CBO Operations

CBO's transparency efforts are intended to promote a thorough understanding of its work, help people gauge how estimates might change if policies or circumstances differed, and enhance the credibility of its analyses and processes.

In this report, the latest in a quarterly series, CBO highlights its recent publications and summarizes its work in progress.

Fifty years ago today, CBO began its service to the Congress and the country. Much has changed since then, but the agency’s mission—to provide objective, nonpartisan information to support the Congressional budget process—remains the same.

CBO’s cost estimates, which represent the agency’s best assessment of a bill’s budgetary effects, can be subject to uncertainty arising from various sources. CBO describes how it addresses six common sources of uncertainty.

CBO Director Phillip Swagel describes the agency's primary responsibilities, explains how CBO can help Member offices, emphasizes the agency’s commitment to transparency, and lists what’s forthcoming from CBO.

In this report, the latest in a quarterly series, CBO highlights its recent publications and summarizes its work in progress.

Learn more about CBO’s work and its processes in a publication that is typically updated at the start of each Congress.

In many cases, adding debt-service effects to CBO’s cost estimates would be feasible. Any change to incorporate such effects into cost estimates, and how they would be presented, would be subject to review by the Budget Committees.

CBO's transparency efforts are intended to promote a thorough understanding of its work, help people gauge how estimates might change if policies or circumstances differed, and enhance the credibility of its analyses and processes.

On January 10, CBO will launch a quarterly newsletter that will provide a convenient roundup of CBO’s most recent publications and cost estimates.

In a statement, CBO Director Phillip Swagel thanked Speaker McCarthy and President pro tempore Murray for appointing him to a second term and said he is excited to continue the important work that he has been part of these past four years.

CBO's graphics guide contains examples of the wide variety of graphics that have been produced for publications at the agency. It also includes examples of how various techniques can be applied to graphics to help convey their message.

The Congressional Budget Act of 1974 requires CBO to prepare estimates of the cost of legislation at certain points in the legislative process. This document provides answers to questions about how CBO prepares those cost estimates.

The Congressional Budget Act of 1974 requires CBO to produce an annual report on federal spending, revenues, and deficits or surpluses. This document provides answers to questions about how CBO prepares those baseline budget projections.

CBO has again been recognized by the Partnership for Public Service as one of the Best Places to Work in the Federal Government. CBO placed No. 1 in the small-agency category in the latest Best Places to Work ranking, which is for 2022.