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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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...
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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...
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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...
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Maya MacGuineas: NC can set example on Social Security this November
Maya MacGuineas is president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. She recently wrote an opinion piece for the Carolina Journal, an...
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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...
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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...
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12-Month Rolling Deficit is $1.6 Trillion in February 2026
The federal government borrowed $1.6 trillion over the past year – March 2025 to February 2026 – based on estimates from the Congressional Budget...
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How Much Will Trump’s New 10% (or 15%) Tariffs Raise?
UPDATE (March 5, 2026): CBO estimated the Supreme Court ruling that IEPPA tariffs are illegal will reduce revenue by $1.6 trillion through 2036...
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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 , the...
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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)...
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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...
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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...