This Is Why It's So Hard To Cut Public Spending
Odd Lots10 Helmi 2025

This Is Why It's So Hard To Cut Public Spending

The Trump administration has come into office with big ambitions to lower the size of the US deficit. So far, a number of small items have been identified as possible waste. But to meaningfully bend the curve on spending, there's widespread agreement that we'd have to look at things like Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and defense. This is hard stuff to cut and it's something that governments around the world have long struggled with. How do you pull back on a prior commitment that your constituency has come to expect? In this episode of the podcast, we speak with Firtz Bartel, an assistant professor of international affairs at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M. He is also the author of the recent book The Triumph of Broken Promises, which examines the simultaneous economic crisis in the US, UK, and Soviet Union during the 1970s, and how each country was forced economically to essentially "break promises." We talk about what it takes politically to maintain domestic credibility for any government while undergoing such wrenching choices, and why some systems are better suited for it than others.

Read More:
Trump Tax Cuts’ Cost Estimated at $5 Trillion to $11 Trillion
Judge Temporarily Halts Trump, Musk Federal Worker ‘Buyout’

Only http://Bloomberg.com subscribers can get the Odd Lots newsletter in their inbox each week, plus unlimited access to the site and app. Subscribe at bloomberg.com/subscriptions/oddlots

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jaksot(1189)

Planet Money Turned Everyday Annoyances Into an Economics Book

Planet Money Turned Everyday Annoyances Into an Economics Book

There are a lot of things to be annoyed about in modern life. The high cost of food and housing and childcare. Dating apps that don't seem to work. The fear of AI replacing you at your job. These are ...

17 Huhti 39min

Brad Setser on the War in Iran and the Future of the US Dollar

Brad Setser on the War in Iran and the Future of the US Dollar

It's possible that the war in Iran could reshape financial flows in significant ways. Perhaps the Gulf states will end up as less desirable places to do business. Perhaps Iran will have a tollbooth at...

16 Huhti 51min

War in Iran Is Already Reshaping East Asia's Energy Future

War in Iran Is Already Reshaping East Asia's Energy Future

The war in Iran has caused the price of all kinds of commodities to surge, and that has a negative economic impact almost everywhere. But the squeeze is really being felt hard in East Asia, which is t...

15 Huhti 37min

Presenting What Next TBD: Why Everyone is Freaking out About Private Credit

Presenting What Next TBD: Why Everyone is Freaking out About Private Credit

It's fueling the A.I. bubble, it's coming to your retirement portfolio—and it's flashing a lot of warning signs right now.In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, private credit or “shadow banking” g...

14 Huhti 37min

Ziad Daoud Explains How War with Iran Will Reshape the Gulf

Ziad Daoud Explains How War with Iran Will Reshape the Gulf

Regardless of whether the war with Iran continues, it seems likely to have a lasting impact on the Gulf states. They may have to rebuild damaged pipelines and other infrastructure, or create new ones ...

13 Huhti 45min

The Big Macro Force That's Been Driving Stocks Higher for Years

The Big Macro Force That's Been Driving Stocks Higher for Years

Stocks have gone up over the years because corporate earnings continue to grow. That part is straightforward. But in addition to rising stock prices, we've also seen rising stock market valuations. Fo...

11 Huhti 36min

How Shipping Insurance Really Works During a War

How Shipping Insurance Really Works During a War

When the conflict with Iran started, some of the first headlines we saw had to do with shipping insurance. Marine insurers were said to be canceling war risk coverage for vessels going through the Str...

10 Huhti 53min

Thomas Peterffy on Interactive Brokers' Plan to Professionalize Prediction Markets

Thomas Peterffy on Interactive Brokers' Plan to Professionalize Prediction Markets

Right now, when you think about prediction markets, you basically think about two main companies: Polymarket and Kalshi. And then when you think of what's being traded on those platforms, there's a wh...

9 Huhti 50min

Suosittua kategoriassa Liike-elämä ja talous

sijotuskasti
mimmit-sijoittaa
rss-rahapodi
psykopodiaa-podcast
hyva-paha-johtaminen
ostan-asuntoja-podcast
rss-rahamania
rss-sami-miettinen-neuvottelija
rss-lahtijat
rss-rentotapaus
kultaiset-hoitajat
rss-startup-ministerio
rss-seuraava-potilas
herrasmieshakkerit
rss-strategian-seurassa
asuntoasiaa-paivakirjat
rss-h-asselmoilanen
rss-tyoelamasta-podcast
rss-vaikuttavan-opettajan-vierella
rss-set-for-life-sijoita-ja-vaurastu