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.
CBO Projects Possible Debt Spiral, as R Exceeds G
The U.S. national debt has long been on an unsustainable path. Nonetheless, for most of the 20th century, debt sustainability has been bolstered by...
CRFB Releases Social Security: Just the Facts
Social Security is the bedrock of the U.S. retirement system, providing benefits for 70 million Americans. And yet, with the program projected to be...
Bipartisan Momentum Builds for the Fiscal Contingency Preparedness Act
Updated on 3/4/26 to reflect additional support. The Fiscal Contingency Preparedness Act (FCPA), introduced last year by Representatives Ben Cline (R...
How Much Will Trump’s New 10% (or 15%) Tariffs Raise?
UPDATE (March 5, 2025): CBO estimated the Supreme Court ruling that IEPPA tariffs are illegal will reduce revenue by $1.6 trillion through 2036...
Trump CEA Projections Tracker
Before the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), the White House Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) released economic and fiscal...
Maya MacGuineas: America Needs a Social Security Commission
Maya MacGuineas is president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. She recently wrote an opinion piece for the Dallas Morning News , an...
Debt Rises to 175% of GDP Under CBO’s Long-Term Outlook
The national debt will rise to 175% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2056 – or $168 trillion – according to the Congressional Budget Office's (CBO)...
Fiscal Contingency Preparedness Act (FCPA) Frequently Asked Questions
Amid the growing bipartisan interest in the Fiscal Contingency Preparedness Act (FCPA), below are some frequently asked questions and answers about...
CBO Projects High Federal Health Program Costs
Federal health programs will cost over $26 trillion through 2036, under the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) baseline, making health care the largest...
Net Interest Costs Will Double, Again, Over the Next Decade
Net interest on the national debt, the fastest growing part of the budget, is projected to more than double from $970 billion in Fiscal Year (FY) 2025...
Maya MacGuineas: Here's How to Fix Social Security
Maya MacGuineas is president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. She recently wrote an opinion piece for the Dallas Morning News, an...
Upcoming Congressional Fiscal Policy Deadlines
Updated 2/17/26: On February 14, Homeland Security funding expired, causing a partial government shutdown affecting only that department. The spending...