The Congress uses CBO’s cost estimates to help it implement rules and procedures related to budget enforcement. Those rules and CBO’s estimates recognize the differences among the three primary components of the federal budget.
The Congress uses CBO’s cost estimates to help it implement rules and procedures related to budget enforcement. Those rules and CBO’s estimates recognize the fundamental differences among the three primary components of the federal budget:
Discretionary spending—from authority provided in annual appropriation acts,
Direct (or mandatory) spending—which is governed by underlying statutory criteria and is not generally constrained by the annual appropriation process, and
Revenues.
CBO’s formal cost estimates are posted on its website as they are released to the Congress. Estimates are searchable by bill number, title, committee, program area, and other criteria. A sample long-form estimate is shown here; some estimates are shorter, but they contain the same basic information.
