An Analysis of the Discretionary Spending Proposals in the President’s 2023 Budget

On March 28, 2022, the Administration submitted its annual set of budgetary proposals to the Congress. In this report, the Congressional Budget Office examines how the discretionary spending proposals compare with CBO’s most recent baseline budget projections, which span 2022 to 2032. The agency’s baseline, which reflects the assumption that current laws governing federal spending and revenues will generally remain in place, is intended to provide a benchmark that policymakers can use to assess the potential effects of future policy decisions on federal spending and revenues and, therefore, on deficits and debt. Both CBO’s baseline and its analysis of the Administration’s proposals are based on the agency’s most recent economic forecast.

In analyzing the President’s budget, CBO incorporates the discretionary funding levels requested by the Administration rather than using baseline amounts, which incorporate the assumption that funding will grow with inflation after 2022 (or, in the case of advance appropriations, from the final enacted advance appropriation).