President's Budget
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Video: Robert Greenstein Discusses the President's Budget on Washington Journal
May 8, 2009
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A Brief Analysis of the Congressional Budget Plan
May 4, 2009
The budget resolution Congress adopted last week for fiscal year 2010[1] largely reflects the proposals in the preliminary budget President Obama submitted to Congress in February. Under the budget resolution: Deficits will be very high by historical standards in the next several years … -
An Analysis of the House and Senate Budget Plans
April 1, 2009
The congressional budget resolutions that the House and Senate are considering this week are essentially consistent with the budget blueprint that President Obama submitted to the Congress in February.[1] The President’s budget and the House and Senate plans (which their … -
Obama Budget Reduces Deficit by $900 Billion Compared to Current Budget Policies
March 31, 2009
Contrary to some claims, President Obama’s 2010 budget would reduce federal deficits by about $900 billion over the next ten years compared to current budget policies. The $900 billion is the difference between deficits over the next decade under the President’s budget, as estimated by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), and projected deficits … -
Proposal to Cap Deductions for High-Income Households Would Reduce Charitable Contributions by Only 1.9 Percent
Revised March 31, 2009
The President’s 2010 budget proposes to limit the tax subsidy for deductible expenses of the most affluent Americans and to use the additional revenue to help finance national health reform, including universal coverage. This proposal has been attacked on the grounds that it would lead to substantial reductions in charitable contributions and hit … -
Two Key Tests for House and Senate Action on Congressional Budget Resolution
March 31, 2009
As Congress prepares a budget resolution for fiscal year 2010, it should apply two key tests to any proposed change in the plans approved by the House and Senate Budget Committees: Would the proposal support economic recovery in the near term? Would … -
High-Income Households Would Face Lower Tax Burden under Obama Budget than In Clinton Years, When Economy Performed Well
March 26, 2009
Despite claims that President Obama would impose a massive, damaging tax increase on wealthy Americans, the top 1 percent of Americans would actually pay a slightly smaller share of their income in federal taxes under the President’s proposals than during the Clinton Administration, when the economy grew strongly. Specifically, the top … -
History Contradicts Claim That President’s Budget Would Harm Small Business Job Creation
March 26, 2009
Critics have claimed that President Obama’s proposal to roll back tax cuts for families with incomes above $250,000 would kill job growth in the small business sector. But under the Clinton Administration, when the tax treatment of high-income families was very similar to what President Obama has proposed, small businesses … -
Testimony: Robert Greenstein on Tax Proposals in the President's Budget before the Senate Committee on Finance
March 26, 2009
I appreciate the invitation to appear before the Committee today. I am Robert Greenstein, Executive Director of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a policy institute that focuses on fiscal policy issues and issues affecting low- and moderate-income families. This testimony makes the following points: As the Congressional … -
Limiting Itemized Deductions for Upper-Income Taxpayers Would Have Little Effect on Small Business, Charities, Housing
March 12, 2009
Despite persistent claims to the contrary, the President’s proposal to cap the value of itemized deductions at 28 percent would have only small effects on small business, charitable giving, and homeownership. That’s because the proposal, which would save $318 billion over the next ten years to help finance health care reform, would affect only those tax … -
Cap and Trade Can Fight Global Warming Effectively While Also Protecting Consumers
March 3, 2009
Some critics of President Obama’s budget have argued that the proposal to place a cap on greenhouse gas emissions to combat global warming represents a tax increase for virtually all Americans. That claim is misleading because it focuses on just one aspect of the Administration’s cap-and-trade proposal. It ignores … -
Very Few Small Business Owners Would Face Tax Increases Under President's Budget
February 28, 2009
Some critics of the President’s budget charge that his proposals to roll back tax breaks for taxpayers with incomes over $250,000 would harm small businesses. In fact, only 8.9 percent of people with any small business income have incomes of over $250,000 and, thus, would even potentially be affected by these provisions. (See … -
Podcast: Examining the Administration's 2010 Budget
February 27, 2009
This podcast discusses the President’s budget outline for fiscal year 2010.
Robert Greenstein discusses the priorities in the budget, as well as specific initiatives in major areas such as health care, taxes, and climate change. They also examine the budget’s implications for the federal deficit and debt and fiscal responsibility, and evaluate whether the budget’s numbers are honest or rely on gimmicks.
Duration: 20:54
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Statement by Robert Greenstein, Executive Director, on the President's 2010 Budget Proposal
February 27, 2009
The President’s budget represents a bold and courageous proposal to make progress in restoring fiscal discipline while addressing two central problems of our time — a broken health care system and the threat of catastrophic global warming — and other national needs. … -
Economic Recovery Package Would Give 3.8 Million Low- and Moderate-Income Students — Thousands in Every State —Access to Higher-Education Tax Credit
Revised February 26, 2009
The “Hope Credit,” which provides a tax subsidy for college tuition costs, was established in 1997. Its goal, in part, was to enable students who could not otherwise afford to attend college to do so. Yet until now, 3.8 million prospective college students — more than a fifth of all high-school-age children nationwide … -
Video: Greenstein Debates the Budget Plan on the Newshour with Jim Lehrer
February 26, 2009
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Policy Basics: Introduction to the Federal Budget Process
Updated December 17, 2008
The way Congress develops tax and spending legislation is guided by a set of specific procedures laid out in the Congressional Budget Act of 1974. The centerpiece of the Budget Act is the requirement that Congress each year develop a “budget resolution” setting aggregate limits on spending and targets for … -
Bush Budget Would Cut Domestic Discretionary Programs by $20 Billion In 2009
February 20, 2008
The President’s 2009 budget would provide some $20.5 billion [1] less for domestic discretionary programs outside of homeland security — a broad category of programs that includes everything from child care to environmental protection to medical research — than the 2008 level, adjusted for inflation.[2] The … -
Testimony of Robert Greenstein on the Long- and Short-Term Budget Outlook
February 13, 2008
I am Robert Greenstein, executive director of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. The Center is an independent, nonprofit policy institute that conducts research and analysis on a range of federal and state policy issues, with particular emphasis on fiscal policies and policies … -
The Dubious Priorities of the President's FY 2009 Budget
Revised February 7, 2008
The President’s budget would provide more tax cuts heavily skewed to the most well-off while cutting vital services for low- and moderate-income Americans, generating large deficits, and increasing the strain on states already confronting budget problems as a result of the economic downturn. The budget … -
Despite the Rhetoric, Budget Would Make Nation’s Fiscal Problems Worse and Further Widen Inequality
Revised March 28, 2007
The President says he wants to promote fiscal responsibility and address growing inequality, but his budget fails on both counts. In fact, it would make both problems worse. In a sign of the President’s misguided priorities, his budget puts extremely large tax cuts for the most affluent Americans ahead of the needs of low- and middle-income … -
President's Budget Calls for Deep Cuts in a Wide Range of Domestic Programs
Revised March 28, 2007
Under the Administration’s budget, domestic discretionary programs — the programs that are funded each year through the annual appropriations process, other than defense and international programs — are slated for sizable reductions over the next five years. The budget calls for these cuts to start in 2008, when domestic discretionary programs as a whole would be funded … -
Administration Proposal Would Cut Over 300,000 People Off Food Stamps
Revised March 13, 2007
The President’s budget includes a provision that would cut the Food Stamp Program by $740 million over the next five years (and by $1.65 billion over ten years) by taking more than 300,000 low-income people off the program in an average month.[1] The Administration would achieve these savings by stripping states of flexibility provided in … -
SCHIP Reauthorization: President’s Budget Would Provide Less than Half the Funds that States Need to Maintain SCHIP Enrollment
Revised March 13, 2007
The President’s fiscal year 2008 budget proposes to reauthorize the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) for five years but provides less than half of the funding needed for states to maintain their existing SCHIP caseloads, let alone to make progress in covering more uninsured low-income children. Under the President’s … -
President's Budget Would Cut Deeply Into Important Public Services and Adversely Affect States
February 21, 2007
The Administration’s proposed budget for 2008 calls for sizable cuts over the next five years in domestic discretionary programs — the programs (other than defense and international programs) that are funded each year through the annual appropriations process. The reductions would start in 2008, when domestic discretionary programs as a whole would be funded below the levels … -
Testimony of Robert Greenstein on Funding for Domestic Discretionary Programs
February 14, 2007
I am Robert Greenstein, executive director of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. The Center is an independent, nonprofit policy institute that conducts research and analysis on a range of federal and state policy issues, with particular emphasis on fiscal policies and policies affecting low- and moderate-income families. We receive no … -
Statement of Robert Greenstein on Budget and Health Care Tax Issues in State of the Union
January 23, 2007
On Budget Policy In committing his Administration to a balanced budget by 2012, the President has acknowledged that deficits matter. This is progress. But there are reasons to doubt the strength of the President’s newfound interest in fiscal discipline. First, his budget is likely … -
President's 2007 Budget Renews Same Number of Housing Vouchers Funded in 2006
Revised April 25, 2006
Executive Summary The President’s budget requests $15.9 billion in fiscal year 2007 for tenant-based rental assistance under the Housing Choice Voucher Program, the nation’s largest low-income housing program. The request would renew approximately 2,070,000 vouchers in 2007, about equal to the total number of … -
Five-Year Discretionary Caps Would Be Unwise at This Time
March 27, 2006
The President has again proposed enactment of binding caps for each of the next five years on overall levels of funding and expenditures for discretionary programs (i.e., programs that are non-entitlements). Under the proposal, the cap for each fiscal year through 2011 would be set at the overall levels for discretionary … -
Program Cuts in the President's Budget
February 23, 2006
The President’s budget proposes substantial cuts in funding for domestic discretionary programs over the next five years. The budget specifies the funding level for each program in 2007, but the levels for specific programs for years after 2007 — the years in which the overall level of reductions in domestic … -
Interested Parties Memo on the Initial Assessment of the President’s 2007 Budget: Impacts on Housing Voucher Program and Hurricane Recovery
Revised February 17, 2006
On February 6, the President released a budget request for fiscal year 2007 that proposes to cut $622 million (1.8 percent) from the HUD budget, in comparison to FY 2006 funding levels, not counting losses due to inflation. The request recommends major cutbacks in community development, … -
The Cost and Coverage Impact of the President’s Health Insurance Budget Proposals
February 15, 2006
In this analysis I report the results of my efforts to assess the impact that the President’s health insurance budget proposals on government costs and insurance coverage in the U.S. The results reported here are from the microsimulation model that I developed with the generous assistance of the Kaiser Family Foundation. I … -
The Administration’s Medicaid Proposals Would Shift Federal Costs To States
February 14, 2006
In its new budget, the Administration proposes net federal Medicaid funding cuts equal to $14 billion over the next five years and $35.5 billion over ten years through a combination of legislative changes and regulatory action. [1] These reductions follow on the heels of significant federal Medicaid cuts ($4.9 billion over five … -
Administration Proposals To Hide Tax-Cut Costs
February 14, 2006
The President’s 2007 budget includes two proposals that risk corrupting federal budget rules in order to facilitate passage of Administration tax cuts. One proposal calls on Congress to adopt a new scoring convention that would make the cost of extending the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts disappear; under this proposal, legislation to … -
President's Budget Would Cut Food for Over 420,000 Low-Income Seniors
Revised February 14, 2006
President Bush’s fiscal year 2007 budget would eliminate funding for the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), terminating food assistance to 420,000 low-income seniors in an average month. CSFP provides monthly nutritious food packages primarily to low-income seniors aged 60 and older in parts of 32 states, the District of Columbia, and two Indian reservations. [1] The typical … -
The President's Budget: A Preliminary Analysis
Revised February 10, 2006
An administration’s budget is a statement of its priorities. This budget’s priorities are clear: it features cuts in numerous domestic programs that serve low- and middle-income families alongside continued — and substantially expanded — tax cuts of very large size that concentrate their benefits on … -
The Hidden Cuts in Domestic Appropriations
February 9, 2006
Under the Administration’s budget, funding for domestic discretionary programs would be cut by $183 billion over the next five years, relative to OMB’s own budget baseline (i.e., relative to the 2006 funding levels adjusted for inflation). By 2011, the last year covered by the budget, funding for … -
Federal Grants to States and Localities Cut Deeply in Fiscal Year 2007 Federal Budget
February 7, 2006
Grants to state and local governments have long been an important way in which the federal government supports and administers programs efficiently. The new budget, however, continues to significantly erode those grants. This leaves states and localities the option of either curtailing services or increasing their own taxes to … -
President's Health Care Tax Cut Proposals Are Likely To Weaken Employer-Based Health Insurance, Primarily Benefit High-Income People, and Worsen Deficits
January 31, 2006
In tonight’s State of the Union address and as part of the upcoming fiscal year 2007 budget, President Bush is expected to propose major new tax cuts related to health care.[1] Chief among them could be major expansions of Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and a new income tax deduction for out-of-pocket medical costs. These … -
President's Savings Proposals Likely to Swell Long-Term Deficits, Reduce National Saving, and Primarily Benefit Those with Substantial Wealth
Revised May 25, 2005
The President’s 2006 budget includes a proposal to establish new savings tax breaks. An identical proposal was included in the Administration’s budget last year. The proposal would establish tax-favored “Lifetime Savings Accounts” and replace existing Individual Retirement Accounts with “Retirement Savings Accounts.” Further, there … -
What the President’s Budget Shows about the Administration’s Priorities
Revised March 18, 2005
The Administration’s new budget is, at bottom, a statement about national priorities. This budget’s priorities are clear: the budget features cuts in scores of programs that middle- and low-income families rely on, alongside large additional tax cuts for those at the top of the income spectrum who have benefited the most from the … -
Assessing President Bush’s New Budget Proposal
Revised February 14, 2005
This short analysis examines the priorities reflected in the Administration’s budget, the effects of its proposals on the deficit, and some budget gimmicks it contains. The Priorities of the Budget The budget makes very substantial cuts in domestic spending at the same time that it calls for … -
Unpublished Administration Budget Documents Show Domestic Cuts Would Significantly Reduce Funding for Most Public Services
Revised February 14, 2005
The Administration’s budget calls for $214 billion in reductions over five years in non-entitlement domestic programs outside homeland security, compared to current funding levels adjusted only for inflation. These “domestic discretionary” programs — that is, annually appropriated programs not related … -
Cuts to Low-Income Programs May Far Exceed the Contribution of These Programs to Deficit’s Return
Revised February 9, 2005
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Administration Expected to Propose New Budget Rule That Could Adversely Affect Social Security, Medicare, SSI, Veterans’ Disability, and Other Programs
Revised February 2, 2005
Overview The Administration’s forthcoming budget is likely to propose a new budget rule that would affect Social Security, Medicare, veterans’ disability compensation, the Supplemental Security Income program for the elderly and disabled poor, health and retirement programs for federal civilian and military …
