Number: RL31414
Title: Baseline Budget Projections: A Discussion of Issues
Authors: Marc Labonte, Government and Finance Division 
Abstract: In January 2001, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projected budget surpluses of $2.6 trillion from 2002-2007. Instead, deficits over that time combined to equal $1.7 trillion. For the current 2009-2018 budget window, CBO projects a cumulative 10-year surplus of $0.3 trillion, with the budget returning to surplus in 2012. But will actual deficits in the future turn out as differently from this projection as was the case in the last five years? What lessons can be drawn from this turn of events, and what role should budget projections play in policy decisions?
Pages: 12
Date: February 7, 2008