Announcing US Budget Watch 2024

The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget launched US Budget Watch 2024 today, a project to educate the public on issues related to the 2024 presidential election, while holding presidential candidates accountable for the fiscal impact of their proposals. As part of US Budget Watch 2024, the Committee published Major Challenges Await the Next Administration, a paper highlighting major fiscal issues that must be confronted in the next presidential term.

The following is a statement from Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget:

With the presidential campaign getting into full swing, candidates must level with the public on the enormous fiscal challenges facing the country. Debt is approaching record levels, interest costs are exploding, major trust funds are approaching insolvency, and large parts of the budget and tax code are expiring. Whether they like it or not, candidates cannot ignore the debt.

As in past election cycles, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget will be closely following the campaign and tallying the fiscal costs of candidates’ proposals, while holding them accountable for their actions, claims, and promises. We will also produce tools and resources to help candidates and their campaigns develop thoughtful and responsible policy agendas. 

As an independent and nonpartisan resource, we will continue to help the media and voters discern truth from fiction and stay out of the political fray with just the facts.

Those running for office will be tempted to promise more than they can deliver, to rely on phony claims to feign fiscal responsibility, and to demagogue those who put forward solutions to some of our most serious economic and fiscal problems. This cannot be allowed.

Fixing the budget isn't easy, but it is paramount to governing the country.

By injecting an impartial, fact-based approach into the national conversation, US Budget Watch 2024 will help the public better understand the nuances of candidates’ policy proposals and what they would mean for the country’s economic and fiscal future.

We encourage the candidates to step up.

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You can find all of our US Budget Watch content here, including our first paper, Major Challenges Await the Next Administration. You can follow us on twitter at @BudgetHawks and the hashtag #USBW2024.

For more information, please contact Kim McIntyre, Director of Media Relations, at mcintyre@crfb.org.