Steve Ellis spoke to NPF Paul Miller Washington Reporting fellows March 6, 2023: ‘Just Get Rid of the Debt Ceiling.’

Ellis briefed National Press Foundation fellows in January 2022: How to Track Government Spending.

Steve Ellis is the president of Taxpayers for Common Sense, a nonpartisan budget watchdog group.

A persistent critic of the mounting budget deficit and federal fiscal policy, Ellis has testified in Congress dozens of times, served as a Democratic and Republican witness for the majority and minority and appeared before 11 different committees.

His comments have been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post, among many other outlets, and he has appeared on major broadcast networks. His expertise ranges from earmarks to flood insurance and a lot of spending issues in between.

Ellis formerly served as an officer in the U.S. Coast Guard for six years, including tours of duty as a department head and deck watch officer aboard the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Sorrel, managing the Coast Guard’s inland waterway fleet and managing a small boat-acquisition contract.

He received a BS in Government from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. He has earned both the Coast Guard Commendation Medal and the Coast Guard Achievement Medal.