Fiscal nerds determine the fate of legislation in America
A battle under way to remake budget scoring
James Carville’s oft-quoted line needs updating. Bill Clinton’s political adviser once quipped that he would like to be reincarnated as the bond market so that he could “intimidate everybody”. It is now a group of fiscal nerds—called budget scorekeepers—who have more clout in determining the fate of American legislation. This has set the stage for a battle about how best to calculate the costs and benefits of tax and spending proposals.
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This article appeared in the United States section of the print edition under the headline “A settling of scores”
United States June 1st 2024
From the June 1st 2024 edition
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