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January 31, 2012
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Budget Projections
CBO’s budget projections under current law—known as baseline projections—give the Congress a benchmark against which to measure the effects of proposed changes spending and taxes. The projections show what would happen to the federal budget if current laws remained in place, that is if no new laws affecting spending and taxes were enacted during the projection period. In addition, the agency regularly shows the effects of adopting alternative policies that have been discussed by the Congress, so that the impact of those alternative policies is clear. CBO also makes long-term budget projections.