CBO Blog


Estimated Budgetary Impact of Bills to Prevent the Scheduled Increase in Interest Rates on New Federal Student Loans April 27, 2012 Under current law, starting on July 1, the interest rate on new subsidized student loans will rise from the 3.4 percent in effect this year to 6.8 percent. During the past few days, CBO has released cost estimates for House and Senate bills that would delay that increase for one year. CBO’s estimates for the proposed legislation can be found here:
CBO Testified on Federal Support for State and Local Governments Provided Through the Tax Code April 26, 2012 Yesterday Frank Sammartino, CBO’s Assistant Director for Tax Analysis, testified before the Senate Finance Committee on federal support for state and local governments provided through the tax code and on some ways in which tax reform might affect that support. The testimony focused on two particular aspects of current policy:
CBO Releases Its Analysis of the Economic Impact of the President’s 2013 Budget April 20, 2012 Today CBO released the second part of its analysis of the President’s 2013 budget—the proposals’ potential effects on the economy and, in turn, the impact of those economic effects on the budget. Last month, CBO released the first part of its analysis—the proposals’ budgetary impact without considering their effects on the economy.
An Overview of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program April 19, 2012 In fiscal year 2011, federal expenditures for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as Food Stamps)—$78 billion—and participation in the program were the highest they have ever been. In an average month that year, about one in seven U.S. residents received SNAP benefits.
New Infographics About the Federal Budget April 17, 2012 How much did the federal government collect in individual income taxes in fiscal year 2011? How much did it spend on health care programs or on defense? To provide ready answers to those questions, CBO has prepared three infographics examining the following components of the federal budget:
Federal Budget Deficit Totals $780 Billion in the First Half of 2012 April 6, 2012 The federal government incurred a budget deficit of almost $780 billion in the first half of fiscal year 2012, CBO estimates in its latest—Monthly Budget Review—$53 billion less than the shortfall during the same period last year.