Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget
 

Bipartisan Advocates for Fiscal Responsibility

Deficit spending is once again the norm in Washington, the national debt is growing, and no progress has been made in reforming the nation’s underfunded entitlement programs. Budgetary mechanisms to impose fiscal discipline have been weakened or repealed while the commitment to control the budget in the political arena has been lost. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget is a bipartisan organization -- whose membership includes most of the previous heads of OMB and CBO -- committed to educating the public and members of Congress about the budget process and fiscal responsibility.

The Committee, founded in 1981, became a part of the New America Foundation in 2003, and is headed by Maya MacGuineas, who also directs the Fiscal Policy Program. For a more detailed description of the Committee and a complete list of its Board of Directors, please see the links at right.

Congressional Testimony

Testimony of Maya MacGuineas on Renewing Statutory PAYGO
Prepared Text for Delivery Before the House Budget Committee | July 25, 2007

Testimony of Maya MacGuineas on Congress' Role in Federal Financial Management
Prepared Text for Delivery Before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, and International Security | May 25, 2006

Testimony of Maya MacGuineas on Social Security Solutions Beyond Solvency
Prepared Text for Delivery Before the Subcommittee on Social Security | June 14, 2005

Articles

What Obama Needs to Learn from the Failure of Bush's Social Security Plan and Clinton's Healthcare Reform

Marc Goldwein | History News Network | June 15, 2009

Health Reform's Savings Myth

"Health-care reform is entitlement reform" has become a mantra of the Obama administration. The idea is that Congress can add a massive health-care program this year -- covering the uninsured -- and use the same measures that pay for the health reform to fix the broader budget problems. If that sounds too good to be true, there's a reason.

Maya MacGuineas | Washington Post | May 31, 2009

$4 Trillion in Exaggerated Savings

On two separate issues -- health-care and the budget -- the president has promised savings of $2 trillion. A total of $4 trillion dollars -- now that's real money. Unfortunately, the claims are completely exaggerated.

Maya MacGuineas | Washington Post | May 20, 2009

Fiscal Disorder

This past February, four months after the beginning of the fiscal year, Congress passed the last bill needed to fund the government.

But what it finally passed was more than just late -- it was sloppy. Instead of offering separate appropriation bills that could be debated thoughtfully and with undivided attention, Congress lumped them into one, gigantic 225-page “omnibus” bill, and hurriedly passed it on the floor.

Jim Bates | The Ripon Forum | Spring 2009

Stimulus Debt Burden Must Be Addressed Responsibly When the Bill Inevitably Comes Due

Now is clearly not the time to balance the budget--even the most adamant deficit hawk knows that. But economic recovery will not be as simple as merely running up the government's credit card and calling it a day. Certainly, the U.S. economy is in very bad shape--but so too is the fiscal health of the country.

Maya MacGuineas, Marc Goldwein | U.S. News & World Report | February 13, 2009

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Policy Papers

More on the President’s FY2010 Budget Blueprint

In our previous release (President Obama's FY2010 Budget), we discussed the broad fiscal impact of the FY2010 Budget Blueprint. We commended the President for having a specific fiscal goal, honestly budgeting for expected costs, and for providing offsets for many of the new policies he supports. However, we expressed strong concern that the budget included items in the baseline (such as AMT patches, Medicare patches, and the renewal of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts), as a way to avoid paying for

Anne Vorce, Maya MacGuineas, Marc Goldwein | March 9, 2009

Analysis of The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

Today, President Obama signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The "stimulus bill" represents the latest and largest effort by the federal government to boost the deteriorating economy. (For details of all efforts to date, see www.usbudgetwatch.org/stimulus).

Marc Goldwein | February 17, 2009

Comparing the Stimulus Packages

Yesterday, the Senate passed its version of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 by a vote of 61 to 37. Differences between the House and Senate are being worked out in a conference committee.

In total, the House bill costs roughly $820 billion over ten and a half years, while the Senate bill costs $838 billion. Although similar in size, the two stimulus bills contain a number of important differences. The Senate version relies more on tax cuts and… more

Anne Vorce, Marc Goldwein | February 11, 2009

CRFB Warns Against Slipping Permanent Policies into Stimulus

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB) warned against slipping policies intended to be permanent, into the stimulus bill under the guise of temporary stimulus measures.

Maya MacGuineas, Marc Goldwein | January 28, 2009

Federal Debt and Interest Costs

Summary

The Congressional Budget Office's January estimates of baseline federal budget deficits have grabbed the attention of members of Congress and the public. The cumulative effects of persistently large deficits show up in the stock of debt held by the public and the net interest costs of servicing that debt. This brief will provide historical data on those items and CBO's current projections. It also will discuss some of the risks to CBO's estimates.

Debt Held by the Public

Maya MacGuineas | January 27, 2009

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Events

Will Health Care Reform Heal the Federal Budget?

On November 6, US Budget Watch, a joint project of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget and The Pew Charitable Trusts, hosted an event on the current health care reform debate, called "Will Health Care Reform Heal the Federal Budget?" The event focused on the fiscal implications of reform, specifically looking at costs, offsets, and the extent to which health care reform can "bend the cost curve." New Health Dialogue twittered the entire

11/06/2009 - 9:30am
11/06/2009 - 11:15am

Beyond PAYGO

On September 17, 2009 the Peterson-Pew Commission on Budget Reform hosted its first public event--Beyond PAYGO. Five panelists discussed recent proposals to gain control over mandatory spending and put the budget on a sustainable path.  (See the webcast of the event below.) 

09/16/2009 - 8:45am
09/16/2009 - 11:00am

Towards Bipartisan Tax Policy

Four politically diverse tax experts will release their new paper, "Towards Bipartisan Tax Policy" at a forum hosted by the New America Foundation, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, American University's Center for Public Finance Research, the Concord Coaltion, and the Tax Foundation, on Thursday, February 12, 2009.

02/12/2009 - 9:30am
02/12/2009 - 11:30am

Tough Budget Process Changes Needed in the Stimulus Bill

There is a growing concern that in addition to short-term policies, the stimulus bill will make new permanent commitments that worsen the already huge long-term fiscal problems facing America. President-Elect Obama has raised the need to reform the budget process to prevent this from happening. Congress should address this need by including serious budget process changes as part of the stimulus bill and in the federal budget, to protect future generations.

Please RSVP to CRFB@newamerica.net

01/22/2009 - 8:30am
01/22/2009 - 10:00am

Social Policy After the Economic Crisis

On December 5, 2008, the New America Foundation’s Next Social Contract Initiative hosted a three panel discussion about the future of social policy after the economic downturn. David Gray, Director of the Workforce and Family Program at New America, opened the event with preliminary remarks. Karen Kornbluh, formerly of the New America Foundation, policy director in the office of Senator Barack Obama and the primary author of the 2008 Democratic Party Platform, delivered the keynote address. She was followed by a series of

12/05/2008 - 12:00pm
12/05/2008 - 3:15pm

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