The Debt

A Warning About the Next Economic Crisis from Leaders Who Battled the Last One

By Yuval Rosenberg

Three top officials who helped steer the U.S. through the financial crisis a decade ago warned Tuesday that, while the banking system has clearly been strengthened, policymakers might find it harder...
Is Corporate Debt Pointing to a Recession?

By Michael Rainey

A measure of corporate debt levels is reaching worrisome levels, says Joseph Lavorgna, chief economist at the investment bank Natixis. In a note to clients Tuesday, Lavorgna said that the ratio of...
Democrats and the Deficit: The Intraparty Fight Ahead

By Yuval Rosenberg

Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, the 28-year-old Democratic Socialist who stunned the political world and roiled the Democratic Party this month by defeating Rep. Joe Crowley (D-NY) in a primary, believes in...
Worrying About the Next Recession

By Yuval Rosenberg

When will the next recession hit? It’s been more than nine years since the Great Recession officially ended , and the U.S. economy is about a year away from passing the 1990s expansion to become the...
Another Problem with Larry Kudlow's Deficit Whopper

By Yuval Rosenberg

Larry Kudlow, director of President Trump’s National Economic Council, set off a wave of incredulous head-scratching on Friday by claiming in an interview with Fox Business Network that the federal...

Larry Kudlow, Trump’s Top Economic Adviser, Says the Deficit Is Falling. It Is Not.

By Yuval Rosenberg

Larry Kudlow, President Trump’s top economic adviser, said on the Fox Business Network Friday morning that the federal budget deficit is falling “rapidly.” In response to a Maria Bartiromo question...
US Interest Costs Will Match Social Security Spending by 2048, CBO Says

By Yuval Rosenberg

The Congressional Budget Office on Tuesday confirmed what we already knew: The U.S. faces a rising tide of red ink, with the national debt as a share of the economy projected to nearly double over...
Bill Clinton’s Surplus Miracle, 20 Years Later

By Sheila Weinberg

Standing behind a podium in the Rose Garden, President Bill Clinton delivered a bold prediction 20 years ago. “Well ahead of the most ambitious schedule, America has balanced the budget,” he declared...
Forget Tax Cuts: Trump’s Immigration Policy Is Drowning Out GOP Issues

By Yuval Rosenberg and Michael Rainey

Republicans had planned to focus on the tax cuts this week as we approach the six-month anniversary of the Trump administration's major legislative achievement, the passage of the tax bill in...
The Politics Behind Permanent Trillion-Dollar Deficits

By Yuval Rosenberg

Budget Guy Stan Collender writes that budget deficits under the Trump administration are projected to hit $1 trillion in 2020 — and keep rising to $1.5 trillion in fiscal 2028. “But what’s most...

Record Budget Surplus in April

By Michael Rainey

It may seem a bit odd to talk about a budget surplus at a time of soaring deficits, but tax receipts are coming in stronger than expected in April and the Congressional Budget Office is now...
Why $21 Trillion in Debt Doesn't Bother the Credit Agencies

By The Fiscal Times Staff

The U.S national debt has surpassed $21 trillion, up 2.8 percent since the start of the year, but two of the leading credit agencies aren’t worried about the country’s ability to keep up with its...
Why the Deficit Outlook Could Be Even Worse Than It Seems

By The Fiscal Times Staff

The Congressional Budget Office warned earlier this month that the U.S. will start running $1 trillion deficits in 2020, and that the national debt will be nearly as large as the economy in a decade...
Here's Why You Shouldn't Panic as 10-Year Treasury Yield Tops 3%

By Yuval Rosenberg

Yields on 10-year Treasuries hit the widely watched and psychologically significant 3 percent level Tuesday for the first time since January 2014, continuing a months-long climb that has been driven...
Deficit Owls Say You Shouldn’t Give a Hoot About $1 Trillion Budget Shortfall

By Yuval Rosenberg

As warnings rise about the Congressional Budget Office’s projection that the federal budget deficit is on pace to top $1 trillion in 2020, The Washington Post’s Jeff Stein on Friday highlighted a...