economic theory

Over a year, the federal deficit — the gap between what the U.S. government spends and what it earns — has doubled, to nearly $2 trillion.

That figure seems to validate the worries of congressional Republicans about government spending, which have been at the center of the messy fight over who should be House speaker.

Jim Tankersley, who covers economic policy at the White House for The Times, explains the Republicans’ concerns — and why their plans would not come close to solving the problem.

Guest: Jim Tankersley, an economic policy correspondent for The New York Times.

Background reading: 

• The U.S. deficit effectively doubled in 2023.
• This is why the federal deficit is growing.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

In the wake of the Great Financial Crisis, the work of John Maynard Keynes experienced a revival, as people sought answers to the problem of sluggish growth. In this cycle, sluggish growth isn't the problem. If anything, you hear business leaders and central bankers talking about the labor market being "too hot," and the need for the unemployment rate to rise. So what explains the current dynamic? And how can we sustain a hot economy without the pain of inflation? Perhaps the work of the lesser-known Polish economist Michał Kalecki holds the answers. Like Keynes, he also viewed the free market as being inherently unstable, but he came to different conclusions about why. He also explored the political economy of full employment and why this condition frustrates business leaders. On this episode, we speak with Jan Toporowski, professor of Economics and Finance at SOAS University of London, about Kalecki's work and how it can help us understand today's economy.

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