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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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...
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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...
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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 , the...
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Broad, Bipartisan Support for a 3% Deficit Target
Updated July 8, 2026, to reflect additional support. Representatives Bill Huizenga (R-MI) and Scott Peters (D-CA), co-chairs of the Bipartisan Fiscal...
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$10 Trillion to Get to 3% and Other Fiscal Goals
Deficits would need to be reduced by $9.5 trillion over the next decade to stabilize debt at 100% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Roughly $10...
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SCOTUS Tariff Ruling Could Add $2.4 Trillion to the Debt
Today the Supreme Court ruled that the International Emergency Economic Power Act (IEEPA) does not authorize the President to impose tariffs. We...