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Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Budget

News                                                                                                                             
Market Watch | CBO cuts 2014 deficit estimate by $46 billion
The U.S. budget deficit for fiscal 2014 will total $514 billion, or 3% of gross domestic product, the Congressional Budget Office estimated on Tuesday.
Politico | John Boehner: GOP needs debt plan ‘consensus’
Speaker John Boehner urged Republicans to rally around a plan to lift the debt limit and said the House cannot allow the Senate to dictate the contours of the legislative battle.
WSJ | Tax Refunds Add Urgency on Debt Ceiling
A fresh battle over the debt ceiling is looming, and lawmakers will have less time and flexibility to negotiate than in earlier fights because of the annual rush of people seeking tax refunds this month.

Econ Comments & Analysis                                                                                            
Mercatus | Personnel Costs May Overwhelm Department of Defense Budget
While most Americans are cognizant of the pressures that rising health costs place on big-ticket budget items like Medicare and Social Security, defense spending is often framed strictly in terms of military action.

Blogs                                                                                                                             
Heritage Foundation | New CBO Report: $514 Billion Deficit in 2014, Surging to Trillions by 2022
The nation’s fiscal situation is much worse today than when President Obama first took office. Public debt borrowed in credit markets stands at 73.6 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), a level last seen after World War II. And yet, the news and many lawmakers will tout a very different story.
Heritage Foundation | Get Ready For a Year of 'Inaction' On the National Debt
President Obama had an opportunity to satisfy the vast majority of voters by making the national debt a “high priority” in his State of the Union speech. But he squandered his chance.