Papers
View our recurring reports, which summarize and analyze the most important regular federal budget releases and reports.
The Better Budget Process Initiative: Recommendations for the JSC
The Joint Select Committee on Budget and Appropriations Process Reform (JSC) has the opportunity to make important improvements to the budget process...
CBO's 2018 Long-Term Budget Outlook
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its 2018 Long-Term Budget Outlook today, reiterating the budget’s unsustainable long-term trajectory...
Analysis of the 2018 Medicare Trustees' Report
The Medicare Trustees have released their 2018 report on the financial status of Medicare. The report shows that Medicare spending will increase...
Budgeting for the Next Generation: How Do Kids Fare?
When it comes to fiscal policy, it is increasingly clear that children are not a high priority. Recent tax cuts and spending increases have burdened...
Analysis of the 2018 Social Security Trustees’ Report
The Trustees for Social Security released their annual report today. As they have for many years, their projections show that the Social Security...
Appropriations 101
This paper has been updated here. What are appropriations? Appropriations are annual decisions made by Congress about how the federal government...
Can America Sustain the Recent Economic Boost?
Key Takeaways: The good news is that the economy is doing well; however, this is unlikely to turn into sustained growth at the same rate. Short-term...
CBO’s Analysis of the President’s FY 2019 Budget
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its estimate of the President’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 budget using its own assumptions to evaluate the...
Maya MacGuineas's Testimony on Budget Resolution Reforms
On May 24, 2018, Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget president Maya MacGuineas testified before the Joint Select Committee on Budget and...
American Health Care: Health Spending and the Federal Budget
The United States spends more on health care than any other country in the world, and a large share of that spending comes from the federal government...
Chartbook: Playing By the (Budget) Rules
Below is a Chartbook that corresponds to the paper " Playing By the (Budget) Rules: Understanding and Preventing Budget Gimmicks"
Chartbook: America's Budget Outlook
Below is a chartbook on America's deteriorating budget outlook. Update (5/15/18): We clarified the footnote on slide 9 to more clearly reference CBO's...