Papers
View our recurring reports, which summarize and analyze the most important regular federal budget releases and reports.
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Appropriations 101
This paper has been updated here. What are appropriations? Appropriations are annual decisions made by Congress about how the federal government...
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Kent Conrad's Testimony on the Broken Budget Process
On May 14, 2019, former Senate Budget Committee Chairman and Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget board member Kent Conrad (D-ND) testified...
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Analysis of the 2019 Medicare Trustees' Report
The Medicare Trustees have released their 2019 report, which makes projections for Medicare spending and revenue for the next 75 years. The Trustees...
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CBO's Analysis of the President's FY 2020 Budget
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its estimate of the President’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 budget using its own assumptions to evaluate the...
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Joint Letter: Don't Revive the Expired Tax Extenders
Below is a joint letter sent today to Congressional leadership and the heads of the taxwriting committees urging them against reviving the temporary...
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Letter to Congress to Abide By PAYGO
Below is a letter from Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget president Maya MacGuineas to all Members of Congress asking them to offset the costs...
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Analysis of the 2019 Social Security Trustees’ Report
The Social Security Trustees released their annual report today, continuing to show that the Social Security program must address its funding...
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Why Should We Worry About the National Debt: Questions and Answers
“Why Should We Worry About the National Debt?” describes six important ways that the growing national debt will affect the budget and the economy...
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Why Should We Worry About the National Debt?
Though the national debt is at a post-war high, the willingness of policymakers to address it seems as if it is at an all-time low. The last two years...
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Letter for the Record on Comprehensive Legislative Proposals on Social Security
The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget submitted a letter for the record from CRFB president Maya MacGuineas pertaining to the House Ways and...
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Analysis of the President’s FY 2020 Budget
The Trump Administration released its Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 budget proposal today, outlining the President’s tax and spending priorities over the next...
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Written Testimony on Our Nation's Crumbling Infrastructure and the Need for Immediate Action
The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget submitted testimony for the record pertaining to the House Ways and Means Committee hearing on "Our...