A Fiscal Challenge for the New Congress.

ECONOMIC policy; FISCAL policy; MONETARY policy; PUBLIC spending; UNITED States politics & government, 2001-2009

This article contends that the economic policy over the next two years will depend on the lessons that the winners and losers from last November 2006 midterm elections choose to learn. Which lessons to draw could be more a question of temperament and exactly what the temperament of the new members will be is speculation at this point. The new Democratic leadership in Congress will have to tackle the fiscal policy challenge facing the federal government.