Kurt Couchman Archives

U.S. House Advances Fraud-Fighting Measures

Jun 11, 2026

The House is taking important steps toward cleaning up federal programs. Congress must continue to build on those efforts to make sure that the federal government is serving the public as well as possible.

Kurt Couchman on ‘The Alan Nathan Show’

Jun 2, 2026

(Interview starts at 45:05) Kurt joins ‘The Alan Nathan Show’ to discuss the momentum around the Prevent Government Shutdowns Act.

Myths and Facts on the Prevent Government Shutdowns Act

May 29, 2026

PGSA would 1) keep Congress in DC to finish appropriations bills if they aren’t done prior to the new fiscal year and 2) maintain services for the American people in the meantime.

Kurt Couchman Joins ‘NTD Evening News’

May 26, 2026

Kurt joins NTD’s Evening News to discuss Vice President Vance’s Fraud Summit with State Attorneys General.

Effective Budgeting #5: Empowering All Committees to Manage their Portfolios

May 22, 2026

Empowered committees can make Congress a stronger governing institution. A real budget would help members learn, negotiate, prioritize, and improve policy together over time.

Three pie charts. Two of the same size labeled Spending and Financing with third about one-seventh as large and labeled Tax Expenditures. The Spending pie is divided into discretionary spending of $1.9 trillion, on-budget direct spending of $3.2 trillion, off-budget direct spending of $1.6 trillion, and net interest of $1.1 trillion. The Financing pie is divided into borrowing of $1.9 trillion, individual income taxes of $2.9 trillion, off-budget payroll taxes of $1.4 trillion, on-budget payroll taxes of $500 billion, and another $1 trillion between corporate income taxes, customs duties, and other revenue.

Congress Cannot Govern Well Without a Real Budget

May 11, 2026

Budget breakdown is no longer episodic. It is systemic. Congress should do an annual budget where all members can contribute to managing all spending and revenue policies in their committees and on the floor.

Effective Budgeting #4: Targets to Guide and Focus Policymakers

Apr 23, 2026

Part of the “Effective Budgeting” series. A bipartisan, bicameral consensus is emerging on bringing deficits down to 3 percent of GDP, and then on toward balance thereafter. I was honored that Chairman Arrington invited me to testify on that goal at the House Budget Committee last month. After touching on the main themes of my […]

Effective Budgeting #3: A Blueprint for a Real Budget

Apr 9, 2026

This post is part of a series on “Imagining Effective Federal Budgeting”: House Budget Committee Chair Jodey Arrington recently discussed plans to advance a budget resolution. It should be a blueprint meant to guide congressional action on spending, revenue, deficits, and debt for the year.

Testifying on a Governance Framework for Budget Targets

Apr 3, 2026

Last week, I testified at the House Budget Committee hearing on “The Best Metric to Reverse the Curse: A 3% Deficit-to-GDP Path to Fiscal Sustainability” along with Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, Jonathan Burks, executive vice president for economic and health policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center, and Jared Bernstein, Ph.D., […]

Recent News