Congressional Budget Office

In Search of Budget Sanity: A Dispatch From the Belly of the Beast

John Milewski | Posted 12.14.2009 | Politics


John Milewski

At a session on the looming debt crisis comprised of Republicans, Democrats, and others, one of the key findings of the group is that the "process is broken."

What I've Learned About the Congressional Budget Office and Health Care

Joanne Doroshow | Posted 12.15.2009 | Politics


Joanne Doroshow

The most powerful people in the health care debate right now can be found on the 4th floor of the Ford House Office Building, a nondescript WPA government structure once used by the FBI to store fingerprint records.

Sam Stein

Senate Democrats Consider Nightmare Scenario On Health Care

HuffingtonPost.com | Sam Stein | Posted 12.13.2009 | Politics


There is, currently, a nightmare scenario afflicting Democrats on Capitol Hill with regards to health care reform. And it goes like this: Sometime ear...

Ryan Grim

CBO: Three-Quarters Of Stimulus Unspent

HuffingtonPost.com | Ryan Grim | Posted 12.01.2009 | Politics


Only $100 billion of the $787 billion stimulus package passed nine months ago has actually been spent by the federal government so far, with another $...

Health Care Debate Looms Large At Thanksgiving

Jerry Chautin | Posted 11.23.2009 | Politics


Jerry Chautin

Turkey, cranberry sauce, and a side of health care debate is dominating Thanksgiving tables this year. The debate gets more heated when some worry that their situation will be adversely affected.

National Debt To Increase By $9 Trillion Over Next Decade, $4.8 Trillion Just In Interest Alone

Nov. 19, 2009 | Jeanne Sahadi | Posted 11.20.2009 | Business


NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Here's a new way to think about the U.S. government's epic borrowing: More than half of the $9 trillion in debt that Uncle ...

Sam Stein

Two-Thirds Of States Would Offer Public Option: CBO

HuffingtonPost.com | Sam Stein | Posted 11.19.2009 | Politics


The Congressional Budget Office estimates that roughly 33 states -- or two out of every three -- would offer a national, government-run insurance opti...

House Health Care Bill Reportedly Would Sharply Reduce Benefits For Senior Citizens

The Washington Post | Lori Montgomery | Posted 11.15.2009 | Politics


A plan to slash more than $500 billion from future Medicare spending -- one of the biggest sources of funding for President Obama's proposed overhaul ...

Medical Malpractice Tort Reform - We Are Already Suffering and Don't Need More

Joanne Doroshow | Posted 11.10.2009 | Politics


Joanne Doroshow

Tort "reform" is a doozy of a misnomer. There is certainly nothing positive or beneficial about it.

What the CBO Isn't Telling Congress: Climate Change Threatens Million of Jobs

Brendan Smith | Posted 11.09.2009 | Green


Brendan Smith

How many epidemics and Katrinas will it take to expose the myth that the U.S. economy is somehow exempt from the threats of climate change?

Housing Market Buoyed By $300 BILLION In Government Aid: CBO

Posted 11.04.2009 | Business


A new report from the Congressional Budget Office attempts to put a number on the amount of money the government has poured into the housing market. C...

Public Option Plan Will Cover Few Americans, New Statistic Reveals

AP | RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR | Posted 11.01.2009 | Politics


WASHINGTON — What's all the fuss about? After all the noise over Democrats' push for a government insurance plan to compete with private carrier...

Ryan Grim

CBO Analysis: Both House Plans Would Cover At Least 35 Million Uninsured

HuffingtonPost.com | Ryan Grim | Posted 10.27.2009 | Politics


Two competing House health care reform proposals would extend coverage to at least 35 million Americans within ten years, according to a Congressional...

Who Should Pay for Health Insurance Reform?

Peter Dreier | Posted 10.16.2009 | Politics


Peter Dreier

"Much has been given" to those Americans at the pinnacle of wealth. So it is only fair that "much will be required" when it comes to helping pay for health insurance for those who can't otherwise afford it.

"Cadillac" Health Plans a Smooth Ride or a Bumpy Road?

Robin Baker | Posted 10.12.2009 | Denver


Robin Baker

The Finance Committee's proposal would impose a tax on employer-sponsored insurance for plans with costs above $21,000 for a family. In Colorado, the average annual premium cost was $11,952 for a family.

Shopping for Health Care at the Thrift Store

Michael J. Wilson | Posted 10.09.2009 | Politics


Michael J. Wilson

Without the public option, the truth is that we have a bill that might cost the government less, but costs consumers more. The public option will create the competition needed to drive down prices of private insurance.

20 GOP Politicians Repeat $1,761 Clean Energy Bill Lie

Josh Nelson | Posted 10.08.2009 | Politics


Josh Nelson

For the past few weeks Republicans have latched onto the $1,761 energy tax lie to oppose clean energy legislation.

CBO: Baucus Bill Reduces Deficit By $81 Billion, Costs $829 Billion Over A Decade

AP | DAVID ESPO | Posted 10.08.2009 | Politics


WASHINGTON — Health care legislation drafted by a key Senate committee would expand coverage to 94 percent of all eligible Americans at a 10-yea...

Decision Day For Democrats: Poll Shows Path to Healthcare Reform

John Zogby | Posted 10.08.2009 | Politics


John Zogby

This is the fork in the road for the Senate's Democratic leaders: they must choose between the tort lawyers and a health care bill that could re-unite a country that has turned against the present bill.

No On Abortions, Yes On Bill, Says GOP Congressman Cao

Kathleen Wells, J.D. | Posted 12.01.2009 | Politics


Kathleen Wells, J.D.

"Basically, I do agree with the President that we need some kind of health care reform," says Anh in a Q and A. "Now, what kind of reform are we going to get? That is the question."

Social Security: The Red Ink Starts Next Year

Eric Schurenberg | Posted 11.30.2009 | Business


Eric Schurenberg

In case there was any doubt that Social Security won't be able to keep the promises it's making to anyone younger than, say, 55, the CBO now projects that Social Security will start operating at a deficit next year.

Eight GOP Politicians Parrot False $1,761 Talking Point on Costs of Climate Bill

Josh Nelson | Posted 11.21.2009 | Green


Josh Nelson

When your position is based on ignoring science to prop up polluting industries -- as is the case for many Republican politicians -- you have little choice but to cite misleading statistics to make your point.

Ryan Grim

'Gang Of Six' Moving Goal Posts On Health Care Costs

HuffingtonPost.com | Ryan Grim | Posted 11.15.2009 | Politics


President Obama promised last week, in his address to Congress, that he wouldn't sign any health care reform bill that added "one dime to the deficit,...

Robert Samuelson Cites Dodgy Numbers to Attack Health Care Reform

David Fiderer | Posted 11.14.2009 | Business


David Fiderer

By referencing dubious numbers from a tainted source, Samuelson seeks to establish a bogus equivalency. Yes, the Republicans lied about death panels, but Obama is dishonest too, he argues.

David Brooks' Lies on Health Care Reform: An Incomplete List

David Fiderer | Posted 11.12.2009 | Media


David Fiderer

A lot of people buy in to Brooks' pseudo-intellectual shtick for making grand pronouncements that presume to define reality.