Budget Matters Blog


Raising the Federal Minimum Wage is Good for Working Families, the Economy, and the Federal Budget

The federal minimum wage is normally seen as a labor standard that imposes costs on businesses, and, by lifting up the wage floor, benefits low wage workers.  This is an accurate, but incomplete view, however, as it doesn’t show the impact on the federal budget that results from businesses failing...


Summer Intern Profile: Christoph Demers

A look back at a busy few months from Christoph Demers, NPP's summer research intern.


5 Reasons to Talk to Congress This August

August recess is the best opportunity to tell Congress your thoughts on Iraq, immigration, corporate taxes, unemployment benefits, and more.


$1.5 Trillion and Counting: What New Involvement in Iraq Means for Federal Spending

As President Obama allowed a trickle of troops back into Iraq, and air strikes are expected to continue for weeks or months, Americans are wary about our role in a conflict most of us think we never should have started in the first place. Polls show that while Americans are divided on new airstrikes in Iraq, most are against sending troops back.


Pick Your Better Border Budget Battle: Can we reach a deal on the border crisis?

Competing funding proposals to deal with the border crisis express vastly different priorities about border security, refugee assistance, and legal representation, echoing the deep divisions about immigration reform overall.


Penny on the Dollar: US Foreign Aid is about One Percent of Spending

One of the most enduring myths about the federal budget is that a significant portion of it goes overseas in the form of foreign aid.  In fact, foreign aid is about one percent of the federal budget.


Deja-Vu all over again: Can Congress Pass a Budget?

With elections looming in November, most observers don’t expect Congress to pass a budget before the October 1 deadline. 


Billions of Dollars Missing From Government Spending Website

The Government Accountability Office recently found that $619 billion in federal grants and loans was improperly reported in 2012.


Now or Never: Congress Struggles to Beat its Do-Nothing Rep

This Congress is on track to be one of the least productive ever, with a full slate of immediate problems still unaddressed. 


Corporate Tax Inversions and Our Ailing Tax Code

What corporate tax inversions mean for U.S. taxpayers.