The Debt

Does the Deficit Matter? Congress Asks Four Top Economists

By Yuval Rosenberg and Michael Rainey

Wednesday’s impeachment hearings will rightly dominate headlines given the bombshells in Ambassador Gordon Sondland’s testimony, but they weren’t the only hearings happening in Congress. The House...
How the Deficit Looms Over the Democratic Presidential Race

By Yuval Rosenberg

Democrats are set to hold another presidential primary debate Wednesday night, and if the pattern from past debates holds true, we’ll likely hear the 10 candidates on stage talk a lot about health...
Rethinking the Debt Threat: House Panel to Hold Hearing Next Week

By Yuval Rosenberg

The House Budget Committee will hold a hearing next week examining the costs and consequences of federal debt, with four prominent economists slated to testify. Ahead of the hearing, Democratic...
Cost of Wars Since 9/11: $6.4 Trillion and Rising

By Michael Rainey

The total cost of the wars fought since 9/11 is approaching $6.4 trillion, according to an annual report published Wednesday by the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown...
National Debt Hits $23 Trillion

By Michael Rainey

Total federal debt has surpassed $23 trillion for the first time, according to data released by the Treasury Department Friday. Of that amount, $17 trillion is debt held by the public, which is...

Two Takes on Republican Debt Hypocrisy

By Yuval Rosenberg

The federal deficit for fiscal 2019 was nearly $1 trillion, and the national debt is going to hit $23 trillion within a matter of days. President Trump once said he would eliminate the national debt...
The Budget Outlook Isn’t Good — but It Has ‘Improved Substantially Since 2010’: Report

By Yuval Rosenberg

The national debt is now approaching $23 trillion, up nearly $9 trillion from the end of 2010, and the debt held by the public now stands at nearly $17 trillion, up about $7.5 trillion from since the...
2019 Deficit Was Just Under $1 Trillion, Highest in 7 Years: CBO

By Yuval Rosenberg

The federal budget deficit for fiscal year 2019 grew to $984 billion, or 4.7% of GDP, the highest since 2012, the Congressional Budget Office estimated on Monday. The total for 2019 is 26% higher...
McCarthy Says Debt Will Be ‘Taken Care of’ if GOP Wins the House

By Michael Rainey

Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said Thursday that the national debt would be his top priority if Republicans succeed in retaking the House in 2020. “First thing we would do is make sure our debt is...
Mnuchin Says Treasury Is ‘Seriously Considering’ a 50-Year Bond

By Michael Rainey

Asked about President Trump’s recent suggestion that the U.S. should “refinance” its debt at lower interest rates over a longer time horizon, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Thursday his...

Treasury Plans Big Jump in Debt Sales

By The Fiscal Times Staff

The U.S. Treasury announced Monday that it plans to borrow more – a lot more – than previously projected in the third quarter. Total borrowing is expected to hit $433 billion in the July-to-September...
Republicans Defy Trump as House Passes Two-Year Budget Deal

By Yuval Rosenberg

The House on Thursday afternoon passed a two-year budget deal that would raise spending, suspend the debt ceiling through July 2021 and add an estimated $1.7 trillion to the national debt over the...
Budget Deal Moving Ahead, Despite Outrage on the Right

By Michael Rainey

The bipartisan deal to suspend the debt ceiling and increase federal spending over the next two years will get a vote in the House on Thursday, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) said late...
Deficit Don? Now Trump Has to Sell His Budget Deal

By Yuval Rosenberg

They’ve clinched a deal. Now they have to sell it. The Trump administration and congressional leaders set out Tuesday to ensure they’ll have the votes needed to pass the two-year agreement they...
Trump and Pelosi Strike a Big Budget Deal

By Yuval Rosenberg

President Trump announced Monday afternoon that he had reached a deal with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other congressional leaders to raise spending on both defense and non-defense programs over...