News
National Journal | A Crappy Job on the U.S. Debt, Deficit, and Growth
President Obama and House Republicans are punting on a problem bigger than Obamacare.
WSJ | Debt-Limit Ideas Still Being Floated
House Republican leaders, looking Wednesday for ways to ease passage of a needed increase in the federal borrowing limit this month, are considering adding sweeteners with bipartisan appeal such as a boost in pensions for military veterans.
Econ Comments & Analysis
Politico | House GOP stymied on debt limit
Now, Speaker John Boehner (Ohio) and other top Republicans are considering attaching a whole laundry list of provisions to the debt ceiling that do precious little to decrease the deficit but would instead serve only to attract enough Democratic support to move the legislation on to the Senate.
CRS | The Debt Limit Since 2011
Total federal debt can increase in two ways. First, through debt increases when the government sells debt to the public to finance budget deficits and acquire the financial resources needed to meet its obligations. This increases debt held by the public. Second, through debt increases when the federal government issues debt to certain government accounts, such as the Social Security, Medicare, and Transportation trust funds, in exchange for their reported surpluses.
Blogs
WSJ: Real Time Economics | Six Ways Debt Ceiling Brinkmanship Can Hurt the U.S.
Washington’s repeated brawls over raising the federal borrowing limit all ended without causing economic disasters. They haven’t ended without economic damage altogether.
Heritage Foundation | Bam! We're Already Hitting the Debt Ceiling Again
It’s timely that the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) put out new numbers on America’s financial situation this week. By the end of the week, we’ll be hitting the debt ceiling again.
