Concept_DC_Capitol Building

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 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...
Read More +
Concept_DC_Capitol Building
Jan 17, 2019 | Other Spending

Appropriations Watch: FY 2019

Last Updated 1/17/2019  No appropriations legislation was enacted by midnight on the night of Dec. 21, resulting in a partial...
Read More +
Concept_DC_Capitol Building_Money
Jan 15, 2019 | Budget Process

Upcoming Congressional Fiscal Policy Deadlines

Updated 1/15/2019: A continuing resolution funding the seven appropriations bills that had not been previously enacted lapsed at midnight on December...
Read More +
Jan 11, 2019 | Budgets & Projections| Economics

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...
Read More +
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...
Read More +
concept_fiscal_new_year_confetti
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...
Read More +
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...
Read More +
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...
Read More +
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...
Read More +
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...
Read More +
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...
Read More +
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...
Read More +
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...
Read More +
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...
Read More +
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...
Read More +
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....
Read More +
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...
Read More +
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...
Read More +
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...
Read More +
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...
Read More +

Pages