PUBLICATIONS BY Brian M. Riedl
Research
Commentary
Books
Media Appearances
2008 Research
May 12, 2008
Seven Reasons to Veto the Farm Bill
By Brian M. Riedl
(Backgrounder #2134)
Since the enactment of the last farm bill in 2002, crop prices and net farm income have more than doubled. Yet the new farm bill would expand the $25 billion farm-subsidy system by raising payment rates and creating new subsidies. President Bush should veto Congress's attempt to increase the budget deficit in order to finance additional farm subsidies.
March 11, 2008
A Guide to Fixing Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid
By Brian M. Riedl
(Backgrounder #2114)
Unless lawmakers promptly reform Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, America faces a future of soaring taxes and government spending that will cause poor economic performance. Americans will pay onerous taxes, and future generations will have lower living standards than Americans enjoy today. The longer lawmakers wait to enact the necessary reforms, the more painful those reforms will be.
March 10, 2008
The House Budget's $3,000-per-Household Tax Increase
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #1842)
The White House has responsibly pledged to veto legislation with tax and spending increases that would follow from these proposals. Congress should start over and write a budget that does not raise taxes on American families or businesses, is in line with the President’s spending proposals, and addresses the coming entitlement tsunami. Anything less would likely worsen the economic downturn, make it more difficult for families to make ends meet, and kick serious budget challenges further down the road.
February 25, 2008
Federal Spending By the Numbers 2008
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #1829)
A detailed explanation of recent trends in federal spending.
February 04, 2008
President's Budget Would Restrain Entitlements and Domestic Discretionary Spending
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #1794)
Lawmakers should seriously examine the President's proposals to bring long-term sustainability to entitlement spending.
February 04, 2008
Notes on the New 10-Year CBO Budget Baseline
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #1795)
The best way to get the budget under control is by reforming Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.
January 25, 2008
President Bush Should Keep His Pledge to Halve the Number of Earmarks
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #1780)
President Bush should sign an executive order cancelling the vast majority of earmarks.
January 18, 2008
Why Tax Rate Reductions Are More Stimulative Than Rebates: Lessons from 2001 and 2003
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #1776)
Lawmakers currently examining economic stimulus proposals should reject rebates in favor of tax rate reductions.
2007 Research
December 20, 2007
Omnibus Earmarks Out: President Bush Should Cancel Congress's Pork Spending
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #1757)
Though Congress brazenly broke its pledge to the American people to reduce earmarks, the President's hands are not necessarily tied to carry out their irresponsible earmarks.
December 17, 2007
Omnibus Spending Bill Busts the Budget to Pay for Pork
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #1751)
Unless Congress removes its pork from the bill, the President should veto it.
December 13, 2007
Scrap the Senate Farm Bill and Start Over
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #1738)
H.R. 2419 retains an expensive and broken farm susbsidy system.
December 12, 2007
Five Benchmarks for the Omnibus Spending Bill
By Nicola Moore, Stephen Keen, and Brian Riedl
(WebMemo #1737)
If Congress passes a fiscally irresponsible Omnibus Spending Bill, the President should veto it.
November 14, 2007
President's Budget Vetoes Put Needed Brake on Congressional Spending
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #1702)
Congress should trim pork and other excessive spending from the appropriations bills.
November 05, 2007
The Senate Farm Bill: A Missed Opportunity
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #1690)
With crop prices soaring, farm incomes setting records, and Congress pledging to reduce the budget deficit, now is an opportune time to reform the bloated and outmoded farm subsidy programs.
October 30, 2007
The Democratic Congress's 2008 Budget: A Tax and Spending Spree
By Brian M. Riedl
(Backgrounder #2081)
Congressional Democrats have portrayed themselves as responsible fiscal stewards who would rein in spending, clean up pork-barrel projects, resist large tax increases, and maintain strict PAYGO rules. They have failed on all four counts, leaving the nation saddled with an increasing tax burden and bloated government and ill-prepared to fund the coming retirement benefits for 77 million baby boomers.
October 11, 2007
Congress Loads Spending Bills with Pork and Earmarks
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #1660)
To uphold a promise to voters, the Democratic-led Congress should eliminate the pork-barrel projects in the fiscal year 2008 appropriations bills.
September 24, 2007
Budget Delays Should Not Cause Government Shutdowns
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #1633)
An automatic continuing resolution would save time and tax dollars while protecting government services in the event of congressional gridlock.
July 30, 2007
Senate SCHIP Bill Makes a Mockery of PAYGO Budget Rules
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #1576)
Turning their backs on a campaign promise, Senate Democrats have proposed a bill that would put into motion $60 billion in new deficit spending over the next decade.
July 24, 2007
Don't Be Fooled: House Farm Bill Weakens Payment Limits
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #1566)
If Congress is serious about ending agricultural corporate welfare, it should lower the income cap for subsidies to $200,000, as President Bush proposed, and retain the current payment limits.
July 12, 2007
Mid-Session Budget Review Shows Surging Tax Revenues
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #1549)
Though a rapid increase in federal revenues shows that the 2003 tax cuts have succeeded in boosting economic activity, the entitlement spending tsunami still threatens America's future.
June 27, 2007
House Transparency Rules Reveal that Pork Projects Tilt Heavily Toward Appropriators
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #1530)
Although lawmakers claim to fund projects based purely on merit, the two latest spending bills suggest that committee assignments play a large role in the distribution of pork.
June 20, 2007
How Farm Subsidies Harm Taxpayers, Consumers, and Farmers, Too
By Brian M. Riedl
(Backgrounder #2043)
This year's farm bill debate will test whether Congress is serious about reform or will continue business as usual by pandering to special interests. Congress and President Bush should take a more sensible approach to farm policy this year. Instead of rubberstamping the status quo, they should return to the market-based approach embodied in the 1996 Freedom to Farm Act.
June 20, 2007
Executive Summary: How Farm Subsidies Harm Taxpayers, Consumers, and Farmers, Too
By Brian M. Riedl
(Executive Summary #2043)
How Farm Subsidies Harm Taxpayers, Consumers, and Farmers, Too
June 20, 2007
Pork-Barrel Spending: Republicans Win Transparency, but $23 Billion Slush Fund Remains
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #1517)
After an important victory for budget transparency, House Members must now eliminate pork projects and the slush fund created to fund them.
June 13, 2007
The House Democrats' $23 Billion Pork Slush Fund and Spending Spree
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #1503)
The House Democratic majority should honor its pledge to bring transparency to budgeting by releasing the names of and allocations for pork projects while appropriations bills are being debated on the House floor.
May 17, 2007
Budget Resolution Calls for Massive Tax Hikes and Spending Increases
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #1460)
Lawmakers should go back to the drawing board and write a budget that meets the President's spending targets, deals realistically with coming entitlement costs, and does not raise taxes to fund more government spending.
May 10, 2007
Lawmakers Should Reject Another Irresponsible Supplemental Farm Bailout
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #1452)
Rather than pile on more corporate welfare in "emergency" agricultural spending, Congress should follow President Bush's lead and reject this unnecessary, irresponsible proposal.
March 22, 2007
The Senate Budget: A $2,641 Per Household Tax Increase and No Entitlement Reforms
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #1405)
The Senate budget relies on massive tax increases while ignoring the coming tsunami in Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid spending.
March 15, 2007
Congress Hijacks Troop Funding for Pork
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #1397)
As federal spending nears $24,000 per household, the House of Representatives took the President’s vital national security supplemental bill and larded it up with $21 billion in unrelated spending. This blatant abuse of the emergency spending budget tool is a strong signal that the new congressional leadership’s pledge of fiscal restraint will be short-lived.
March 08, 2007
Federal Spending 2007: By the Numbers
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #1390)
Twelve pages of tables, charts, graphs, and bullet-point explanations of recent trends in federal spending.
March 01, 2007
Congress Should Not Lard Up the War Supplemental Bill
By Brian M. Riedl, Baker Spring, and Alison Acosta Fraser
(WebMemo #1376)
President Bush should draw a clear line in the sand and vow to veto any supplemental bill that would spend more than his requested total.
February 08, 2007
Bush's Budget: Protecting Homeland Security and Defense by Reining in Entitlements
By Baker Spring, James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., Alison Acosta Fraser, Brian M. Riedl, and Will Packer
(WebMemo #1352)
The most important feature of the President’s budget proposal is its focus on reining in the crushing costs of entitlement programs like Medicare while adequately funding national defense and homeland security.
February 05, 2007
Farm Subsidies, Free Trade, and the Doha Round
By Daniella Markheim and Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #1337)
The United States must make a meaningful offer to cut agricultural protection if Doha is to progress.
February 05, 2007
Bush Budget Reins in Entitlement Costs
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #1341)
The key feature of President Bush’s fiscal year 2008 budget request is not its strategy to reach a balanced budget in five years but its focus on long-term entitlement spending.
January 29, 2007
Ten Myths About the Bush Tax Cuts
By Brian M. Riedl
(Backgrounder #2001)
The 110th Congress must decide whether to write a budget extending, expiring, or repealing the Bush tax cuts. Repealing the Bush tax cuts would not significantly increase revenues. It would, however, decrease investment, reduce work incentives, stifle entrepreneurialism, and reduce economic growth. Lawmakers should remember that America cannot tax itself to prosperity.
January 24, 2007
New CBO Budget Baseline Shows Entitlement Spending Imperiling Deficit Reduction Goals
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #1329)
Reforming Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid is the only way to get the budget under control.
January 16, 2007
Halving Student Loan Interest Rates Is Unaffordable and Ineffective
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #1308)
Reducing interest rates on student loans does not increase college access for prospective students, but merely subsidizes loan repayments after college.
2006 Research
December 19, 2006
Memo to Speaker Pelosi: How to Make PAYGO Discipline the Federal Budget
By Alison Acosta Fraser and Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #1289)
A weak PAYGO will show that the incoming Congress is not serious about getting the budget under control.
December 14, 2006
Will New Congress Be Santa to Taxpayers and Grinch to Lobbyists?
By Ronald D. Utt, Ph.D., and Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #1287)
Congress cuts out earmarks, marking a big victory for citizen-activists and fiscal restraint.
December 06, 2006
A Taxpayer Victory Against Wasteful Agricultural Subsidies
By Brian M. Riedl and Andrew M. Grossman
(WebMemo #1279)
The Senate votes down an $800 million increase in "emergency" agricultural subsidies.
December 04, 2006
Five Reasons for the Senate to Reject Boosting Farm Subsidies
By Brian Riedl
(WebMemo #1274)
Lawmakers should resist emergency agriculture spending and instead prepare to overhaul farm subsidies next year.
November 15, 2006
Congress Returns to Spending Bills Loaded With Pork
By Brian M. Riedl and Michelle Muccio
(WebMemo #1256)
Congress loads next year's spending bills with 10,000 pork projects despite voters' demand for restraint. Features a list of the worst pork projects of FY 2007.
September 25, 2006
Still Spending: Senate Set to Bust Budget Caps by $32 Billion
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #1222)
Budget gimmickry leads to higher spending and a big bill for taxpayers.
July 20, 2006
How to Improve the Government Waste Commission Proposals
By Brian M. Riedl and Michelle Muccio
(WebMemo #1170)
With federal spending expanding 9 percent in 2006 alone, lawmakers are finally taking up the government waste commission bills (H.R. 5766 and H.R. 3282) authored by Reps. Todd Tiahrt (R-KS) and Kevin Brady (R-TX). Both lawmakers should be commended for taking aim at the outdated, failed, and duplicative programs that have been layered on top of one another for decades. To be effective, a government waste commission must be specifically designed to overcome the special interest logrolling that has protected wasteful spending for years. The proven model for doing this is the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) commission, which has been used to close obsolete military bases since the 1980s. Unfortunately, neither the Tiahrt nor the Brady bill includes the components that made BRAC so successful. Lawmakers seeking budget savings should strengthen these bills.
July 11, 2006
Observations on Budget Estimates from the Mid-Session Review
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #1149)
The Office of Management and Budget has released its annual Mid-Session Review (MSR) that updates the budget projections from this past February. While the rapid increase in federal revenues shows that the 2003 tax cuts have succeeded, continued runaway spending threatens America's fiscal and economic future.
July 10, 2006
Four Elements of a Successful Government Waste Commission
By Michelle Muccio and Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #1147)
Congress will soon consider legislation to establish a commission that could bring an end to wasteful and counter-productive government programs.
June 30, 2006
Congress Must Not Shortchange the Military at a Time of War
By Baker Spring and Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #1141)
On June 20th, the House of Representatives passed its fiscal year 2007 Defense Appropriations bill. Given that the nation is at war and is conducting extensive military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq to keep Americans at home safe, it is surprising that the bill reduces the Bush Administration's request for defense funding by $4.1 billion. The Bush Administration has responded negatively to the House action. Its June 20th Statement of Administration Policy on the bill states, "If the President is presented with a final DOD appropriations bill that significantly underfunds the Department of Defense to shift funds to non-security spending, his senior advisors would recommend that he veto that bill." This veto threat is the correct response. Congress should not be allowed to employ such budget trickery, and to shortchange vital defense operations, to boost questionable domestic spending.
June 27, 2006
Third-Quarter Report Card for Congress: Improvement Needed
By Brian M. Riedl, Ronald D. Utt. Ph.D., and Alison Acosta Fraser
(Backgrounder #1947)
There is no reason why Members of Congress cannot raise their performance measures on key domestic policy issues, many of which have already made some progress through the legislative process. Over the past few weeks, Members have shown exceptional resolve on a number of controversial issues. If they maintain this pace, they could easily complete the needed work.
June 19, 2006
The Stop Over-Spending Act: A Real Opportunity to Limit Spending
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #1132)
The Stop Over-Spending (S.O.S.) Act, authored by Senate Budget Committee Chairman Judd Gregg (R-NH) and cosponsored by over a dozen senators, provides a strong blueprint for building a budget process that reflects America's budget priorities. The S.O.S.
June 15, 2006
10 Elements of Comprehensive Budget Process Reform
By Brian M. Riedl
(Backgrounder #1943)
The most effective reforms of the budget process would impose government-wide spending caps, account for long-term unfunded liabilities, and better enforce existing budget constraints.
June 13, 2006
Supplemental Success: Conference Report Meets President's Challenge
By Brian M. Riedl and Alison Acosta Fraser
(WebMemo #1121)
Against all odds, the conference committee report for the Iraq and Katrina supplemental meets President Bush's challenge to maintain fiscal discipline.
May 31, 2006
Three Lessons from the Recent Budget Reconciliation Debate
By Brian M. Riedl
(Executive Memorandum #1002)
Congress should reform baseline budgeting; make permanent the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts (and other temporary tax cuts insofar as they promote economic growth without complicating the tax code); fix the alternative minimum tax; and implement dynamic scoring of tax cuts to show that permanent tax rate reductions will not reduce federal revenues as much as some people fear.
May 04, 2006
Desperate Attempt to Save Railroad to Nowhere
By Brian Riedl and Ron Utt
(WebMemo #1059)
New justifications of the "Railroad to Nowhere" fall short.
April 26, 2006
High Marks for Administration's Veto Line in the Sand
By Alison Acosta Fraser and Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #1050)
The dynamic of the supplemental battle in the Senate has quickly shifted.
April 25, 2006
Senators Should Derail Mississippi's "Railroad to Nowhere"
By Ronald D. Utt, Ph.D., and Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #1048)
A questionable earmark wilts under strong scrutiny.
April 17, 2006
The Senate's Deadly Sin: Larding Up Emergency Appropriations
By Brian M. Riedl and Alison Acosta Fraser
(WebMemo #1038)
The Senate piles pork atop an emergency spending bill.
March 30, 2006
The President's Proposed Line-Item Veto Could Help Control Spending
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #1021)
A good step, but not one that will solve spending on its own.
March 23, 2006
A Responsible Budget Resolution in Three Easy Pieces
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #1020)
The budget resolution should freeze discretionary spending, get moving on entitlement reform, and extend the tax cuts.
March 10, 2006
RSC Budget Provides Serious Blueprint for Spending Restraint
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #1011)
Finally, a proposal that makes the difficult choices necessary to avert fiscal and economic meltdown.
February 16, 2006
Discretionary Spending Trends: Past, Present, and Future
By Brian Riedl
(Testimony #9999)
The 7.9 percent of GDP spent on discretionary programs in 2005 was not far off the historical average. Discretionary spending topped 10 percent of GDP from World War II through the early 1980s, before falling to 6.3 percent in 2000, and then spiking back up to 7.9 percent in 2005.
February 14, 2006
The Myth of Spending Cuts for the Poor, Tax Cuts for the Rich
By Brian M. Riedl
(Backgrounder #1912)
During the 2005 budget reconciliation debate, critics trotted out the tired old myth that Republicans were cutting spending for the poor to pay for tax cuts for the rich. Many commentators accepted this as truth and repeated it, including Washington Post columnist E. J. Dionne, who accused the Republicans of passing a "cut-from-the-poor, give-to-the-rich budget."
February 14, 2006
Executive Summary: The Myth of Spending Cuts for the Poor, Tax Cuts for the Rich
By Brian M. Riedl
(Executive Summary #1912)
During the 2005 budget reconciliation debate, critics trotted out the tired old myth that Republicans were cutting spending for the poor to pay for tax cuts for the rich. Many commentators accepted this as truth and repeated it, including Washington Post columnist E. J. Dionne, who accused the Republicans of passing a "cut-from-the-poor, give-to-the-rich budget."
February 06, 2006
Federal Spending--By the Numbers
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #989)
Basic budget facts.
February 06, 2006
The President's Budget: Strong on Short-Term Spending, But Long-Term Challenges Remain
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #990)
To get a handle on long-term spending, entitlement reform is necessary. The President's budget doesn't go far enough.
January 31, 2006
State of the Union 2006: The President's Call For Spending Restraint
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #975)
A few new programs, a few more program cuts, and a new commission: What does it all mean?
January 27, 2006
New CBO Baseline Substantially Understates Grim Budget Picture
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #970)
CBO's new spending projections are sunny--and very unrealistic.
2005 Research
December 16, 2005
Grim New CBO Long-Term Budget Projections Show Deterioration, Yet Understate Situation
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #947)
Balancing the budget in 2006 would require immediately terminating such programs as homeland security, justice, highways, veterans' benefits, unemployment benefits, environmental spending, social services, community development, energy, international aid, science research and farm subsidies.
November 30, 2005
Entitlement-Driven Long-Term Budget Substantially Worse Than Previously Projected
By Brian M. Riedl
(Backgrounder #1897)
If policymakers fail to reform Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, the nation will be forced to choose among devastating tax increases, the elimination of nearly every other federal program, and budget deficits large enough to jeopardize the entire U.S. economy. Modernizing entitlements and averting this calamity is the most important economic challenge of this era.
November 30, 2005
Executive Summary: Entitlement-Driven Long-Term Budget Substantially Worse Than Previously Projected
By Brian M. Riedl
(Executive Summary #1897)
If policymakers fail to reform Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, the nation will be forced to choose among devastating tax increases, the elimination of nearly every other federal program, and budget deficits large enough to jeopardize the entire U.S. economy. Modernizing entitlements and averting this calamity is the most important economic challenge of this era.
November 09, 2005
The Deficit Reduction Act: One Small Step for the House
By Alison Acosta Fraser and Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #911)
The House's Deficit Reduction Act contains $53.9 billion in budget savings over the next five years aimed at reducing the deficit. Among other things, reconciliation bills are a way for Congress to reduce spending on mandatory programs such as Medicare and Medicaid that normally are allowed to grow on autopilot every year.
October 27, 2005
Senate Attempts To Prematurely Extend the Bloated Farm Bill Through 2011
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #899a)
This $60 billion commitment will likely eliminate any chance to meaningfully reform farm bloated farm programs.
October 26, 2005
An Innovative and Bold Budget Proposal in the Senate
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #896)
The "Fiscal Watch Team" calls on Congress to offset hurricane-related costs and bring back fiscal responsibility
October 19, 2005
Senate Leader Defends Spending Spree Rather Than Enacting Reforms
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #887)
A fact-filled response to a disappointing memo.
October 11, 2005
Federal Spending: By the Numbers
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #881)
Basic budget facts.
September 16, 2005
Hurricane Costs Send Budget Projections Deeper into the Red
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #844)
Federal spending on Katrina could top $200 billion, sending deficits soaring.
September 14, 2005
Examples of Government Waste
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #9999)
Twenty-five quick examples of wasteful government spending.
September 14, 2005
A "Victory" Over Wasteful Spending? Hardly
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #839)
Want to offset emergency spending? There's plenty to cut.
July 13, 2005
The Tax Cuts Are Working, Yet Spending Challenges Remain
By Brian Riedl and Rea S. Hederman, Jr.
(WebMemo #794)
Deficits are trending down, for now, but spending must still be cut.
May 27, 2005
The Advanced Technology Program
By Brian Riedl
(Testimony #9999)
Federal spending now tops $22,000 per household, the highest inflation-adjusted total since World War II, and $5,000 per household more than in 2001.
April 06, 2005
A Responsible Way to Reconcile the House and Senate Budget Resolutions
By Brian M. Riedl, William W. Beach, Nina Owcharenko, Ben Lieberman, and David C. John
(Backgrounder #1842)
Although the House and Senate budget resolutions do not include deep spending cuts, it is important that lawmakers begin the reform process. The best budget plan would expand pro-growth tax relief and begin to rein in spending in areas such as Medicaid and farm subsidies. Such actions could lay the groundwork for larger reforms next year.
April 04, 2005
Top 10 Examples of Government Waste
By Brian M. Riedl
(Backgrounder #1840)
President George W. Bush has proposed terminating or strongly reducing the budgets of over 150 inefficient or ineddective programs...
March 16, 2005
House Lawmakers Should Enforce Their Own Budget
By Brian Riedl and Keith Miller
(WebMemo #691)
The RSC/Tuesday Group proposal is vital to budget control. Requiring a recorded vote to bypass the budget would show Americans that Congress is serious about spending control.
March 16, 2005
The Five-Step Solution: Cutting the Budget Deficit in Half by 2009 While Extending the Tax Cuts and Rebuilding Iraq and Afghanistan
By Brian M. Riedl
(Backgrounder #1833)
The best way to reduce the budget deficit is to reduce excessive spending. Lawmakers should therefore focus on freezing discretionary spending, reducing subsidies for large farms, limiting Medicaid to 5 percent annual growth, replacing the unaffordable Medicare drug benefit with the drug discount card, and reducing 3 percent of entitlement spending by eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse.
March 14, 2005
PAYGO: A Recipe for Steep Tax Increases and Runaway Spending
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #685)
PAYGO is the wrong answer to runaway spending and budget deficits.
March 01, 2005
Congress Should Follow the President and Eliminate the Advanced Technology Program
By Brian M. Riedl
(Backgrounder #1828)
Terminating or drastically reducing support for the over 150 ineffective and wasteful programs cited in President Bush's 2006 budget request would pave the way for reforming larger programs such as Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. The Advanced Technology Program, which costs taxpayers $150 million annually, should be the first program from the President's list that Congress terminates.
February 18, 2005
The Blue Dog Democrats' Budget Process Proposal: An Emerging Bipartisan Consensus
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #670)
Members of both parties agree, the budget process is in shambles and must be fixed.
February 11, 2005
President's Budget Does Not Threaten the Safety Net
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #663)
Does Bush's budget slash anti-poverty spending?
February 08, 2005
President's Budget A Solid Step To Rein in Spending
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #659)
President Bush's fiscal year 2006 budget proposal is a strong step towards getting the budget back under control.
February 07, 2005
Why America's Debt Burden Is Declining
By Brian M. Riedl
(Backgrounder #1820)
Focusing on budget deficits is misguided. The debt ratio, a superior measure of government's debt burden, is as dependent on economic growth as federal borrowing. A growing economy can absorb modestly increasing debt levels, and streamlining wasteful spending while pursuing a pro-growth tax policy can simultaneously reduce debt levels and make debt more affordable.
January 25, 2005
What's Wrong with the Federal Budget Process
By Brian M. Riedl
(Backgrounder #1816)
A better budget process would be simple, understandable, less prone to loopholes, and designed to facilitate communication between the President and Congress. Lawmakers should enact a cap on total federal spending. Congress could manually determine cap levels (OmniCaps) or use the inflation-plus-population-growth formula of the Taxpayers Bill of Rights model.
January 25, 2005
Executive Summary: What's Wrong with the Federal Budget Process
By Brian M. Riedl
(Executive Summary #1816)
A better budget process would be simple, understandable, less prone to loopholes, and designed to facilitate communication between the President and Congress. Lawmakers should enact a cap on total federal spending. Congress could manually determine cap levels (OmniCaps) or use the inflation-plus-population-growth formula of the Taxpayers Bill of Rights model.
2004 Research
December 15, 2004
A Budget Agenda for the 109th Congress
By Brian M. Riedl
(Backgrounder #1812)
Runaway spending is a larger concern than the budget deficit because all spending must eventually be paid for in taxes, and tax increases would damage the economy. Lawmakers should enact a taxpayers' bill of rights to limit spending and reform House rules to enforce spending restraints more effectively.
November 22, 2004
Another Pork-Laden Omnibus Spending Bill
By Brian M. Riedl and Keith Miller
(WebMemo #613)
As runaway spending pushes the cost of government over $20,000 per household, and the budget deficit past $400 billion, Congress continues to pile an endless supply of special interest projects onto the backs of weary taxpayers.
October 04, 2004
The Balanced Budget Amendment: The Wrong Answer to Runaway Spending
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #580)
The Balanced Budget Amendment amendment would likely fail to rein in spending but could bring about tax increases.
September 21, 2004
Would Senator Kerry's Budget Really Reduce the Deficit?
By Brian M. Riedl
(Backgrounder #1797)
Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry's promise that, if elected, he will halve the budget deficit by 2008 ignores the mountain of impending entitlement spending that, if left unreformed, will dwarf any achievable savings. His ambitious spending plans would also require a $2,090 per household tax increase in order to fulfill his deficit-reduction pledge.
August 27, 2004
Restrain Runaway Spending with a Federal Taxpayers' Bill of Rights
By Brian M. Riedl
(Backgrounder #1793)
Runaway federal spending is the predictable result of an outdated budget process that lacks any enforceable spending limits. A Federal Taxpayers' Bill of Rights (TABOR) would limit annual spending increases to the inflation rate plus the population growth rate and reserve any budget surpluses for tax relief and debt reduction.
May 27, 2004
The Budget Conference Report and the Need for Real Process Reform
By Alison Acosta Fraser, Brian Riedl, and Keith Miller
(WebMemo #513)
The budget conference report has some good points but lacks real process reform
May 24, 2004
Another Year at the Federal Trough: Farm Subsidies for the Rich, Famous, and Elected Jumped Again in 2002
By Brian M. Riedl
(Backgrounder #1763)
Farm subsidy programs enrich agribusinesses and other non-farmers at the expense of family farmers, the farm economy, and taxpayers. With federal spending spiraling out of control and the budget deficit approaching $500 billion, taxpayers can no longer afford to pay farm subsidies to the rich and famous.
May 24, 2004
By Brian M. Riedl
(Backgrounder #1763)
May 14, 2004
Better Budget Reform: A Guide to the Family Budget Protection Act
By Brian M. Riedl
(Backgrounder #1758)
The pledge by House lawmakers to vote on reform of the federal budget process represents an opportunity to overhaul a process that was created in 1974 to maximize federal spending but whose few restraints have been eviscerated by 30 years of clever exploitation of loopholes. The Family Budget Protection Act provides realistic, implementable solutions to these budget process failures.
April 22, 2004
PAYGO on Tax Cuts Could Bring Back the Estate Tax
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #489)
If PAYGO on tax cuts were in force, however, the likely result would be massive tax increases, as the Bush tax cuts of 2001 and 2003—including the elimination of the estate tax—expire on schedule.
April 08, 2004
Four Principles of Budget Process Reform
By Brian M. Riedl and Alison Acosta Fraser
(Backgrounder #1746)
Restraining federal budgetary spending will require the implementation of process reform. Budget process reform should reflect the following principles: (1) Overall spending should be capped at a set level; (2) the annual budget should present a full picture of future obligations; (3) the President should be involved throughout the budget process; and (4) budget decisions should include strong enforcement.
March 30, 2004
Memo to Budget Conferees: PAYGO on Tax Cuts Means Higher Taxes
By Brian M. Riedl and Keith Miller
(WebMemo #460)
Making sure that the pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) budget enforcement mechanism does not cause tax increases should be the central concern of conferees.
March 25, 2004
Medicare's Deepening Financial Crisis: The High Price of Fiscal Irresponsibility
By Robert E. Moffit, Ph.D., and Brian M. Riedl
(Backgrounder #1740)
By delaying implementation of the Medicare drug entitlement while making the prescription drug discount a permanent feature of Medicare, including the Medicare Advantage system that will take effect in 2006, Congress could deal with exploding costs and establish the foundation for a Medicare drug program that accommodates, rather than displaces, a wide variety of private-sector drug options.
March 24, 2004
Why Chairman Nussle's Budget is Superior to the Democrat Alternatives
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #457)
Budgets are about setting priorities, and Nussle's budget focuses on priorities better than several competitors.
March 18, 2004
Republican Study Committee Budget Sets the Right Priorities
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #452)
The fiscal year 2005 budget resolution proposed by the Republican Study Committee (RSC) represents real progress towards fiscal responsibility.
March 15, 2004
Restoring PAYGO Would Mean Tax Increases and High Spending
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #447)
PAYGO, which requires that any new tax cuts or mandatory expansions be balanced by equal tax increases or mandatory spending cuts, would do little to address federal spending while laying the groundwork for future tax increases and economic disaster.
March 10, 2004
How to Get Federal Spending Under Control
By Brian M. Riedl
(Backgrounder #1733)
In 2004, national defense, homeland security, and entitlement challenges make spending reform more important than ever. Congress and the President should seize this opportunity to refocus the federal government on the programs that matter most. Otherwise, the American people will face higher taxes, fewer jobs, less economic growth, and less effective government.
March 10, 2004
Senate Rejects Spending Controls
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #443)
The Senate is poised to pass a budget resolution that lays the groundwork for substantial tax increases while avoiding even minimal cuts in spending.
March 10, 2004
Executive Summary: How to Get Federal Spending Under Control
By Brian M. Riedl
(Executive Summary #1733)
In 2004, national defense, homeland security, and entitlement challenges make spending reform more important than ever. Congress and the President should seize this opportunity to refocus the federal government on the programs that matter most. Otherwise, the American people will face higher taxes, fewer jobs, less economic growth, and less effective government.
March 06, 2004
Senate Budget Resolution Sounds a Positive Note
By Alison Acosta Fraser and Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #441)
Policymakers serious about reining in spending must set priorities and make disciplined choices before they dive into the federal checkbook.
February 13, 2004
The Family Budget Protection Act: A Bold Step to Fix the Federal Budget Process
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #425)
The Family Budget Protection Act (FBPA) presents an enormous opportunity for Congress to create a budget process that encourages belt-tightening.
February 13, 2004
Balancing the Budget Within 10 Years
By Brian M. Riedl
(Backgrounder #1726)
President George W. Bush's fiscal year (FY) 2005 budget proposes cutting the budget deficit in half over five years. Yet lawmakers are under intense pressure to enact a budget resolution that balances the budget within the 2005-2014 period. This paper provides a menu of spending targets to accomplish that objective.
February 02, 2004
The President's 2005 Budget: A Summary
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #410)
While the President's budget would eliminate some unnecessary programs, it is no sweeping reassessment of federal spending.
2003 Research
December 16, 2003
Omnibus Spending Bill Hikes Discretionary Spending by 9 Percent in 2004
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #385)
The omnibus appropriations bill (HR 2673) that is currently in the Senate will set the stage for discretionary spending to increase by 9 percent in 2004, rather than the 3 percent figure commonly cited by Members of Congress.
December 03, 2003
$20,000 per Household: The Highest Level of Federal Spending Since World War II
By Brian M. Riedl
(Backgrounder #1710)
The 2003 fiscal year mercifully concluded on September 30. Reckless spending by Congress and the President made it a year in which the federal budget expanded by $353 billion over its 1998 level. Defense needs and the 9/11 attacks account for just 45 percent of all new spending since 2001. Congress and the President have refused to set priorities and make sacrifices in programs less vital to the national interest. This lack of discipline has raised the cost of government to over $20,000 per household for the first time since World War II, a cost Americans will have to pay in higher taxes.
December 02, 2003
Another Omnibus Spending Bill Loaded with Pork
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #377)
Congress's continued fiscal irresponsibility is clearly exhibited in the thousands of pork projects contained in the fiscal year 2004 omnibus spending bill. Congress is set to bust its own budget cap in order to protect pork projects such as the Please Touch Museum and trout genome mapping.
November 13, 2003
Most New Spending Since 2001 Unrelated to the War on Terrorism
By Brian M. Riedl
(Backgrounder #1703)
Building America's homeland security and creating an infrastructure able to respond to any future terrorist attacks are expensive, long-term projects. The nation's priorities have changed, and Washington must respond by balancing its spending priorities and restraining non-security spending. Otherwise, tax relief and economic growth will be two more casualties of the September 11 attacks.
November 10, 2003
Cost Control in the Medicare Drug Bill Needs Premium Support, Not a "Trigger"
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D., Robert E. Moffit, Ph.D., and Brian M. Riedl
(Backgrounder #1704)
The trigger proposal will do little if anything to hold down the mushrooming taxpayer cost of Medicare. It could easily be evaded by politicians who are adept at circumventing or simply ignoring spending controls. Moreover, even if it did work, it would do so by increasing government controls on doctors and hospitals to the detriment of patients. Needed instead is a firm commitment by Congress to an effective premium support mechanism.
August 28, 2003
How Congress Can Achieve Savings of 1 Percent by Targeting Waste, Fraud, and Abuse
By Brian M. Riedl
(Backgrounder #1681)
The 2004 Congressional Budget Resolution required each committee to find enough waste, fraud, and abuse to reduce its mandatory program budgets by 1 percent. The recommendations outlined in this study alone could save taxpayers as much as $300 billion. Congress should seize this opportunity to save taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars while also making government more effective and efficient.
July 30, 2003
New Medicare Drug Entitlement's Huge New Tax on Working Americans
By Brian M. Riedl and William W. Beach
(Backgrounder #1673)
President George W. Bush and many in Congress cite tax relief as the centerpiece of their economic agenda. Lawmakers who vote for the Medicare drug benefit are voting for a $2 trillion tax increase. Responsible lawmakers who oppose such substantial tax increases should look beyond the 2004 election and examine the burden that a Medicare drug burden will impose on future generations.
July 15, 2003
The Advanced Technology Program: Time to End this Corporate Welfare Handout
By Brian M. Riedl
(Backgrounder #1665)
With government spending surpassing $21,000 per household for the first time since World War II and the budget deficit approaching $400 billion, the $90 billion corporate welfare budget provides an obvious starting point for identifying and reducing wasteful spending. An encouraging first step would be to defund the Advanced Technology Program in the upcoming Commerce–Justice–State appropriations bill.
June 18, 2003
What Unfunded Mandates? CBO Study Reveals Washington Not at Fault for State Budget Crises
By Brian M. Riedl
(Backgrounder #1663)
States have successfully secured a $20 billion bailout from Washington to close their expanding budget deficits. Never mind that state overspending created this crises. General fund revenues have climbed 46 percent since 1990, but spending has climbed 50 percent--nearly twice the rate of federal spending. Total state government spending topped $1 trillion per year for the first time in 2000 and has continued to rise.
June 13, 2003
Ten Common Myths About Taxes, Spending, and Budget Deficits
By Brian M. Riedl
(Executive Summary #1660)
When political leaders communicate to their constituents, the media transmit and often analyze those messages. How Americans view the world, their government, and the economy is therefore largely influenced by media reports, which often contain economic misinformation. This paper refutes 10 common misconceptions about taxes, spending, and budget deficits that are spread by politicians and reporters.
June 13, 2003
Ten Common Myths About Taxes, Spending, and Budget Deficits
By Brian M. Riedl
(Backgrounder #1660)
When political leaders communicate to their constituents, the media transmit and often analyze those messages. How Americans view the world, their government, and the economy is therefore largely influenced by media reports, which often contain economic misinformation. This paper refutes 10 common misconceptions about taxes, spending, and budget deficits that are spread by politicians and reporters.
May 28, 2003
What Unfunded Mandates? CBO Study Reveals Washington Not at Fault for State Budget Crises
By Brian Riedl
(WebMemo #283)
Although state budget struggles are real, Washington did not impose them. Free-spending states created their own fiscal crises: Total state government spending topped $1 trillion in a year for the first time ever in 2000 and has continued to rise.
May 02, 2003
bg1649: Executive Summary: The Myth of a Child Care Crisis
By Brian M. Riedl
(Executive Summary #1649)
