Budget Matters Blog


War on Poverty: 50 Years Later

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the War on Poverty, which renewed a commitment to federal funding for programs to help struggling Americans. Here's a list of resources that illustrate how these federal programs are faring 50 years later.


Latest Federal Priorities Data: Unemployment, Labor Force, Medicare, Medicaid

We have another round of updates to NPP's Federal Priorities Database. Get the latest information on Medicaid participation, Medidcare enrollment, unemployment, and labor force participation.


Congress Approves Deal to Reopen Government, Raise Debt Ceiling

After more than two weeks of the government shutdown, Congress approved a deal to fund the government through Jan. 15 and raise the debt ceiling through Feb. 7.


Medicare, Medicaid, and Obamacare: What's Happening?

Everyone has a story about health care in the U.S. Make sure your health care priorities are voiced in upcoming debates about Obamacare, Medicaid, Medicare, and other federal health programs.


Hot Summer Budget Battle #4: Social Security and Medicare

There aren’t many things that 90 percent of Americans agree on, but there are at least two.


Social Security and Medicare: Ties that bind

Nearly every American is intimately connected with the earned benefits Social Security and Medicare – first as a contributor then as a recipient. Nearly 90% of us indicated that we’re in favor of taking strong measures to preserve the long-term stability of both programs.


Can the DATA Act Restore Medicare "Cuts?"

The Medicare program accounts for around 14 percent of the entire federal budget, but you wouldn’t know it from USAspending.gov, a website that’s supposed to make government spending transparent. If you use it to investigate how much the government spent on Medicare benefits last year, you’ll find a surprising number: zero.


What Is Entitlement Reform?

When lawmakers struck a fiscal-cliff deal on New Year's Day, they did not make any changes to Medicare or Social Security. But the debate over if and how to reform entitlement programs has only just begun.


Beyond the Fiscal Cliff: Entitlement Reform

One of the major issues not addressed as part of the recent deal on the fiscal cliff is the future of the major entitlement programs – Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.Entitlements are programs that pay benefits to anyone who applies for them and meets the eligibility requirements for that specific ...


What Will Happen with the Fiscal Cliff?

Last week I wrote a post called Fiscal Cliff Definition, with a simple explanation of the much-hyped, so-called fiscal cliff. (I also suggested that we call it a "fiscal obstacle course" instead of a cliff, because that's a more appropriate metaphor.) The next important question is: What's going to happen?