Congress May Not Produce a Budget, But You Can

The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget today is launching its new “Stabilize the Debt” budget simulator to allow the public to get a better understanding of the steps necessary to close the budget gap and stem the rising federal debt.

The simulator allows anyone—from members of Congress to interested citizens — to try their hand at stabilizing the federal debt at a manageable level of 60 percent of GDP.

“Congress will not likely adopt a budget resolution this year, but this new budget simulator puts power in the hands of the public to show their preferences for tackling the mounting debt,” said Maya MacGuineas, CRFB president. “Policymakers and voters need to understand the types of policy changes that will be necessary; the simulator both shows them the types of policies that will ultimately have to be part of a plan and gives them the opportunity to make their preferences known.”

The online budget simulator (https://crfb.org/stabilizethedebt) presents users with a variety of budget options from all parts of the budget in an accessible format that allows them to track how their choices affect the medium-term debt picture. Social media capabilities will allow users to share their experience virally with friends and discuss their choices online. CRFB will keep track of the results and share them with policymakers and the public.

Click here for a pdf version of this release.

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