Ben Harris

3 weeks ago | brookings.edu | Robin Brooks |Ben Harris |Liam Marshall

I. The critical decision facing European regulators on RussiaAs Russia’s invasion of Ukraine grinds past the three-year mark, and as the Trump administration creates distance from historical allies while threatening to withdraw American support for Ukraine, policymakers in Europe and the U.S. Congress face increased pressure to slow Russia’s ability to wage war.

1 month ago | brookings.edu | Ben Harris |Liam Marshall

The federal government last year spent $6.8 trillion, of which $4.1 trillion was mandatory spending (e.g., Social Security and Medicare), $1.8 trillion was annually appropriated discretionary spending, and $900 billion was interest. In addition, the United States also effectively spends $1.8 trillion in targeted tax breaks, known as “tax expenditures.”Over the past several decades, public concern about inadequate oversight has morphed into deep skepticism.

Oct 15, 2024 | brookings.edu | Ben Harris |Liam Marshall

Support for first-time homebuyers has reemerged as an important policy issue in the wake of rising housing prices and attention from presidential candidates. The most prominent proposal is a plan by Vice President Harris to provide $25,000 in downpayment support for first-time homebuyers.

Aug 30, 2024 | usnews.com | Albert Hunt |Brianna Navarre |Ben Harris

House Republicans should pay a price this November for a failure that transcends ideology, rhetoric or partisanship: their gross incompetence. “Circus” doesn’t begin to describe the conduct by the majority party in Congress over the past 20 months. It took 15 ballots – a record since the Civil War era – for Republicans to elect a speaker, Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California, only to dump him nine months later.

May 8, 2024 | brookings.edu | Janice Eberly |Ben Harris |Stefanie Stantcheva |Jón Steinsson

Many indicators suggest that the U.S. economy is thriving, yet Americans continue to have a negative overall economic outlook. Stubbornly high inflation has played a significant role in this negative sentiment among consumers, even as wage growth has caught up with the rate of inflation. In a new study, “Why do we dislike inflation?” Stefanie Stantcheva fielded a survey to explore how Americans experience inflation and why they have such strong feelings about it.