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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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Oct 11, 2018 | Budgets & Projections| Other Spending

Chartbook: Budgeting for the Next Generation

This chartbook corresponds to our project "Budgeting for the Next Generation"

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Oct 4, 2018 | Other Spending| Budget Process

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...

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Sep 28, 2018 | Other Spending| Budget Process

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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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....

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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...

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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...

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