Explaining Analytical Methods

  • United States Capitol Building in Washington, DC
    Report
    An Overview of CBOLT: The Congressional Budget Office Long-Term Model

    CBOLT is the main analytical tool that CBO uses to make long-term projections of the economy and federal budget. Those projections help shed light on fiscal challenges that extend beyond CBO’s standard 10-year projection window.

  • Report
    The Budget and Economic Outlook: 2018 to 2028

    In CBO’s projections, the economy grows relatively quickly this year and next and then more slowly in the following several years. The federal budget deficit rises substantially, boosting federal debt to nearly 100 percent of GDP by 2028.