Outside the Beltway

President Trump is now apparently on the warpath against the Federal Reserve Board Chairman he appointed only a year ago.

While the political media is spending a lot of time talking about it, the actual impact of this latest government shutdown is likely to be limited and possibly even unnoticeable to most Americans.

As Washington heads into the final days of a budget shutdown, Republicans find themselves on the losing end of a public relations battle.

The Trump Administration appears to think that the Budget Deficit and National Debt aren’t a big deal because we can just grow our way out of the problem. This is highly unlikely to happen.

The verdict of last month’s elections was clear, but Republicans still don’t seem to get it.

The economy is in good shape for the moment but there are storm clouds on the horizon.

Presidents Trump and Xi have agree to a “90 day cease fire” on new tariffs. This means that Trump will not raise tariffs on Chinese imports that were scheduled to take effect on January 1st of next year. The tariffs will go into effect if the two countries cannot reach an agreement within that 90 day time frame.

George H.W. Bush,, who served his nation as a warrior, Congressman, Ambassador, Vice-President, and President, has died at the age of 94.

Even as its leader continues to deny the reality of Global Climate Change, the Trump Administration has released an utterly devastating report on the impact of such change over the course of the coming decades.

The current economic recovery is nearly ten years old. It isn’t going to last forever, though, and that could pose a problem for the GOP in 2020.

The evidence that the GOP lost the midterms because of public repudiation of President Trump is overwhelming. The GOP will either accept this and learn from it, or they will not.

The economy may be doing well, but that didn’t help Republicans in the midterms.

The economy appears to have grown strongly in the third quarter, but concerns about long-term growth remain.

Nearly two years into Republican control of Washington, the budget deficit is headed back up.

Thanks to a last-minute agreement, the United States and Canada reached an agreement for a revised version of NAFTA. It’s a got a new name, but it’s basically NAFTA 2.0.

As expected, President Trump announced a new round of tariffs against Chinese goods yesterday, and China quickly retaliated.

Donald Trump is now attacking his own appointee to head the Federal Reserve Board.

The frequency and ease with which this President lies is, to say the least, alarming.

Jobs growth fell short of expectations in July but was still relatively decent. Wage growth, however, remains stubbornly stagnant.

The economy grew at an exceptionally strong pace according to the first estimate of GDP growth, but several caveats remain.

Deficits continue to rise.

Despite Republican hopes, the tax cuts passed by Congress in December are not manifesting themselves in increased wages.

Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 213,000 in June and the unemployment rate rose to 4.0 percent.

Once touted as an example of his deal-making prowess, Harley-Davidson sent a rebuke to President Trump by announcing it was moving some manufacturing to Europe to counteract the impact of his ongoing trade war.

Donald Trump wants Republicans to make his immigration policies the centerpiece of the midterm campaign. What could possibly go wrong?

The actions of the Trump administration are helping Russian-EU relations (to the detriment of the US).

The Federal Government will borrow more than $1 trillion this year for the first time in more than a half-decade.

The Federal Reserve sees the economy staying relatively the same for the foreseeable future, which is both a good and bad thing.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is hinting she might try to revive a Scottish independence vote in the wake of Brexit. That’s easier said than done.

The first estimate of economic growth in the first three months of 2018 beat expectations slightly, but it doesn’t bode well for the immediate future.

Republicans are blaming the President for the fading popularity of the tax reform law passed in December. It’s more complicated than that.

We’re set to return to the era of trillion dollar budget deficits, and Republicans won’t do a thing about it.

The great negotiator in the White House is likely underestimating the tools available to Xi.

Speaking of trade war talk…

President Trump is continuing his dangerous and misguided trade war rhetoric,

March’s Jobs Report fell far short of expectations.

Critics warn this move would lead to a drastic undercount of Hispanic voters, impacting Congressional districting, federal programs, and more.

We don’t yet have enough information to assign blame here. Naturally, that’s not stopping anyone.

A better than expected jobs report for February, but wage growth slowed for the month.

Dave Schuler argues the US would have a much better healthcare system if we had modeled it on VA clinics rather than private insurance.

Donald Trump spent much of the past year touting the rising stock market, now he’s getting a lesson in reality.

In addition to deadlines on the Federal Budget and DACA, Congress also has to deal with the debt ceiling at some point in the next month.

President Trump and his supporters like to claim that the economy has been booming since he became President. A look at the numbers reveals that this is not the case.

The economy grew in the final quarter of 2017, but at a slower pace than earlier in the year and far slower than what the President has promised.

Republicans passed their tax bill yesterday. What that means for the economy and the 2018 midterms is another question.

As we near the end of the year, the President’s job approval numbers remain at historically low levels, and there’s no sign that they’ll improve in 2018.

Once again, tax “reform” won’t make it easier to prepare or file tax returns.

The final version of the tax bill appears to be on track for passage, but the devil is in the details.

November’s Jobs Report was stronger than expected, but there are several caveats to keep in mind.