April 2013

  • The federal government ran a budget deficit of $601 billion in the first half of fiscal year 2013, CBO estimates, $178 billion less than the shortfall recorded for the same period last year.

  • What role should the government play in the secondary market for residential mortgages, and what should become of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac? CBO has analyzed some of the key choices to be made regarding the future structure of that market.

  • CBO compares the Army’s plan for the GCV with four options and finds that, although no option would meet all of the Army’s goals, all are likely to be less costly and pose a smaller risk of delay than CBO expects for the Army’s plan.

  • Annual outlays on UI increased from an average of $33 billion from 2004 through 2007 to $119 billion in 2009 and $155 billion in 2010; they dropped to $93 billion in 2012 and we expect them to decline further over the next few years.