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Budget Digests
Budget Digest
BUDGET DIGEST: Federalism and the Federal Budget
What is Federalism? Federalism is the sharing of power between a central authority and its constituents – in the case of the United States, the…
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Budget Digest: What is Budget Season?
The congressional “budget season” typically refers to the critical months between February and April when key events occur that contribute to the construction and congressional…
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BUDGET DIGEST: SNAP Reform
Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) finalized a rule to improve work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the federal government’s…
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BUDGET DIGEST: Improper Payments
Unfortunately, the federal government continues to waste significant amounts of taxpayer funds through mismanagement. Improper payments are defined by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) as…
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BUDGET DIGEST: Why the Debt Matters
The Federal Debt is on an Unsustainable Trajectory. The publicly-held debt has averaged 42 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) over the last 50 years;…
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BUDGET DIGEST: Continuing Resolutions and National Defense
What is a Continuing Resolution? A continuing resolution (CR) is a temporary spending measure that funds the federal government, typically at the previous fiscal year’s…
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BUDGET DIGEST: HARBOR MAINTENANCE TRUST FUND
What Is the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund? The Water Resources Development Act of 1986 established the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF) to serve as the…
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BUDGET DIGEST: PAYGO 101
What Is PAYGO? Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) refers to budget rules or laws that require legislation to be deficit neutral – increases in mandatory spending or reductions…
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Budget Digest: Automatic Stabilizers
What are automatic stabilizers? Automatic stabilizers are “features built into the economy’s tax and transfer system that lower taxes and increase spending as the economy…
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