Policy Briefs

Several notable changes to the funding and benefit structure of Social Security will be coming next year, the Social Security Administration (SSA) announced last week. The nearly 25 percent of Americans who claim Social Security benefits will see a cost-of-living…

Economists Douglas Holtz-Eakin and Jared Bernstein said last week that the next president and Congress must address both income inequality and fiscal responsibility. They spoke at a program at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College. The…

Three congressional candidates in New Hampshire expressed concerns about the federal budget and discussed possible solutions in live-audience television interviews at a “Fiscal Fridays Festival” in Concord last week. The event was co-sponsored by NH1, The Concord Coalition and the…

In advance of tomorrow’s presidential debate at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), dozens of students there participated in an interactive federal budget exercise presented last week by The Concord Coalition.It was the last in a series of programs…

In tomorrow night’s presidential debate, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump should have a good opportunity to address some of the critical fiscal choices that await the next president and Congress. Two earlier presidential debates failed to provide voters with much…

State governments around the country face rapidly growing pension liabilities as the result of low returns and “weak” contributions, according to a new report from Moody’s Investor Services. Based on compliance with new accounting rules, the report says, states’ adjusted…

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated Friday that the federal deficit for Fiscal 2016 totaled $588 billion, an increase of $149 billion over the previous year. The deficit for Fiscal 2016, which ended Sept. 30, equaled an estimated 3.2 percent…

Lawmakers reached agreement on and passed a short-term Continuing Resolution (CR) last week to keep the government open through Dec. 9. The measure includes $1.1 billion in funds to fight the Zika virus and a full year’s worth of appropriations…