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.
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New Affordable Care Act Repeal Estimate Still Shows Deficit Increase
For the first time in nearly three years, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released a new estimate of the budgetary effect of repealing the...
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Senator Flake Publishes “Jurassic Pork”
What do earmarks and dinosaurs have in common? Both are extinct, but their skeletons still remain. Last week, Senator Jeff Flake (R-AZ) joined the...
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House IPAB Repeal Vote Would Damage the Long-Term Outlook
Isn’t it ironic, mere days after the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) warns about our nation’s long-term fiscal challenges in its annual report, the...
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Looking at the Long Term in 2015
CBO's Long-Term Budget Outlook, released yesterday, is a detailed 130-page document, filled with budget projections for the next 25 years, along with...
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CBO Shows an Unsustainable Long-Term Budget Outlook
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) today released its 2015 Long-Term Budget Outlook, showing a clearly unsustainable long-term path for debt. The...
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A Comparison of the House and Senate Trade Bills
The House is considering trade legislation (H.R. 1314, H.R. 1295, and H.R. 644) this week that would fast-track authority for a few major trade deals...
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Why Lawmakers Were Able to Extend Highway Spending for Free
At the end of last month, lawmakers passed a two-month extension of the highway authorization bill with very little fuss. There was no discussion of...
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Four Gimmicks to Watch Out For
As Congress begins the appropriations process, maneuvers through this year’s Fiscal Speed Bumps, and looks to pay for the costs of new legislation...
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Budget Issues Abound in the Senate Defense Authorization
Update: The Reed amendment was rejected in floor consideration by a 46-51 vote. The Senate is currently considering the National Defense Authorization...
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Huckabee Position Doesn't Add Up for Debt or Social Security
Former Arkansas Governor and Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee has criticized other candidates who are calling for entitlement reform...
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Maya MacGuineas: Another Look at That IMF Paper on Debt–and What It Means for the U.S.
Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, wrote a commentary that appeared in the Wall Street Journal Washington...
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$12 Billion Cures Bill Advances in House
Update: This blog was updated on June 30 to reflect a CBO estimate published on June 23. Our original estimate was $13 billion, based on staff...