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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.

Aug 29, 2019 | Economics

Maya MacGuineas: With a growing debt, a fiscally responsible blueprint is needed to handle the next recession

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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Aug 21, 2019 | Budgets & Projections

New CBO Budget Projections Show Toll of Budget-Busting Legislation

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) just released its latest baseline, projecting high and rising debt made worse by recent legislation. CBO...
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Aug 19, 2019 | Taxes

How Much Would a Payroll Tax Holiday Cost?

Update 8/20/19: While speaking in the Oval Office, President Trump confirmed that a payroll tax cut and indexing capital gains were under discussion...
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Aug 15, 2019 | Budgets & Projections

Where Does the Budget Stand Compared to Historical Averages?

Recently, there has been a lot of discussion over whether the country has a revenue problem or a spending problem. While there is no way to...
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Aug 7, 2019 | Other Spending

Was a "No" Vote on the Budget Deal a Vote for "More Spending"?

In support of the $1.7 trillion Bipartisan Budget Act of 2019 (BBA19), Senator David Perdue (R-GA) gave a floor speech and penned an op-ed arguing...
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Aug 7, 2019 | Health Care

Senate Finance Prescription Drug Bill Would Reduce Deficits by $100 Billion

The Senate Finance Committee recently approved by a 19-9 vote a prescription drug bill, the Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act, that the...
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Jul 31, 2019 | Budgets & Projections

Even With Lower Interest Rates, Debt Remains Unsustainable

With the Federal Reserve today announcing a 0.25 percentage point decrease in the federal funds rate, it appears interest rates will remain...
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Jul 31, 2019 | Budgets & Projections

Recent Fiscal Irresponsibility Will Double Deficits

As deficits are expected to climb above $1 trillion in the coming years, it's worth noting that tax cuts and spending hikes passed just in the...
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Jul 25, 2019 | Budgets & Projections

President Trump’s $4 Trillion Debt Increase

If the recent budget deal is signed into law, it will be the third major piece of deficit-financed legislation in President Trump's term. In...
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Jul 25, 2019 | Budgets & Projections| Other Spending

Addressing Common Claims About the Budget Deal

The President and Congressional leaders announced a plan to raise the caps on discretionary spending by $322 billion for Fiscal Years (FY) 2020...
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Jul 24, 2019 | Budgets & Projections| Other Spending

Budget Deal's Offsets Don't Even Cover The Interest

President Trump and leaders in Congress announced a deal this week to increase caps on discretionary spending by $169 billion in 2020 and $153...
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Jul 24, 2019 | Social Security

Ways and Means to Hold Hearing on Social Security 2100 Act

The House Ways and Means Committee will hold a hearing on Social Security Subcommittee Chairman John Larson’s (D-CT) Social Security 2100 Act (SS2100...
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Jul 23, 2019 | Budgets & Projections| Other Spending

Five Reasons to Oppose the Budget Deal

Congressional leaders and the President announced a proposed budget deal yesterday to raise the caps on discretionary spending for Fiscal Years (FY)...
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Jul 23, 2019 | Budgets & Projections| Other Spending

Proposed Budget Agreement Could Cost $1.7 Trillion

Update: A Congressional Budget Office (CBO) score of the deal shows that the offsets are $55 billion rather than $77 billion as reported in the press...
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Jul 19, 2019 | Taxes

Watch: What Should We Do About the Zombie Tax Extenders?

The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget hosted a lunch and panel discussion on What Should We Do About the Zombie Tax Extenders?  The...
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Jul 18, 2019 | Taxes

Ways and Means Tax Package Could Cost Over $900 Billion Now

Last month, the House Ways and Means Committee approved a tax package that would revive and extend several tax extenders through 2020 and...
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Jul 18, 2019 | Budgets & Projections| Budget Process

Maya MacGuineas: No budget. On the brink of default. It's a hell of a way to run a country.

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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Jul 12, 2019 | Budgets & Projections

CBO's Long-Term Debt Outlook Improved Slightly from Last Year, Here's Why

In its latest Long-Term Budget Outlook, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects debt held by the public will rise from over 78 percent of...
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Jul 10, 2019 | Taxes

Are There $1.6 Trillion in Tax Loopholes?

Former Vice President and 2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden told the Rainbow PUSH Coalition Convention on June 28 that the tax code contains $1.6...
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Jul 10, 2019 | Other Spending

New Pension Bill Adds Too Much to the Debt

The House Ways and Means Committee is considering pension reform legislation that CBO estimates will add $64 billion to deficits over the...
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