CBO projects that the military's fighter fleet will shrink from about 3,300 aircraft now to about 3,000 by 2029 and then grow to 3,600 aircraft by 2040. Starting in 2033, more than half the fleet will be harder-to-detect stealthy aircraft.
July 2026
Federal subsidies for health insurance total $33.6 trillion over the 2026–2036 period in CBO and JCT's projections. Those estimated subsidies grow from 7.4 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2026 to 8.4 percent of GDP in 2036.
CBO estimates the costs of federal credit programs in 2027 in two ways—following procedures prescribed by the Federal Credit Reform Act and using a fair-value approach, which measures the market value of the government’s obligations.
CBO is saddened by the unexpected death of Senator Lindsey Graham. We had the privilege of working closely with Senator Graham during his service as Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee and when he was the committee's Ranking Member.
In this report, the latest in a quarterly series, CBO highlights its recent publications and summarizes its work in progress.
The federal budget deficit totaled $1.4 trillion in the first nine months of fiscal year 2026, CBO estimates. That amount is $35 billion more than the deficit recorded during the same period last fiscal year.
CBO describes current methods to detect and counter small unmanned aircraft systems and estimates it would cost about $74 million to outfit a typical military installation with a layered defense and at least $5 million a year to support it.