Downsizing Blog
Return Discretionary Spending to Pre‐Pandemic Levels
After this week’s election, members of Congress will return to Washington for a lame‐duck session during which they will confront a “must‐pass” deadline of their own making.
The Debt Limit: A Lever to Change Autopilot Spending
“The debt ceiling is an important tool for addressing debt and deficit,” suggests Rep. Adrian Smith (R‑NE).
IRS Report Shows Stable Tax Gap
The IRS has released a new estimate of the “tax gap,” which is the amount of federal taxes owed but not paid.
Spending and Debt Limits to Backstop Government Expansion
Government spending growth is directly related to expansions in the scope of government.
Federal Reserve: High Pay, Low Performance
Economists are blaming today’s high inflation on excess federal spending, supply disruptions, and misjudgments by the Federal Reserve.
Lame Duck Congress Threatens to Drive Up Spending and Deficits
When members of Congress are done with this November’s election, they’ll return to Washington for a lame duck session during which lawmakers will consider a long list of issues that threaten to drive up spending by trillions of dollars.
Social Security’s COLA Increase Is Based on an Outdated Inflation Measure
Social Security just announced the biggest increase in beneficiaries’ cost‐of‐living adjustment (COLA) in 40 years: 8.7%.
Keep Earmarks out of the December Omnibus
Following a decade long earmark ban, members of Congress went all out on requesting earmarks in the most recent omnibus spending bill.
Don’t Expand Middle‐Class Welfare
The one thing that the American welfare system does not need is a middle‐class expansion.
Subsidies to Nuclear Power in the Inflation Reduction Act
Last month, the United States enacted the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), purportedly to address rising inflation.