Sep 4, 2019 | Social Security
Marc Goldwein: A better way to cut the payroll tax rate
Marc Goldwein is senior vice president and senior policy director of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. He recently wrote...
Blog
Welcome to our blog – The Bottom Line, where you’ll find up-to-date commentary and analysis on the most important news in the fiscal world. Below is a list of our blog posts.
Aug 30, 2019 | Health Care
How to Reduce Health Costs By $900 Billion
There is no single magic bullet to rein in the high cost of health care for households, businesses, and governments. But lawmakers are currently...
Aug 29, 2019 | Economics
Maya MacGuineas: With a growing debt, a fiscally responsible blueprint is needed to handle the next recession
Maya MacGuineas is president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget and head of the Campaign to Fix the Debt. She recently wrote an...
Aug 21, 2019 | Budgets & Projections
New CBO Budget Projections Show Toll of Budget-Busting Legislation
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) just released its latest baseline, projecting high and rising debt made worse by recent legislation. CBO...
Aug 19, 2019 | Taxes
How Much Would a Payroll Tax Holiday Cost?
Update 8/20/19: While speaking in the Oval Office, President Trump confirmed that a payroll tax cut and indexing capital gains were under discussion...
Aug 15, 2019 | Budgets & Projections
Where Does the Budget Stand Compared to Historical Averages?
Recently, there has been a lot of discussion over whether the country has a revenue problem or a spending problem. While there is no way to...
Aug 7, 2019 | Other Spending
Was a "No" Vote on the Budget Deal a Vote for "More Spending"?
In support of the $1.7 trillion Bipartisan Budget Act of 2019 (BBA19), Senator David Perdue (R-GA) gave a floor speech and penned an op-ed arguing...
Aug 7, 2019 | Health Care
Senate Finance Prescription Drug Bill Would Reduce Deficits by $100 Billion
The Senate Finance Committee recently approved by a 19-9 vote a prescription drug bill, the Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act, that the...
Jul 31, 2019 | Budgets & Projections
Even With Lower Interest Rates, Debt Remains Unsustainable
With the Federal Reserve today announcing a 0.25 percentage point decrease in the federal funds rate, it appears interest rates will remain...
Jul 31, 2019 | Budgets & Projections
Recent Fiscal Irresponsibility Will Double Deficits
As deficits are expected to climb above $1 trillion in the coming years, it's worth noting that tax cuts and spending hikes passed just in the...
Jul 25, 2019 | Budgets & Projections
President Trump’s $4 Trillion Debt Increase
If the recent budget deal is signed into law, it will be the third major piece of deficit-financed legislation in President Trump's term. In...
Addressing Common Claims About the Budget Deal
The President and Congressional leaders announced a plan to raise the caps on discretionary spending by $322 billion for Fiscal Years (FY) 2020...
Budget Deal's Offsets Don't Even Cover The Interest
President Trump and leaders in Congress announced a deal this week to increase caps on discretionary spending by $169 billion in 2020 and $153...
Jul 24, 2019 | Social Security
Ways and Means to Hold Hearing on Social Security 2100 Act
The House Ways and Means Committee will hold a hearing on Social Security Subcommittee Chairman John Larson’s (D-CT) Social Security 2100 Act (SS2100...
Five Reasons to Oppose the Budget Deal
Congressional leaders and the President announced a proposed budget deal yesterday to raise the caps on discretionary spending for Fiscal Years (FY)...
Proposed Budget Agreement Could Cost $1.7 Trillion
Update: A Congressional Budget Office (CBO) score of the deal shows that the offsets are $55 billion rather than $77 billion as reported in the press...
Jul 19, 2019 | Taxes
Watch: What Should We Do About the Zombie Tax Extenders?
The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget hosted a lunch and panel discussion on What Should We Do About the Zombie Tax Extenders?
The...
Jul 18, 2019 | Taxes
Ways and Means Tax Package Could Cost Over $900 Billion Now
Last month, the House Ways and Means Committee approved a tax package that would revive and extend several tax extenders through 2020 and...
Maya MacGuineas: No budget. On the brink of default. It's a hell of a way to run a country.
Maya MacGuineas is president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget and head of the Campaign to Fix the Debt. She recently wrote an...
Jul 12, 2019 | Budgets & Projections
CBO's Long-Term Debt Outlook Improved Slightly from Last Year, Here's Why
In its latest Long-Term Budget Outlook, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects debt held by the public will rise from over 78 percent of...
