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united states federal budget

Social Security fund to run dry in 2032, automatic cuts loom

(The Center Square) – Social Security's retirement trust fund will be depleted in 2032, triggering an automatic 22% reduction in benefits for about 70 million Americans unless Congress acts, federal trustees warned Tuesday. Social Security paid $1.6 trillion in benefits to 70 million Americans in 2025. The program

Kennedy nutrition pledge lacks enforcement as health costs rise

(The Center Square) – The federal government is spending $5 million on a voluntary medical school nutrition initiative, but fewer than 40% of the nation's 202 accredited medical schools have signed on. The Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Education announced that 73 schools have

New tariffs could raise nearly $1 trillion over a decade

(The Center Square) – Proposed tariffs on imports from 60 economies could raise nearly $970 billion over the next decade, according to estimates released Monday by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. The tariffs, proposed under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, represent the broadest use of that

Bessent backs 3% deficit goal despite 5% budget forecasts

(The Center Square) – U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent pledged in two congressional hearings to cut the federal deficit to 3% of GDP, a target the government's own budget projections do not currently support. Bessent repeated the goal before both the Senate Finance Committee and the House Ways

Budget math undercuts Bessent's deficit reduction pledge

(The Center Square) – President Donald Trump's next budget projects federal deficits running more than double Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's stated target through at least 2029 while also calling for a 42% increase in defense spending, a disconnect that drew questions Wednesday from Republican senators during a

White House urges state AGs to target, punish Medicaid fraudsters

(The Center Square) – White House officials urged a group of state attorneys general to partner with the Trump administration to combat fraud in welfare programs and hold fraudsters accountable. “One of the things we’ve realized in combating fraud is that the resources of the federal government, while vast, can

Government spending on seniors' benefits soon to make up majority of federal budget

(The Center Square) – More than half of the federal budget will go toward benefits for Americans 65 years and older by 2036, and that percentage is set to only grow, a recent congressional report finds. The Joint Economic Committee’s 2026 report shows that non-interest federal spending on Social