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.
Appropriations Watch: FY 2026
Updated 3/30/26: On March 27, the Senate passed a Homeland Security funding bill by voice vote. The legislation would provide funding for most of...
A $1.5 Trillion Defense Budget Could Mean Nearly $7 Trillion in Higher Debt
President Trump is expected to release his Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 budget later this week, which may include a proposal to increase the defense budget...
Senators Introduce Fiscal Commission Act
Senators John Curtis (R-UT) and Angus King (I-ME), joined by Senators Chris Coons (D-DE), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Todd Young (R-IN), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)...
Statement for the Record on Social Security: A Discussion on the Facts and the Path Forward
The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget submitted a statement for the record pertaining to the Senate Budget Committee hearing on "Social...
A Sovereign Debt Fund Can’t Save Social Security
Social Security is projected to be insolvent in less than seven years. Lawmakers need to make changes to the funding and benefit structure of this...
Medicare Advantage in the Hot Seat
Recent actions from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) could help reduce the estimated $1.3 trillion in Medicare Advantage (MA)...
Social Security Solvency Can Strengthen the Economy and Budget
The Social Security retirement trust fund is projected to go insolvent in Fiscal Year (FY) 2032 under the Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO) new...
Udall and Beauprez Highlight Need to Fix Social Security
Former Senator Mark Udall, a Democrat who represented Colorado in the U.S. Senate from 2009 to 2015, and former Congressman Bob Beauprez, a Republican...
A Gas Tax Holiday Would Cost Billions Each Month
In the midst of the conflict with Iran and spiking oil prices, policymakers are reportedly considering – and some have introduced – a temporary gas...
Bipartisan Momentum Builds for the Fiscal Contingency Preparedness Act
Updated on 3/16/26 to reflect additional support. The Fiscal Contingency Preparedness Act (FCPA), introduced last year by Representatives Ben Cline (R...
States Exploit SDP Grandfathering, Driving Up Medicaid Costs
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) included important reforms to limit states’ costly use of State Directed Payments (SDPs) in the Medicaid...
OBBBA Dynamic Score Comes In at $4.7 Trillion
The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA) will add $4.2 trillion to the national debt through Fiscal Year (FY) 2034 or $4.7 trillion through 2035 after...