanuary 3, 2013 Revenue from the Fiscal Cliff Deal in Context After a decade of repeated tax cuts, the increase in revenue achieved in the legislation to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff is a step in the right direction, but it won’t be enough. Jan 3, 2013 Michael Linden, Michael Ettlinger
Cliff Diving ArticleDecember 31, 2012 Cliff Diving Congressional Republicans’ unwillingness to let the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy expire is irresponsible and will prove harmful to our economic future. Dec 31, 2012 Michael Ettlinger
Plan B: Job Losses, Middle-Class Tax Increases, and Trivial Deficit Reduction ArticleDecember 19, 2012 Plan B: Job Losses, Middle-Class Tax Increases, and Trivial Deficit Reduction House Speaker John Boehner’s plan lacks seriousness and is an attempt to divert attention from an unwillingness to adopt a balanced approach that all serious people recognize as a necessity. Dec 19, 2012 Michael Linden, Michael Ettlinger
5 Reasons Faith Communities Care About the Fiscal Showdown ArticleDecember 19, 2012 5 Reasons Faith Communities Care About the Fiscal Showdown The faithful are standing alongside their fellow citizens to remind our elected officials that society’s most vulnerable—the hungry, the elderly, the poor, the sick, and the needy—should be reflected in and protected by our national policies. Dec 19, 2012 Jack Jenkins
President Obama’s Latest Proposal Largely Mirrors the Bipartisan Simpson-Bowles Plan ArticleDecember 19, 2012 President Obama’s Latest Proposal Largely Mirrors the Bipartisan Simpson-Bowles Plan The president is trying to find a middle ground on both revenue and spending cuts, and only the most ideologically blinded lawmakers would reject his latest proposal to resolve the fiscal showdown. Dec 19, 2012 Michael Linden
Congress Should Extend Emergency Unemployment Benefits Now ArticleDecember 17, 2012 Congress Should Extend Emergency Unemployment Benefits Now If Congress fails to extend emergency unemployment benefits, the U.S. economy will create 300,000 fewer jobs next year and three in four unemployed Americans will receive no benefits. Dec 17, 2012 Sarah Ayres Steinberg
The ‘Debt Limit’: Time to End 95 Years of False Labeling ArticleDecember 13, 2012 The ‘Debt Limit’: Time to End 95 Years of False Labeling What we now call “debt limit legislation” should be called “deadbeat legislation.” Dec 13, 2012 Scott Lilly
$100 Billion in Politically Feasible Defense Cuts for a Budget Deal ReportDecember 6, 2012 $100 Billion in Politically Feasible Defense Cuts for a Budget Deal If carried out correctly, a well-managed defense drawdown can return the Pentagon’s budget to more sustainable levels without harming our national security or our economic recovery. Dec 6, 2012 Lawrence J. Korb, Alex Rothman, Max Hoffman
7 Ways that Looming Budget Cuts to Public Lands and Oceans Will Affect All Americans ReportDecember 6, 2012 7 Ways that Looming Budget Cuts to Public Lands and Oceans Will Affect All Americans Sequestration will inflict massive cuts on programs that protect our public lands and oceans—cuts that will impact all of us in a variety of ways. Dec 6, 2012 Jessica Goad, Michael Conathan, Christy Goldfuss
Reforming Our Tax System, Reducing Our Deficit ReportDecember 4, 2012 Reforming Our Tax System, Reducing Our Deficit In order to secure our fiscal future and achieve meaningful deficit reduction over the next 10 years, we need a plan that combines progressive, revenue-enhancing tax reform with pragmatic spending cuts that do not undermine the middle class, the poor, or seniors. Dec 4, 2012 Roger Altman, William Daley, John Podesta, 8 More Robert Rubin, Leslie Samuels, Lawrence H. Summers, Neera Tanden, Antonio Weiss, Michael Ettlinger, Seth Hanlon, Michael Linden
Tackling Climate Change and Environmental Injustice IssueNovember 1, 2021 Tackling Climate Change and Environmental Injustice We pursue climate action that meets the crisis’s urgency, creates good-quality jobs, benefits disadvantaged communities, and restores U.S. credibility on the global stage.
Restoring Social Trust in Democracy IssueNovember 1, 2021 Restoring Social Trust in Democracy Democracy is under attack at home and abroad. We must act to ensure it is accessible to all, accountable, and can serve as a force of good.
Building an Economy for All IssueNovember 1, 2021 Building an Economy for All Economic growth must be built on the foundation of a strong and secure middle class so that all Americans benefit from growth.