Centrists.Org No-BS Long-Term Budget Baseline

ISSUE SUMMARIES

Issue summaries provide a quick reference to Centrists.Org general principles and most important links, within each topic area.

Budget and Tax (Basics) 
  Near Term Budget Outlook
  Tax Reform
  Centrists.Org No-BS Long-Term Baseline 
  Budget Process

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Where Will the Deficit Go From Here?  New Long-Term Budget Projections
06.03.2004 ||  Under realistic assumptions, the annual federal deficit is poised to hover around $400 billion through 2007, between 3 and 4 percent of GDP.  After that, the deficits will grow as the first waves of baby boomers leave the workforce and join the entitlement rolls.

No-BS Long-Term Budget Baseline (Jan. 2004) 
01.28.2004 ||  Based on updated projections from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), which were released earlier today, Centrists.Org's new budget baseline is largely unchanged.  That is because previous assumptions about rapid spending growth are coming to fruition, and no significant adjustments were necessary.

A Preliminary Assessment of CBO's New Budget Projections
revised 08.29.2003 ||  Under realistic assumptions, the deficit will be $500 billion in 2004 and will total $6.1 trillion between 2004 and 2013.  The public debt will rise from $4 trillion this year to $10 trillion a decade from now.  (And after that, things really get bad.)

Centrists.Org No-BS Budget Baseline
updated 07.20.2003 ||  Centrists.Org's budget baseline shows a deficit of $4.9 trillion over 10 years.  This update includes the latest short-term trends for 2003 and 2004 based on the Administration's Mid-Session Budget.  Long-term projections are mostly unchanged from June 22.

Centrists.Org No-BS Budget Baseline
updated 06.22.2003 ||  Centrists.Org's politically realistic budget baseline now shows a 10-year budget deficit of almost $5 trillion.  This update includes the latest trends for 2003, and assumes enactment of a 10-year $400 billion Medicare drug benefit, which now seems probable. 

Centrists.Org No-BS Budget Baseline
updated 05.24.2003 ||  Several times a year, Centrists.Org computes a gimmick-free budget that includes realistic assumptions about baseline spending and revenues.  This update includes enactment of the "Jobs and Growth" tax cut package.

Centrists.Org No-BS Budget Baseline
05.10.2003 ||  Several times a year, Centrists.Org computes a gimmick-free budget that includes realistic assumptions about baseline spending and revenues.  This update reflects probable enactment of the Senate's $350 billion tax cut package.