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.
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The CBO Directorship Changes Hands Today
Update: Director Hall has written an introductory blog post. Today marks not just April Fool's Day but also the end of Doug Elmendorf's six-plus year...
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Sharpening the Axe: How the House and Senate Budgets Handle the Sequester
With the Murray-Ryan deal expiring at the end of September, the sequester will once again be a hot topic as lawmakers will be prompted to deal with...
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Budget Rules! Process in the House and Senate Budgets
Now that the Senate and House have passed their respective budget resolutions, a budget conference committee is right around the corner. One aspect of...
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The Path to $165 Billion of Savings
We have spent much space on this blog highlighting the fact that temporary delays of the cuts dictated by Medicare's Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR)...
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Delaney and Cole Introduce Social Security Commission Bill
The bipartisan duo of Reps. John Delaney (D-MD) and Tom Cole (R-OK) have reprised a bill from last year to create a Social Security Commission. The...
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Warner Amendment Would Restore Program Integrity Funding
The Senate is undergoing vote-a-rama, an annual event where the Senate considers hundreds of amendments before voting on the budget resolution. Of the...
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Senate Amendment Would Take Further Step Back on War Spending
A big discussion has ensued in both the House and Senate about defense spending, and for the FY 2016 budget, that has meant how much to increase war...
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No, the SGR Replacement Bill is Not Fiscally Responsible
Despite official estimates tabbing the Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula replacement bill at a cost of $141 billion this decade and...
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Progressive Caucus Releases Alternative Budget
The Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) threw their hat into the budget ring last week with the release of their “ People’s Budget”. This is the...
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Ways & Means Committee Adds $270 Billion to Deficits by Repealing Estate Tax
The House Ways & Means Committee on Wednesday approved the “Death Tax Repeal Act of 2015,” which would permanently repeal the estate tax that applies...
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Debt and Deficits Under the FY 2016 Budgets
With budget consideration underway this week, the House has passed its own resolution and rejected several proposed alternatives, while the Senate...
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SGR Bill Would Add $500 Billion to Long-Term Debt
Earlier today, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its score of the Medicare Sustaintable Growth Rate (SGR) reform bill under consideration...