Blog
Welcome to our blog – The Bottom Line, where you’ll find up-to-date commentary and analysis on the most important news in the fiscal world. Below is a list of our blog posts.
Appropriations Watch: FY 2026
Updated 11/13/25: After 43 days, the latest government shutdown ended on November 12 with a funding measure that provides full-year Agriculture...
Congress to Wipe $3.4 Trillion from PAYGO Scorecard
The legislation to end the current government shutdown and temporarily fund the government would also wipe the current statutory PAYGO scorecard...
12-Month Deficit Totals $1.7 Trillion, Debt Approaches 100% of GDP
The federal budget deficit totaled $1.74 trillion between November 2024 and October 2025 according to estimates from the Congressional Budget Office...
Tariff Dividends Could Cost $600 Billion Per Year
President Trump proposed paying a dividend of “at least $2,000 a person” with new tariff revenue in a post on Truth Social this weekend. The post...
Event Recap: Budget Bash 2025
On Tuesday, November 4, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget hosted its annual reception at the Hall of State’s View at 400. The evening...
Getting to 3%: An Open Letter to Lawmakers
Today, the Board of Directors for the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget released an open letter calling on lawmakers to adopt a fiscal goal...
Understanding the ACA Subsidy Discussion
As policymakers continue to debate what’s next for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) exchanges, there has been significant confusion over how the...
Maya MacGuineas: America's fiscal crisis is worsening. Everyone should take note.
Maya MacGuineas is president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. She recently wrote an opinion piece for MSNBC, an excerpt of which is...
Maya MacGuineas on Fox Business' "Mornings With Maria"
Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget president Maya MacGuineas recently appeared on Fox Business' "Mornings With Maria" to discuss the ongoing...
Government Reopening Proposal Would be the Costliest in History
Some lawmakers have called for increasing federal health care spending by $1.5 trillion to permanently extend the expiring enhanced Affordable Care...
2.8% COLA Highlights Benefits of a COLA Cap
The Social Security Administration announced on October 24 that beneficiaries will receive a 2.8% Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) at the start of...
Tariff Revenue Soars in FY 2025 Amid Legal Uncertainty
The federal government raised $195 billion in customs duties in Fiscal Year (FY) 2025, more than 250% of what it collected in FY 2024, according to...