Jan 24, 2019 | Economics
The Government Shutdown Could Wipe Out Recent Stimulus Effects on This Quarter
The current government shutdown has lasted long enough to temporarily erase all the positive stimulus effects of recent major legislation. ...
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.
Jan 22, 2019 | Economics
The Shutdown's Economic Toll Equals the Average Hurricane
The current government shutdown is the economic equivalent of a self-imposed natural disaster. As the 32nd day of the longest government shutdown in...
Jan 17, 2019 | Budget Process
Ernst, Lankford, and Perdue Introduce The "No Budget, No Recess" Act
Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA), along with Senators Lankford (R-OK) and Perdue (R-GA), today introduced the "No Budget, No Recess" Act." The legislation...
CBO: Fixing the Debt Could Increase Average Income by $6,000 Per Person
While some recent commentators have suggested Americans stop worrying about our debt, evidence shows there is a significant upside to addressing...
Jan 2, 2019 | Budget Process
Budget Changes in Proposed House Rules
House Democrats are proposing a package of rules to govern the House of Representatives in the 116th Congress. The package contains many...
Dec 31, 2018 | Budgets & Projections
Our Top Fiscal Charts of 2018
The year 2018 was a busy time for budget policy, which gave us plenty of opportunities for analysis via tables and graphs. We published over 250...
Dec 29, 2018 | Other Spending
Leon Panetta: Five Lessons that Never Seem to Be Learned from Shutting Down the Government
Leon Panetta is co-chair of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, former budget director and White House chief of staff under...
House to Vote on $100 Billion Lame Duck Tax Package
The House will likely consider a package of lame duck tax cuts costing almost $100 billion over ten years. About half of the cost comes from...
Dec 19, 2018 | Other Spending
What Happens in a Partial Government Shutdown?
Policymakers have until midnight on Friday to avoid a partial government shutdown.
Lawmakers have already passed full-year appropriations for...
Dec 19, 2018 | Budgets & Projections
Maya MacGuineas Testifies Before House Financial Services Committee
CRFB president Maya MacGuineas testified before the House Financial Services Committee on Thursday, December 20. The hearing, entitled "The Peril of...
Dec 13, 2018 | Budgets & Projections
CBO Releases Latest Budget Options Report
Today, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its "Options for Reducing the Deficit, 2019-2028" report, featuring 121 policy options and...
Dec 13, 2018 | Economics
The Deficit Has Never Been This High When the Economy Was This Strong
This year, the budget deficit is projected to total about $970 billion – 4.6 percent of GDP – up from $666 billion (3.5 percent of GDP) in...
Dec 4, 2018 | Budgets & Projections
How Much Does the Government Really Owe?
When analyzing the fiscal health of the country, we often focus on federal government debt held by the public. Data published by USAFacts allows us...
Nov 30, 2018 | Budget Process
JSC Markup Amendment Tracker
November 30 Note: The Joint Select Committee on Budget and Appropriations Process Reform was unable to advance its legislation out of committee...
Nov 27, 2018
Support Us on #GivingTuesday
This #GivingTuesday, support the nonpartisan work of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.
Your tax-deductible contribution will...
Nov 26, 2018 | Economics
Maya MacGuineas Discussed Rising Interest on NPR
Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, discussed our deteriorating fiscal situation, including how the U.S....
Nov 9, 2018 | Health Care
Momentum for Lower Drug Prices Emerging
Policymakers have been quietly making progress on lowering drug prices in recent weeks. Most notably, the Department of Health and Human Services...
Nov 8, 2018 | Budgets & Projections
Beware the Budget Busters in the Lame Duck
The lame duck Congress will return to Washington with an important to-do list that includes either finishing the seven unfinished appropriation bills...
Nov 5, 2018 | Taxes
The Tax Bill Did Not Cause Revenue to Rise
A common misleading claim this fall has been that tax revenues have increased, even with the large tax cuts enacted last year. While it is...
Nov 2, 2018 | Budget Process
Resources and Recommendations for Joint Select Committee on Budget and Appropriations Process Reform
In February, the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 established the Joint Select Committee on Budget and Appropriations Process Reform (JSC) tasked with...
