Committee for a Responsible Federal BudgetOpinion

CBO Estimates FY 2026 Deficit Overtakes 2025, Totals $1.4 Trillion

The United States borrowed $1.4 trillion in the first nine months of Fiscal Year (FY) 2026, including $126 billion in June, ...
Committee for a Responsible Federal BudgetOpinion

Saving MEDICARE Act Would Dramatically Reduce MA Overpayments

Taken together, the Saving MEDICARE Act puts forward a comprehensive plan to address the underlying causes of excessive MA ...
Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget

Principles for Fighting Waste, Fraud, Errors, and Abuse in Reconciliation

As the House considers whether to move forward on a new reconciliation package, there is talk of using reconciliation to significantly reduce government waste, fraud, errors, and abuse (WFEA) – as we ...
Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget

Statement for the Record on The Future of Social Security

The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget submitted a statement for the record pertaining to the Senate Finance Committee hearing on "The Future of Social Security," held on June 24, 2026. The ...
Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget

Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget

The United States spends more on health care than any other developed country, and these costs continue to grow – particularly at the federal level. Rising Medicare, Medicaid, and other federal health ...
Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget

Other Spending

Although a significant share of federal spending goes toward health care and Social Security, the budget covers many other areas from defense to food stamps to education.
Opinion
Committee for a Responsible Federal BudgetOpinion

Supplemental Funding Should Be Carefully Reviewed and Fully Offset

The White House recently requested an $87.6 billion supplemental appropriations package. Their request includes over $70 billion for military and related expenses, including funding for the war in ...
Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget

Intergovernmental Transfers (IGTs) Can Inflate Federal Medicaid Matching Funds

The Medicaid program provides health insurance to roughly 70 million lower-income Americans and is jointly financed by states and the federal government. 1 The federal government covers about 65% of ...
Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget

Treasury Confirms $1.2 Trillion Deficit for First 8 Months of FY 2026

The United States borrowed $1.2 trillion in the first eight months of Fiscal Year (FY) 2026, including $293 billion in May, according to the latest Monthly Treasury Statement from the Treasury ...
Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget

Reconciliation 3.0 Should Be For Deficit Reduction

As lawmakers begin discussions over advancing a third budget reconciliation bill in the 119 th Congress, they should keep focus on the country’s massive deficits and debt, along with real concerns ...
Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget

Event Recap: Checking in on the Social Security & Medicare Trust Funds

Karen Glenn, the Chief Actuary of the Social Security Administration, gave the keynote presentation. Glenn walked through the results of the 2026 Social Security Trustees' Report, which projected that ...