CBO produces many reports that discuss options for changes in spending and taxes. For each Congress, CBO produces a report that brings together a wide range of options for reducing the deficit. The options are derived from many sources and, in keeping with CBO’s mandate to provide objective analysis without making recommendations, each option includes arguments for and against it.
Budget Options
featured work
Choices for Deficit ReductionNov 2012 - Putting the federal budget on a more sustainable path is likely to require a combination of policies, many of which may stand in stark contrast to policies now in place.
Reducing the Deficit: Spending and Revenue OptionsMar 2011 - CBO regularly issues a compendium of budget options to help inform federal lawmakers about the implications of possible policy choices. This volume presents more than 100 options for altering federal spending and revenues.
Social Security Policy OptionsJul 2010 - Annual spending on Social Security payments will regularly exceed the program's tax revenues starting in 2016, if current laws remain in place. This study examines 30 options for policymakers in providing long-term financial stability for Social Security.
latest work
Testimony on Using the Chained CPI to Index Social Security, Other Federal Programs, and the Tax Code for Inflation
reportApril 18, 2013CBO Testifies on Using the Chained CPI to Index Social Security, Other Federal Programs, and the Tax Code for Inflation
blog postApril 18, 2013What Would Be the Effect on the Deficit of Using the Chained CPI to Index Benefit Programs and the Tax Code?
blog postApril 18, 2013CBO Testifies on the Social Security Disability Insurance Program
blog postMarch 14, 2013Testimony on the Social Security Disability Insurance Program
reportMarch 14, 2013Choices for Deficit Reduction
reportNovember 8, 2012The Challenge of Deficit Reduction
blog postNovember 8, 2012Medicare's Payments to Physicians: The Budgetary Impact of Alternative Policies Relative to CBO's March 2012 Baseline
data or technical informationJuly 31, 2012
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