War, Tax Cuts, Entitlement Programs, and a Balanced Budget

Looking Ahead to the President’s Budget -- What to Expect and What to Hope For. Ahead of President Bush sending his FY 2008 budget to Congress, which was widely expected to call for a balanced budget by 2012, three distinguished budget experts discussed questions such as, Will this goal be a realistic one? What new policies will be included in the President’s budget? (And which should be?) How will war costs be treated? What assumptions will be used concerning spending, revenue, and economic growth? Will this be a budget the Democratic Congress declares “dead on arrival” or will it be an overture towards bipartisan cooperation?