Papers
View our recurring reports, which summarize and analyze the most important regular federal budget releases and reports.

ARCHIVE: Primary Care: Estimating Leading Democratic Candidates’ Health Plans
Note (2/26/2020): This analysis is now out of date. We released an updated version of this analysis, available here, which includes updated offsets...

Q&A: Everything You Should Know About Government Shutdowns
The fiscal year began on Oct. 1, 2019, and Congress has enacted none of 12 appropriations bills setting discretionary spending levels. Lawmakers have...

Letter to Senate Budget Committee: Advance Bipartisan Budget Improvements
Below is a letter sent today from Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget president Maya MacGuineas to Senate Budget Committee Chairman Mike Enzi...

ARCHIVE: Choices for Financing Medicare for All: A Preliminary Analysis
Note (3/17/2020): This analysis is now out of date. We released an updated version of this analysis, available here, which includes an economic and...

Chartbook: Promoting Economic Growth through Social Security Reform
Below is a Chartbook that corresponds to the paper "Promoting Economic Growth through Social Security Reform":

Promoting Economic Growth through Social Security Reform
By Marc Goldwein, Maya MacGuineas, and Chris Towner Executive Summary As the population ages and an increasing share of Americans exit the workforce...

Americans Show They Can Make Tough Federal Budget Decisions and Reduce National Debt
The national debt currently is the highest it has been as a share of the economy since just after World War II, and it is rising rapidly. This high...

After the 2020 Election, Fiscal Challenges Await
The winner of the 2020 presidential election will begin his or her term facing a daunting fiscal situation. High deficits and debt, depleting trust...

Break Glass Here: A Responsible Plan to Combat the Next Recession
The United States is in the midst of one of the longest periods of sustained economic growth in its history, but there are signs that this prolonged...

Analysis of CBO’s Updated Budget and Economic Outlook (August 2019)
Today, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its updated Budget and Economic Outlook, showing that the national debt is on an unsustainable...

Letter to Finance Committee: Thank You For Working to Reduce Health Costs
Below is a letter sent today from Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget president Maya MacGuineas to leaders of the Senate Finance Committee...

Letter: Nearly 100 Experts Warn Against Cadillac Tax Repeal
A group of nearly 100 distinguished health and economic policy experts from across the ideological spectrum joined together to warn the Senate against...