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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.

Leon Panetta
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...
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Concept_Debt
Dec 20, 2018 | Health Care| Taxes

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...
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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...
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Maya MacGuineas
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...
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Concept_calculator
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...
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Concept_Calculator
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...
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concept_pennies
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...
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Concept_DC_Capitol Building
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...
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US flag with 100 dollar background
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...
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Concept_Money_Green
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....
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Concept_Health Care_RX Bottles
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...
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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...
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Concept_Myths
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...
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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...
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Concept_calculator
Nov 2, 2018 | Other Spending

A 5 Percent Discretionary Cut Still Provides Ample Spending

President Trump has asked each cabinet secretary to propose a plan to cut 5 percent of their agency's budget for next year. Assuming this...
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Oct 26, 2018 | Economics

3rd Quarter Growth of 3.5 Percent is Good News, But Doesn't Reflect a Sustained Boost

The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) today announced its initial estimate that the economy grew at a 3.5 percent annualized rate in the...
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Oct 25, 2018 | Health Care

Marc Goldwein and Mark Litow: The fate of American health-care reform is on the ballot this November

Marc Goldwein is the senior vice president and senior policy director for the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, and Mark Litow is the...
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Oct 23, 2018 | Budgets & Projections| Other Spending

WATCH: Budgeting for the Next Generation

The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget will host a lunch and panel discussion on Budgeting for the Next Generation on Capitol Hill beginning...
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Maya MacGuineas
Oct 19, 2018 | Budgets & Projections

Maya MacGuineas: Massive Deficit Was Totally Predictable & Self-Imposed

Maya MacGuineas is president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget and head of the Campaign to Fix the Debt. She recently wrote an ...
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Concept_Debt
Oct 18, 2018 | Budgets & Projections

Moody's: Widening Deficit Foreshadows Decline in U.S. Fiscal Strength

With last year's deficit growing to $779 billion, Moody's Investors Service yesterday warned that the country's fiscal position is on a "gradual...
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