Q&A: Everything You Should Know About Government Shutdowns
The fiscal year began on Oct. 1, 2018, and Congress has passed just five out of 12 appropriations bills setting discretionary spending levels....
Papers
View our recurring reports, which summarize and analyze the most important regular federal budget releases and reports.
Dec 20, 2018 | Budgets & Projections
Maya MacGuineas's Testimony on the Perils of Ignoring Debt
On December 20, 2018, Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget president Maya MacGuineas testified before the House Financial Services Committee on...
Dec 6, 2018 | Taxes
Joint Letter: End the Tax Extenders Once And For All
Below is a joint letter to Congressional leadership and the heads of the taxwriting committees that it is time to end the practice of enacting...
Nov 8, 2018
Highlights from 2018
We celebrate the hard work and accomplishments of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. To help propel us into this hectic and...
Nov 2, 2018 | Budget Process
Memo to the JSC: Joint Select Committee Reform Options
With the Joint Select Committee on Budget and Appropriations Process Reform (JSC) preparing for a likely mark-up during the week of November 12, we...
Nov 2, 2018 | Budget Process
Memo to the JSC: Including Debt Targets in the JSC’s Budget Process Reform Package
The statutory deadline for reporting legislation is moving ever closer, and public statements show a notable portion of the Members of the Joint...
Oct 25, 2018 | Budgets & Projections
The 75-Year Budget Outlook
The federal budget is on an unsustainable long-term trajectory. With federal debt already high and rising, the country’s fiscal outlook in the medium...
Chartbook: Budgeting for the Next Generation
This chartbook corresponds to our project "Budgeting for the Next Generation"
Q&A: Everything You Should Know About Government Shutdowns
This paper has been updated here.
The fiscal year began on September 30, has only passed 5 of 12 appropriations bills setting spending levels. If...
Budgeting for the Next Generation: Options to Improve Budgeting for Children
Children have less ability to meet their needs in the short term and more potential in the long term than other age groups, but federal policy does...
Aug 16, 2018 | Other Spending
Budgeting for the Next Generation: Does the Budget Process Prioritize Children?
Compared to other age groups, children have higher levels of poverty, less ability to provide for themselves, and greater potential to support future...
Aug 8, 2018 | Budgets & Projections
CBO’s Alternative Long-Term Budget Scenarios
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released alternative scenarios to its Long-Term Budget Outlook today. These scenarios show that if the recent...
Jul 12, 2018 | Budgets & Projections
Letter to the Veterans Affairs Conference Committee
Below is a letter from CRFB President Maya MacGuineas to the conferees appointed to negotiate between the House and Senate versions of the Veterans...
Jul 12, 2018 | Budget Process
Leon Panetta's Testimony on Budget and Appropriations Process Reforms
On July 12, 2018, Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget Co-Chair Leon Panetta testified before the Joint Select Committee on Budget and...
Jun 27, 2018 | Budget Process
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...
Jun 26, 2018 | Budgets & Projections
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....
Jun 7, 2018 | Health Care
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...
Jun 7, 2018 | Other Spending
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...
Jun 5, 2018 | Social Security
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...
May 30, 2018 | Budget Process
Appropriations 101
What are appropriations?
Appropriations are annual decisions made by Congress about how the federal government spends some of its money. In general...
