Romina Boccia focuses on federal spending and the national debt as director of the Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget at The Heritage Foundation. Read her research.
View all authorsEconomyCommentary
In April, the Congressional Budget Office released its updated budget projections, and the outlook is grim. The annual federal deficit is projected to rise to… Read More
EconomyCommentary
The Social Security Administration released its annual trustees report this week, and the prognosis is not good. Trust fund depletion—the date when Social Security’s reserves will… Read More
EconomyCommentary
The Senate Budget Committee met May 23 to consider the Government Accountability Office’s annual report on government efficiency and effectiveness, which identifies areas of unnecessary… Read More
EconomyCommentary
It doesn’t take a genius to realize the U.S. budget process is broken. The biggest reason for that is that too much spending is growing… Read More
EconomyCommentary
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Rep. Mark Sanford, R-S.C., recently revived the “penny plan,” which calls on Congress to reduce spending by at least one… Read More
EconomyCommentary
Over the last decade, short-term rental platforms like Airbnb, HomeAway, and VRBO have expanded and provided an economic boom to many communities. Yet several localities… Read More
EconomyCommentary
Cities, counties, and states waging a war against short-term rentals by imposing hefty fines and burdensome regulations on hosts and booking platforms, such as Airbnb… Read More
EconomyCommentary
Some point to the deficit as a reason to raise taxes. But new research shows that spending cuts are superior to tax hikes when it… Read More
EconomyCommentary
Earmarks could be making a comeback. Before a Republican-led Congress banned earmarks back in 2011, lawmakers used earmarks to send funds directly to specific projects… Read More
EconomyCommentary
Iceland this week took its equal pay policies to a new level, as a law took effect requiring employers to prove they don’t discriminate against… Read More
EconomyCommentary
As 2017 comes to a close, it’s worth remembering that America’s mountain of debt continues to grow. Here are five key facts about federal spending… Read More
EconomyCommentary
Two thousand seventy-five dollars. That’s every American’s personal share of the fiscal year 2017 budget deficit. The total deficit? Six hundred sixty-six billion dollars. It’s… Read More
EconomyCommentary
House Republicans unveiled their plan to update the nation’s tax code on Thursday. If they are successful at passing the plan—known as the Tax Cuts… Read More
EducationCommentary
In a remote village, deep down in the Grand Canyon, visitors will find one of the world’s most amazing environments. Havasu Canyon is best known… Read More
EconomyCommentary
The Trump administration put a stop this week to an Obama-era rule that would have hurt the wage and employment prospects of all workers, and… Read More
EconomyCommentary
Two hundred and sixty-nine billion dollars. That’s a big number, and yet it’s not the amount the federal government spends on any of its major… Read More
PoliticsCommentary
Late in the afternoon on Thursday last week, the Social Security Administration released its annual trustees’ report. As is often the case when government entities… Read More
EconomyCommentary
A fiscal storm has been brewing over America for years, and things are only getting worse. Publicly held debt—the debt the U.S. is borrowing from… Read More
EconomyCommentary
The new debt limit in place since March 16 stands at $19.9 trillion. It’s time for lawmakers to take the fiscal doctor’s diagnosis seriously. Like… Read More
EconomyCommentary
Social Security Disability Insurance beneficiaries who recover should be on a pathway to return fully to the workforce, as soon as they are able. A… Read More
PoliticsCommentary
Americans who are concerned about unsustainable and reckless government spending have faced a fundamental problem: It’s hard to track what their representatives are doing to… Read More
EconomyCommentary
President Donald Trump’s long-awaited skinny budget is finally here. This slim budget reprioritizes defense spending and reverses eight years of Obama-era shifts in spending from… Read More
EconomyCommentary
As President Donald Trump is preparing his first budget submission to the Congress, he should consider making Social Security reform a priority. The future of… Read More
PoliticsCommentary
When members of Congress defend earmarks with “power of the purse” rhetoric, don’t fall for it. Congressional earmarks threaten the integrity of government spending. This… Read More
PoliticsCommentary
Social Security was a fact of life in 20th-century America, but it may soon reach a critical fork in the road. In less than two… Read More
PoliticsCommentary
Finally, a reform plan has been introduced to preserve Social Security without troubling younger generations with undue debt and tax burdens. This plan, the Social Security… Read More
EconomyCommentary
U.S. government spending on public relations campaigns, including NASA’s Green Ninja videos on global warming and the Pajama Boy ads for Obamacare, should raise serious questions… Read More
EconomyCommentary
The fact that the national debt jumped by $1.4 trillion in one short year should spur Congress to put an end to this excess. The… Read More
EconomyCommentary
When confronted in the final presidential debate with the assertion that each of their plans would increase the national debt, the candidates denied it by… Read More
EconomyCommentary
New numbers on federal spending are in from the Congressional Budget Office, and they’re not pretty. The federal government spent $3.9 trillion in fiscal 2016,… Read More
