The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) has launched a new web site for sharing information and analysis on the fiscal cliff and federal budget, so that its state and local government members, partners, and area residents understand the regional impacts as well as actions they can take in the coming days, weeks, and months.

The web site, www.mwcog.org/fiscalcliff, will be regularly updated with region-specific information, analysis by the Council of Governments and other experts, and news and videos, such as Alice Rivlin’s keynote address at COG’s annual meeting last week.

Rivlin, a senior economist at the Brookings Institution and an expert on the federal budget, said she believes the President and Congress will reach an agreement to avoid the mandatory tax and spending cuts. She called the budgetary predicament a major but also “artificial, elementary” problem about which the public should be outraged. In the speech, Rivlin outlines her solution for improving the country’s long-term fiscal situation.

In November, COG leaders sent a letter to Congress strongly urging federal officials to avert the cliff. At the same time, the Council of Governments has developed and is advancing Economy Forward, a five-point plan to strengthen the region’s competitiveness and prepare for a future of decreased federal spending.