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
For the first time in more than five years, Congress has passed a budget plan. The plan would balance the budget by 2024—but only if… Read More
EconomyCommentary
Lawmakers rely on projections from federal agencies, such as the Social Security Administration, the Congressional Budget Office and the Joint Committee on Taxation to assess… Read More
EconomyCommentary
House and Senate negotiators reached a conference agreement on the fiscal year 2016 budget which is expected to be voted on in the House this… Read More
EconomyCommentary
This week, House and Senate negotiators are expected to pass their budget plan. After the House and Senate passed their respective budget blueprints in March,… Read More
EconomyCommentary
The National Committee on Pay Equity designated Tuesday, April 14 as Equal Pay Day to raise awareness for the gender wage gap. The committee and… Read More
EconomyCommentary
With the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program heading toward insolvency before the end of next year, lawmakers are looking for reforms to help individuals… Read More
EconomyCommentary
Out of every dollar you earn, 15 cents goes directly to payroll taxes. Your payroll taxes fund Social Security and Medicare (both “pay-as-you-go” programs) benefits… Read More
PoliticsCommentary
Senators prudently left Washington for a two-week Easter recess last Friday without saddling Americans with $500 billion in new debt over the next twenty years…. Read More
Health CareCommentary
Washington is exhibiting symptoms of schizophrenia. At the same time that lawmakers are debating their budget blueprints to eliminate deficits before the end of the… Read More
EconomyCommentary
It’s a big week for the new GOP-controlled Congress. Unlike the past when Congress was divided, this year there is no one to blame if… Read More
EconomyCommentary
As the budget season heats up, congressional Republicans are focused on two key issues: how much defense spending should be and whether to use a… Read More
EconomyCommentary
Following the House budget which was released Tuesday, the Senate Budget Committee released its fiscal year 2016 budget blueprint today. Any good budget should balance within… Read More
EconomyCommentary
Today the House Budget Committee released its fiscal year 2016 budget blueprint. Any good budget should balance within 10 years or less, without raising taxes… Read More
EconomyAnalysis
Tax dollars paid for about 85 cents of every dollar spent in 2014—the rest was borrowed. Where did all that money go? Your 2014 tax… Read More
EconomyAnalysis
Today, on March 16, the debt limit returned at $18.1 trillion in total national debt. The largest share of this debt—$13 trillion—comes out to $41,000… Read More
EconomyAnalysis
It’s March 16, 2015, and it is the day the debt limit returns—with a vengeance. Since Congress suspended the debt limit for more than a… Read More
EconomyAnalysis
You’ve probably heard the claim that deficits have been cut in half and are at the smallest level since 2009, implying that the nation has… Read More
EconomyCommentary
It’s a special-interest group that exercises disproportionate influence over public policy at all levels of government. Government bestows special favors on it, thereby perpetuating and… Read More
EconomyCommentary
It is budget season in Washington and the debate is focused on who wants to increase spending and by how much. But the debate should… Read More
EconomyCommentary
Four years into the Budget Control Act of 2011, President Obama is expected to once again ask Congress to break its commitment to reduce spending…. Read More
EconomyCommentary
The new Congressional Budget Office report released today shows deficits and debt rising over the next decade, despite a short-term improvement in the 2015 budget… Read More
EconomyCommentary
President Obama talked at length about jobs, the minimum wage and salaries during his State of the Union speech. Here we look at some of… Read More
SocietyCommentary
President Obama will give his annual State of the Union address on Jan. 20. Heritage experts identified 33 policies in areas ranging from the economy… Read More
EconomyCommentary
This Tuesday, House Republicans nearly unanimously adopted new rules for the 114th Congress (H. Res. 5) which set the stage for long-overdue Social Security reforms… Read More
EconomyCommentary
The Christmas season is on, and shoppers are out in full force. This means nothing for Washington. Here, Santa Claus seems to hand out gifts… Read More
EconomyCommentary
At more than 1,600 pages, Congress’s $1.1 trillion behemoth spending bill funding almost all government agencies through September 2015 has arrived. For those keeping track,… Read More
EconomyCommentary
Germans refer to “Close of Business” as Feierabend, which literally translated means something like party night. Now some in Germany want to impose a work… Read More
SocietyCommentary
Before Congress recessed for the midterm elections, lawmakers announced plans to use the current lame-duck session to work on passing a bill called “The Achieving… Read More
SocietyCommentary
The current lame-duck session, the period between Election Day and when the new members enter Congress, is particularly important because the Republicans will take control… Read More
EconomyCommentary
This week, the Treasury Department releases the actual deficit figure for fiscal year (FY) 2014 which ended on September 30. At about half a trillion… Read More
