CBO Blog
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Monthly Budget Review: Summary for Fiscal Year 2016
November 7, 2016In fiscal year 2016, which ended on September 30, the federal budget deficit totaled $587 billion—$148 billion more than the shortfall recorded in 2015. Measured as a share of the nation’s gross domestic product, the deficit increased to 3.2 percent in 2016, up from 2.5 percent in 2015.
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The Effects of Increasing Fannie Mae’s and Freddie Mac’s Capital
October 20, 2016In this report, CBO analyzes a policy that would allow Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to increase their capital by reducing their payments to the government and discusses the effects that it would have on the budget and the mortgage market.
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Monthly Budget Review for September 2016
October 7, 2016The federal government ran a budget deficit of $588 billion in fiscal year 2016, CBO estimates—$149 billion greater than the shortfall recorded in fiscal year 2015.
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How Preferential Trade Agreements Affect the U.S. Economy
September 29, 2016 The United States has 14 preferential trade agreements with 20 of its trading partners. In CBO’s view, the consensus among economic studies is that, all told, such agreements have had small positive effects on the U.S. economy. Read More -
Testimony on Comparing CBO’s Long-Term Projections With Those of the Social Security Trustees
September 21, 2016Both CBO and the Social Security Trustees project a shortfall in Social Security finances but they differ in their assessment of its magnitude. This testimony describes that difference and the major factors that contribute to it.
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Testimony on The Congressional Budget Office’s Work Since May 2015 and Plans for the Future
September 14, 2016On September 14, 2016, Director Keith Hall testified on CBO’s work since May 2015 and its plans for the future before the Senate Budget Committee.
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A Review of CBO’s August 2016 Budget Projections
September 13, 2016On August 23, CBO released its most recent budget and economic projections. Because the Congress was out of session at that time, we thought we’d review those budget projections today.
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CBO’s Projections of Federal Receipts and Expenditures in the National Income and Product Accounts
September 9, 2016Federal receipts and expenditures in the national income and product accounts (NIPAs) differ in certain ways from revenues and outlays as shown in the federal budget. This report presents CBO’s baseline projections using the NIPA framework.
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Why Is CBO’s Projection of GDP Growth Slower Than Past Rates of Growth?
September 8, 2016CBO compares its economic forecast, as presented in An Update to the Budget and Economic Outlook: 2016 to 2026, with historical experience and discusses why economic growth in coming years is projected to diverge from historical trends.
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Monthly Budget Review for August 2016
September 8, 2016The federal budget deficit was $622 billion for the first 11 months of fiscal year 2016, CBO estimates—$92 billion more than the shortfall recorded during the same period last year.
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