CBO Blog


CBO's Analysis of DoD's Future Years Defense Program June 30, 2011
CBO Testified on the Long-Term Budget Outlook June 23, 2011 This morning I testified before the House Budget Committee on our long-term budget outlook that was released yesterday. In that testimony, I highlighted many of the points that were included in my blog post from yesterday. In this blog, I will discuss, in more detail, the main factors that account for the projected increases in outlays for Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid: aging of the population and rising health care costs.
CBO's Economic Projections June 23, 2011 Since 2006, CBO has performed an independent analysis of the Navys annual long-term shipbuilding plan at the request of the House Armed Services Committee. The latest in that series, a CBO report released today summarizes the ship inventory goals and purchases described in the Navys 2012 plan and assesses their implications for the Navys funding needs and ship inventories through 2041. CBOs Key Findings
CBO's 2011 Long-Term Budget Outlook June 22, 2011
Preemptions in Federal Legislation in the 111th Congress June 21, 2011 As required by the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 (UMRA), CBO reviews nearly all legislation approved by authorizing committees of the Congress to identify mandates that the legislation would impose on state, local, or tribal governmentsknown as intergovernmental mandatesor on the private sector. In March 2011, CBO released its annual report on UMRA, which summarizes mandates that appeared in legislation considered by the Congress during 2010 and in public laws enacted in that year.
Breakfast with Reporters June 21, 2011
Federal Budget Math: We Can June 21, 2011
Policy Options for Unmanned Aircraft Systems June 9, 2011
Federal Budget Deficit Totals $929 Billion for the First Two-Thirds of the Year June 7, 2011
A Description of the Immigrant Population: An Update June 3, 2011 In 2009, about 39 million foreign-born people lived in the United States, making up more than 12 percent of the U.S. populationthe largest share since 1920. Naturalized citizens (foreign-born people who have fulfilled the requirements of U.S. citizenship) accounted for about 17 million of the total. Noncitizens (foreign-born people authorized to live and work in the United States either temporarily or permanently and people who are not authorized to live or work in the United States) accounted for about 22 million of the total.
CBO's Health Team June 3, 2011 In the current fiscal year, the federal government will spend about $1 trillion on health care. More than half of that will be through Medicare, a little more than a quarter on Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and the remaining fifth on veterans’ health care, the military health system, health research, and other programs. Those outlays represent nearly 7 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). In addition, federal revenue is held down by the rapid growth of private health spending.
CBO Testified on Several Topics Related to the Government's Mortgage Programs June 2, 2011 Until recently the obligations of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac—two federally chartered institutions (called government-sponsored enterprises, or GSEs) that provide credit guarantees for almost half of the outstanding mortgages in the United States—had no official backing from the federal government, nor were any costs associated with them reflected in the federal budget. However, starting in 2007, their losses mounted sharply as housing prices dropped and foreclosure rates climbed.
CBO Testified on the Value of the Department of Defense's Annual 30-Year Shipbuilding and Aviation Plans June 1, 2011 Every year, the Congress is asked to approve the procurement of one years worth of expensive items such as ships and aircraft. Yet those decisions have long-term implications. Well-constructed 30-year acquisition plans for major weapon systems can provide information about those implications. This morning CBO senior analyst Eric Labs testified before the U.S. House Armed Services Committees Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation to discuss the value of the Department of Defenses (DoDs) annual 30-year shipbuilding and aviation plans.