To show how economic conditions affect its budget projections, CBO analyzed how revenues, outlays, and deficits might change if the values of key economic variables differed from those in the agency's forecast. To do so, CBO generated four economic scenarios that would result in larger budget deficits. In isolation, each of those scenarios would cause the cumulative deficit for the 2027–2036 ...
CBO's recurring publications include regular reports on the budget and economic outlook, annual reports on the President's budget and the long-term budget outlook, and, every two years, a set of options for reducing budget deficits.
CBO regularly publishes data to accompany some of its key reports. These data have been published in the Budget and Economic Outlook and Updates and in their associated supplemental material, except for that from the Long-Term Budget Outlook.
What is CBO's projection of the budget deficit for 2026? What was the deficit for 2025? CBO's latest projection of the total federal budget deficit for fiscal year 2026 (which ends on September 30) is $1.9 trillion; relative to the size of the economy the projected budget deficit is 5.8 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). CBO's latest budget projections, which were released in February ...
- CBO is always looking for ways to do things better. As the Congress continues to consider large and complex legislation—often on accelerated timelines—CBO seeks ways to provide information even more efficiently.
CBO projects future federal revenues under current law, estimates the distribution of income and federal taxes, and analyzes the effects of various features of the federal tax system and potential changes to that system. (A separate page on the Budget provides information about a broader set of CBO's work in that area.)