The Debt

How Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Is Already Shifting the Debate on Taxes and Deficits

By Yuval Rosenberg

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the youngest woman ever elected to Congress, has wasted no time in making waves in Congress, emerging as a focal point for the national press — and social media powerhouse...
The Great Debt Debate

By Michael Rainey

We told you last week about a new paper from economist Olivier Blanchard that caused a stir by suggesting that government debt may be less problematic than many experts have believed. Blanchard found...
Leading Economist Says Government Debt Might Not Be So Bad After All

By Michael Rainey

Renowned macroeconomist Olivier Blanchard says that policymakers may need to fundamentally revise their views on the long-term cost of government debt. Delivering the presidential address at last...
Why the Next Fiscal Fight Could Be Much More Dangerous

By Michael Rainey

The partial government shutdown has had a limited impact so far, but the dysfunction currently on display in Washington doesn’t bode well for another fiscal fight on the horizon, says Chris Krueger...
CBO Offers 121 Ways to Shrink the Deficit

By The Fiscal Times Staff

The Congressional Budget Office has released a 326-page guide that describes dozens of ways the federal government could reduce its large and growing budget deficit. The 121 policy options included...

Moody’s Warns of Declining US Fiscal Strength

By The Fiscal Times Staff

Trump’s tax cuts combined with a slowing economy will diminish the United States’ “fiscal strength” over the next 10 years, Moody’s Investor Service said Wednesday. The gradual decline could pressure...
Trump Says National Debt Is Not His Problem: Report

By Michael Rainey and Yuval Rosenberg

As a candidate, Donald Trump said he could eliminate the national debt in eight years, largely by focusing on better trade deals. But in office, Trump has presided over a considerable increase in red...
Paul Ryan Says the National Debt Is His Biggest Regret. See How It Grew Under His Watch.

By Yuval Rosenberg

Outgoing House Speaker Paul Ryan said Thursday that the ballooning national debt is his biggest regret. In an interview with The Washington Post , Ryan named the debt and immigration as the two...
Flood of US Debt Overwhelms Bond Funds

By Michael Rainey

The U.S. government will issue $129 billion of debt this week, a 28 percent increase over the same time last year, and the surge in borrowing is so great that it’s “beginning to warp bond indexes,”...
Is Trump Serious About Tackling the Deficit? Obviously Not

By Yuval Rosenberg

President Trump is demanding that his advisers come up with a plan to reduce the deficit, The Washington Post’s Josh Dawsey and Damian Paletta report . Oh, and President Trump is also pushing new...

US Treasury to Borrow More Than $1.3 Trillion in 2018

By Michael Rainey

The U.S. Treasury said Monday it expects to issue about $425 billion in debt this quarter, raising its 2018 borrowing to more than $1.3 trillion, a 145 percent increase from the $546 billion issued...
US Debt Issuance Headed for a Record High

By Michael Rainey

Bond traders expect the U.S. Treasury to announce record-setting debt sales at the end of the month, Bloomberg’s Liz McCormick says : “Many strategists at primary-dealer firms predict that the...
Most Americans Haven't Heard Much About the Rising Deficit

By Yuval Rosenberg

The Treasury Department’s announcement last week that the federal budget deficit grew 17 percent to $779 billion in fiscal 2018, the highest level in six years, was pretty big news around these parts...
Bond Traders Shrug Off Massive Debt Auctions

By Michael Rainey

The U.S. Treasury is issuing $276 billion in debt this week as the deficit continues to soar in the wake of the tax cuts and higher government spending this year, with some specific bills and notes...
Trump Is Hitting Economy’s Accelerator and Brakes at the Same Time: Analyst

By Yuval Rosenberg

Stocks have experienced some dramatic swings in recent days as investors try to digest and make sense of corporate earnings; rising interest rates and conflicting monetary and fiscal policy;...