Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

Podcast: How the budget mess in Congress hurts all of us

Podcast: How the budget mess in Congress hurts all of us

This year the federal government is expected to collect more than $3.5 trillion in taxes— a vast amount of money by any measure. One of the key functions of Congress is to pass a budget. But often that seems close to impossible.


Lack of agreement over federal spending regularly threatens to bring about government shutdowns that have a negative impact on millions of Americans. Yet few of us can even begin to understand the byzantine budget process.
Both of our guests in this episode have worked with other policy experts to make the budget process function better, with greater efficiency and transparency.



Alison Acosta Winters is a fiscal conservative and was most recently a senior policy fellow at Americans for Prosperity. Emily Holubowich is vice president for federal advocacy at the American Heart Association, and often supports more government spending.


Brought together by Convergence Center for Policy Resolution, Alison, Emily and other stakeholders from diverse backgrounds spent months working together to come up with several major proposals for overhauling the budget process.

Listen now

Read More

Donald Trump speaking

Donald Trump speaks at at Madison Square Garden in New York, 2024

Peter W. Stevenson /The Washington Post via Getty Images

The Trump Era: A Bitter Pill for American Renewal

In the column, "Is Donald Trump Right?", Fulcrum Executive Editor, Hugo Balta, wrote:

For millions of Americans, President Trump’s second term isn’t a threat to democracy—it’s the fulfillment of a promise they believe was long overdue.

Keep ReadingShow less
A person misting water on their indoor plants.

Indoor air can be 10x more polluted than outside. Learn how to reduce toxins in your home with non-toxic carpets, natural materials, and air-purifying plants.

Getty Images, DuKai photographer

Natural Alternatives To Hidden Toxins in Home Furnishings

Did you know that indoor air quality can be 10 times worse than outside? This reality calls for a reassessment of our home product choices.

I’m buying a new carpet for our home. I was amazed by the many healthy alternatives to traditional carpets. I’m grateful to see how much carpet manufacturers have improved their products to offer non-toxic alternatives. What’s surprising is that they made these changes without the guidance of government policies and regulations.

Keep ReadingShow less
Federal Hill's Warning: A Baltimorean's Reflection on Leadership

Cannon at Federal Hill Park, Baltimore, MD

Federal Hill's Warning: A Baltimorean's Reflection on Leadership

In the column, "Is Donald Trump Right?", Fulcrum Executive Editor, Hugo Balta, wrote:

For millions of Americans, President Trump’s second term isn’t a threat to democracy—it’s the fulfillment of a promise they believe was long overdue.

Keep ReadingShow less
In a room full of men, Hegseth called for a military culture shift from ‘woke’ to ‘warrior’

U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth stands at attention at the Pentagon on September 22, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia.

(Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

In a room full of men, Hegseth called for a military culture shift from ‘woke’ to ‘warrior’

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth called hundreds of generals and admirals stationed from around the world to convene in Virginia on Tuesday — with about a week’s notice. He announced 10 new directives that would shift the military’s culture away from what he called “woke garbage” and toward a “warrior ethos.”

“This administration has done a great deal since Day 1 to remove the social justice, politically-correct, toxic ideological garbage that had infected our department,” Hegseth said. “No more identity months, DEI offices or dudes in dresses. No more climate change worship. No more division, distraction of gender delusions. No more debris. As I’ve said before and will say, we are done with that shit.”

Keep ReadingShow less