Deficit Hawk

Slang for someone who wants the government to keep the federal budget under control. Deficit hawks espouse some combination of increased taxes and decreased government spending to reduce the deficit. They believe that unsustainable federal deficits could lead to signficant long-term challenges for the economy and future generations.

Within U.S. politics, several republican senators have been noted deficit hawks, such as Bob Dole from Kansas and George Voinovich of Ohio. However, the Concord Coalition is a nonpartisan group made up of deficit hawks from both parties.