Papers
View our recurring reports, which summarize and analyze the most important regular federal budget releases and reports.
Budgeting for the Next Generation: Does the Budget Process Prioritize Children?
Compared to other age groups, children have higher levels of poverty, less ability to provide for themselves, and greater potential to support future...
CBO’s Alternative Long-Term Budget Scenarios
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released alternative scenarios to its Long-Term Budget Outlook today. These scenarios show that if the recent...
Leon Panetta's Testimony on Budget and Appropriations Process Reforms
On July 12, 2018, Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget Co-Chair Leon Panetta testified before the Joint Select Committee on Budget and...
Letter to the Veterans Affairs Conference Committee
Below is a letter from CRFB President Maya MacGuineas to the conferees appointed to negotiate between the House and Senate versions of the Veterans...
The Better Budget Process Initiative: Recommendations for the JSC
The Joint Select Committee on Budget and Appropriations Process Reform (JSC) has the opportunity to make important improvements to the budget process...
CBO's 2018 Long-Term Budget Outlook
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its 2018 Long-Term Budget Outlook today, reiterating the budget’s unsustainable long-term trajectory...
Analysis of the 2018 Medicare Trustees' Report
The Medicare Trustees have released their 2018 report on the financial status of Medicare. The report shows that Medicare spending will increase...
Budgeting for the Next Generation: How Do Kids Fare?
When it comes to fiscal policy, it is increasingly clear that children are not a high priority. Recent tax cuts and spending increases have burdened...
Analysis of the 2018 Social Security Trustees’ Report
The Trustees for Social Security released their annual report today. As they have for many years, their projections show that the Social Security...
Can America Sustain the Recent Economic Boost?
Key Takeaways: The good news is that the economy is doing well; however, this is unlikely to turn into sustained growth at the same rate. Short-term...
Appropriations 101
This paper has been updated here . What are appropriations? Appropriations are annual decisions made by Congress about how the federal government...
CBO’s Analysis of the President’s FY 2019 Budget
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its estimate of the President’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 budget using its own assumptions to evaluate the...