Budget Options

Reports on Budget Options

To help inform lawmakers about the budgetary implications of various approaches to altering federal policies, CBO periodically issues a volume of policy options (called Options for Reducing the Deficit) covering a broad range of issues as well as separate reports that include options for changing federal tax and spending policies in particular areas. The options, which are accessible from this page, are derived from many sources and reflect a range of possibilities. For each option, CBO presents an estimate of its effects on the budget but makes no recommendations. Inclusion or exclusion of any particular option does not imply an endorsement or rejection by CBO. This search is updated regularly to include only the most recent version of a particular option.

Title Latest Estimate 10-Year Savings (Billions)
Use an Alternative Measure of Inflation to Index Social Security and Other Mandatory Programs $278
Reduce the Department of Defense's Annual Budget $959
Cap Increases in Basic Pay for Military Service Members $22
Replace Some Military Personnel with Civilian Employees $17
Stop Building Ford Class Aircraft Carriers $15
Cancel the Long-Range Standoff Weapon $15
Cancel the Army’s Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft $11
Reduce the Size of the Bomber Force by Retiring the B-1B $6
Reduce the Size of the Fighter Force by Retiring the F-22 $29
Reduce the Basic Allowance for Housing to 80 Percent of Average Housing Costs $17
Reduce the Annual Across-the-Board Adjustment for Federal Civilian Employees’ Pay $77
Repeal the Davis-Bacon Act $18
Reduce the Size of the Nuclear Triad $12, $18
Cancel the Army's Future Vertical Lift Aircraft $15
Reduce Funding for Naval Ship Construction to Historical Levels  $51
Reduce DoD’s Operation and Maintenance Appropriation (Excluding Funding for the Defense Health Program)  $60, $168
Cancel Plans to Purchase Additional F-35 Joint Strike Fighters and Instead Purchase F-16s and F/A-18s $13
Modify TRICARE Enrollment Fees and Cost Sharing for Working-Age Military Retirees $11
Cancel the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense System $18
Cancel Development and Production of the New Missile in the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent Program $24