Papers
View our recurring reports, which summarize and analyze the most important regular federal budget releases and reports.
COVID Bills Had $650 Billion in Extraneous Policies
Congress has authorized around $6 trillion of fiscal support in response to the COVID pandemic, with a projected net cost of well over $5 trillion...
Alexander Holt's Senate Testimony on Student Debt's Burden on Borrowers and the Economy
On April 13, Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget policy analyst Alexander Holt testified at the Senate Banking Subcommittee on Economic Policy...
President Biden's FY 2022 Discretionary Budget
Today, the Biden Administration released an abridged version of the President’s budget. This partial budget details proposed allocations and plans for...
Maya MacGuineas's Senate Testimony on Taxation of Corporations and the Wealthy
On March 25, Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget president Maya MacGuineas testified before the Senate Budget Committee on "Ending a Rigged Tax...
The Case for Trust Fund Solutions
Some of the nation’s most important government programs are financed with dedicated revenue sources using federal trust funds. Four of those programs...
How High Are Federal Interest Payments?
This year, the federal government will spend $300 billion on interest payments on the national debt. This is the equivalent of nearly 9 percent of all...
Analysis of CBO's March 2021 Long-Term Budget Outlook
Today, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its March 2021 Long-Term Budget Outlook, confirming that the federal budget is on an...
Reducing Medicare Advantage Overpayments
The Medicare Advantage (MA) program, which allows Medicare beneficiaries to enroll in federally-funded private health insurance plans, is an...
Equalizing Medicare Payments Regardless of Site-of-Care
Currently, the Medicare program pays higher rates for medical services performed in hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs) than it pays for the same...
Capping Hospital Prices
High hospital prices are a leading driver of high and rising costs in the U.S. health care system, resulting in insurance premium growth that outpaces...
Analysis of CBO's February 2021 Budget and Economic Outlook
Today, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its February 2021 Budget and Economic Outlook, confirming that, despite improvements as a result...
Reconciliation 101
This paper has been updated here. What is reconcilation? How do reconciliation instructions work? Can a reconciliation bill add to the budget deficit...