In Case You Missed It...

This week on Off the Charts, we focused on the federal budget, the economy, health care, state budgets, and taxes.

• On the federal budget, we explained why a new proposal from Senators Bob Corker (R-TN) and Claire McCaskill (D-MO) to limit annual spending is the wrong answer to budget deficits. Jim Horney elaborated on the proposal’s effect on major entitlement programs and showed how its cuts are more severe than House Republicans’ recent budget proposal. We also featured an excerpt from Paul Van de Water’s comments during a media briefing on the Corker-McCaskill proposal.

• On the economy, Chad Stone discussed this month’s jobs report, and clarified what the Commerce Department’s new report on gross domestic product means for job creation.

• On health care, Paul Van de Water pointed to several governance issues for health insurance exchanges, and Shannon Spillane highlighted the accomplishments of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) on the two-year anniversary of its reauthorization.

• On state budgets, Elizabeth McNichol rebutted a recent piece on state bankruptcy by The Daily Beast, and we emphasized how and why states should strengthen their rainy day funds. Erica Williams also outlined important problems with many governors’ new budget proposals.

• On taxes, Chuck Marr noted some challenges that policymakers will need to consider when implementing corporate tax reform.

In other news, the Center issued Chad Stone’s statement on the January employment report, and released reports on the Corker-McCaskill proposal, the latest federal deficit projections from the Congressional Budget Office, states’ rainy day funds, governors’ budget proposals, and the House GOP’s budget plan. We also released a policy brief on