deficit hawks
Budget-cutting zealots
Deficit hawks are people who prioritize reducing government budget deficits and oppose policies that increase national debt.
The term combines the aggressive imagery of hawks—suggesting vigilance and willingness to fight—with fiscal conservatism.
Deficit hawks often advocate spending cuts, balanced budget amendments, or entitlement reform: Deficit hawks in Congress blocked the infrastructure bill over funding concerns.
Government's accumulated borrowing
- debt ceilingMaximum government can owe
- sovereign debtMoney governments owe creditors
- credit ratingAssigned measure of borrower reliability
- borrowing costsFees for using loaned funds
treasury yields · bond market · interest payments · debt-to-GDP ratio · fiscal cliff · credit downgrade · debt crisis · unfunded liabilities
Reductions in spending
- belt-tighteningReducing expenditures deliberately
- spending cutsReducing governmental expenditures
- slashingCutting with force
- trimmingCutting away excess
retrenchment · curtailment · reduction · economizing · sequestration · spending freeze · fiscal restraint · sacrifice
Cessation of federal operations
- appropriationsDesignated funds for purposes
- bipartisanshipCooperation between political rivals
- grand bargainMajor agreement on contentious issues
- spending capsMaximum permitted expenditures
Advocating reduced government expenditure
- small governmentMinimal state authority philosophy
- ReaganomicsSupply-side fiscal philosophy
- ThatcherismBritish free-market conservatism
- supply-side economicsProducer incentives drive growth
Tea Party · balanced budget amendment · fiscal responsibility · limited government · Paul Ryan · means testing
national debt
Government's accumulated borrowing
- debt ceilingMaximum government can owe
- sovereign debtMoney governments owe creditors
- credit ratingAssigned measure of borrower reliability
borrowing costs · treasury yields · bond market · interest payments · debt-to-GDP ratio · fiscal cliff · credit downgrade · debt crisis · unfunded liabilities · debt burden
cutbacks
Reductions in spending
- belt-tighteningReducing expenditures deliberately
- spending cutsReducing governmental expenditures
- slashingCutting with force
trimming · retrenchment · curtailment · reduction · economizing · sequestration · spending freeze · fiscal restraint · sacrifice · streamlining
government shutdown
Cessation of federal operations
- appropriationsDesignated funds for purposes
- bipartisanshipCooperation between political rivals
- grand bargainMajor agreement on contentious issues
spending caps · discretionary spending · mandatory spending · debt limit
fiscal conservatism
Advocating reduced government expenditure
- small governmentMinimal state authority philosophy
- ReaganomicsSupply-side fiscal philosophy
- ThatcherismBritish free-market conservatism
supply-side economics · Tea Party · balanced budget amendment · fiscal responsibility · limited government · Paul Ryan · means testing
- fiscal policynational budget, budget surplus, federal budget, fiscal reform, fiscal policy
- fiscal crisesdebt crisis, budget crisis, fiscal crisis, fiscal emergency, debt ceiling
- public debtnational debt, sovereign debt, federal debt, public debt, government bonds
deficit hawksDick Cheney