Macroeconomics

Defense Spending Projected To Rise With Deficit at 6.6% Of GDP

The Trump administration's fiscal 2027 budget proposes a $1.154 trillion defense discretionary request, about 3.4% of GDP, alongside cuts that would bring...

Macroeconomics

Federal Deficit Grows as Mandatory Spending, Interest Costs Rise

The federal government continues to spend more than it collects, as rising costs for major benefit programs and interest on the national debt put increasing...

Social Welfare

Official poverty rate falls to 10.2%, SPM flat at 13.1%

The United States official poverty rate fell to 10.2 percent in 2025, down from 10.7 percent the prior year, according to a Congressional Research Service...

Congress

Fiscal Commission Hearing Considers Fixes for $40 Trillion Debt

Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-TX-19) has called the fiscal trajectory "immoral" and referenced the pace at which the U.S. is adding to the national debt. Treasury...

Politics

Corporate Tax Burden on Workers Remains Unresolved

Decades of research on whether corporate income taxes fall primarily on workers or investors has produced wildly conflicting conclusions that leave core...

Macroeconomics

Bessent Defends Bond Buybacks as Treasury Yields Hit 19-Year High

The Trump administration's economic strategy came under fire during the annual hearing on the international financial system, with Treasury Secretary Scott...

Macroeconomics

U.S.-Canada Trade Ties Face Tariffs and Uncertainty

The U.S.-Canada commercial relationship faces new tariffs, retaliatory measures, and uncertainty over the agreement that currently governs trade. A new...

Labor and Employment

Actors' Equity Switches Firms on Performing Artist Taxes

Actors' Equity Association switched lobbying firms in early September, ending its relationship with Meltsner Strategies LLC and engaging Alignment...

Government Operations

Federal K-12 Funding Falls From Pandemic-Era Highs

According to a Congressional Research Service (CRS) report titled "Funding for Public Elementary and Secondary Schools", the federal share jumped to 12.74...

Macroeconomics

Taiwan Boosts Defense Spending Amid PRC Military Pressure

The Chinese government engages in persistent noncombat operations that erode Taiwan's military and societal resilience, including large-scale military...

Congress

House Panel Weighs Energy Costs as Small Business Demand Grows

The House Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Supply Chains held a hearing September 2 examining how rising demand for energy, water and...

Macroeconomics

Housing Supply Lags Population Growth

The United States faces a housing shortage despite adding millions of new units over the past quarter-century. According to a new Congressional Research...

Macroeconomics

PAYGO Scorecards: Billions Excluded to Avoid Cuts

The Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 (PAYGO) was designed as a budget enforcement mechanism to ensure that new laws affecting mandatory spending or...

Transportation

Fertilizer Supply Chain Faces Domestic Constraints

A Congressional Research Service (CRS) report on fertilizer transportation, published Sept. 4, shows that domestic supply constraints are undermining the...

Congress

Highway Trust Fund Nears Insolvency as Congress Weighs Options

A Congressional Research Service report on surface transportation reauthorization released September 8 projects the Highway Trust Fund's balance will...

Macroeconomics

House to Question Treasury Secretary on Global Financial Instability

The global financial system is sending mixed signals, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will take questions from Congress about what it all means. A...

Macroeconomics

EDA Expands Mission While Facing Staffing Cuts

The Economic Development Administration (EDA), the only federal agency with economic development as its sole mission, has seen its staffing fall to 198...