Burman paper on 2016 US presidential candidates and the economy published in Intereconomics

The US Presidential Candidates and the Economy

Leonard E. Burman

Intereconomics, September 2016

Leonard Burman

Public Administration & International Affairs Department

Center for Policy Research

Taxation

U.S. Elections

Intereconomics

Leonard Burman

The two candidates for president of the United States present starkly different views on economic policy. Donald Trump proposes historically large tax cuts while Hillary Clinton proposes a modest tax increase. Both candidates have made proposals that would increase public investment in infrastructure. Trump claims that he would balance the budget by cutting spending. However, he rules the biggest categories of spending – Social Security, Medicare and national defense – off-limits. Taken together, this means decimating the rest of the budget.