Papers

View our recurring reports, which summarize and analyze the most important regular federal budget releases and reports.

Jun 29, 2017 | Budgets & Projections

Analysis of CBO’s Updated Budget and Economic Outlook (June 2017)

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released updated budget and economic projections today, continuing to show an unsustainable picture of debt...

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Jun 7, 2017 | Budgets & Projections

All the President's Budget Gimmicks

The Trump Administration recently released its full Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 budget proposal, which details the President’s policies for federal...

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May 24, 2017 | Budgets & Projections

President Trump’s Full FY 2018 Budget

The President released the full version of his first budget yesterday, laying out his proposals for Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 and the following decade....

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May 23, 2017 | Budgets & Projections

Re-Estimating the President’s Budget with Reasonable Economic Assumptions

Today, the President released his full Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 budget proposal. The Administration finds that its policies would balance the budget by...

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May 19, 2017 | Budgets & Projections

What We'd Like to See in President Trump's Full FY 2018 Budget

After releasing its “skinny budget” in March, the Trump Administration is slated to release its full budget request outlining the President’s...

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May 18, 2017 | Taxes

Written Testimony: How Tax Reform Will Grow Our Economy and Create Jobs Across America

Below is a statement from CRFB submitted for the record to the House Ways & Means Committee for a hearing on: “How Tax Reform Will Grow Our...

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May 18, 2017 | Economics

How Fast Can America Grow?

Official projections show real economic growth will average less than 2 percent annually over the next decade. However, some policymakers have...

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May 18, 2017 | Economics

Policies to Grow the Economy

The aging of the population will make achieving past levels of economic growth much more difficult in the years ahead. The Congressional Budget...

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May 16, 2017 | Budgets & Projections

Eight Gimmicks to Look Out For This Budget Season

In the coming days and weeks, the Trump Administration is expected to release its full Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 budget proposal, and the House and...

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Apr 25, 2017 | Taxes

Principles for Responsible Tax Reform

The United States tax code has not been overhauled in over three decades, and it is in desperate need of reform. The current federal income tax is in...

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Mar 30, 2017 | Budgets & Projections

CBO’s 2017 Long-Term Budget Outlook

The United States is on an unsustainable fiscal path, according to the Long-Term Budget Outlook released by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO)...

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Mar 16, 2017 | Budgets & Projections

President Trump's FY 2018 "Skinny Budget"

The Trump Administration today released its "skinny budget," which details its plans for defense and non-defense discretionary spending for Fiscal...

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Mar 15, 2017 | Budgets & Projections

Update: The Cost of Rising Interest Rates

Over the next decade, interest payments on the debt are projected to be the fastest growing part of the federal budget. Last year, the federal...

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Mar 15, 2017 | Budget Process

Q&A: Everything You Should Know About the Debt Ceiling

Note: We have updated this Q&A. A new version is available here. Attention is turning towards raising the federal debt ceiling, which will be...

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Mar 13, 2017 | Budget Process

The Better Budget Process Initiative: Setting the Benchmark: Reforms to Budget Baseline Rules

Budget baselines are among the most important – but widely misunderstood – elements of budgeting and policymaking. The budgetary impact...

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Feb 23, 2017 | Budgets & Projections

What We’d Like to See in President Trump’s FY 2018 “Skinny Budget”

The Trump Administration is expected to soon release its first budget outlining the President’s priorities for Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 and the...

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Feb 16, 2017 | Taxes

Five Reasons to Pay for Tax Reform

An executive summary of this paper is available here. An updated version of this paper is available at Tax Reform Should Not Add to the Debt – Here's...

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