How CBO Uses Data for Budget Projections and Cost Estimates
2 likes3,559 views
The document outlines the Congressional Budget Office's (CBO) role in providing objective budget projections and cost estimates to assist Congress in economic decision-making. It details CBO's responsibilities, types of products it produces, and data sources used for baseline projections and legislative cost estimates. The presentation includes historical budget data and examples of cost estimates related to unemployment compensation legislation.
How CBO Uses Data for Budget Projections and Cost Estimates
- 1. Congressional Budget Office How CBO Uses Data for Budget Projections and Cost Estimates Presentation to the National Association for Business Economics July 30, 2013 Jeffrey Holland Projections Unit Chief, Budget Analysis Division
- 2. 1C O N G R E S S I O N A L B U D G E T O F F I C E Overview ■ Background on CBO ■ Differences between CBO’s baseline and other aggregate projections ■ Data used for baseline projections ■ Example of data used for a cost estimate
- 3. 2C O N G R E S S I O N A L B U D G E T O F F I C E CBO’s History and Mission ■ Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 ■ Provides objective, timely, nonpartisan analyses for budget and economic decisions ■ Prepares estimates and other information for the Congressional budget process
- 4. 3C O N G R E S S I O N A L B U D G E T O F F I C E CBO’s Responsibilities Help Congress to: ■ Develop a budget plan ■ Assess the impact of proposed legislation ■ Enforce its budget rules ■ Assess the impact of federal mandates ■ Consider issues related to the budget and to economic policy
- 5. 4C O N G R E S S I O N A L B U D G E T O F F I C E CBO Products ■ Baseline budget projections and economic forecasts ■ Analysis of the President’s budget ■ Cost estimates ■ Scorekeeping tabulations ■ Budget options, long-term budget projections, the Monthly Budget Review, testimonies, and other reports
- 6. 5C O N G R E S S I O N A L B U D G E T O F F I C E What CBO Does Not Do ■ Make policy recommendations ■ Write legislation ■ Implement programs and regulations ■ Enforce budget rules ■ Audit spending or receipts
- 7. 6C O N G R E S S I O N A L B U D G E T O F F I C E How CBO Helps Congress Develop a Budget Plan ■ Prepares a 10-year baseline each winter to serve as a starting point ■ Compares legislative options, including the President’s budget, with the baseline ■ Assists the Congress in developing a budget resolution (its budget plan)
- 8. 7C O N G R E S S I O N A L B U D G E T O F F I C E Baselines and Other Budget Presentations ■ Baseline – Assumes that current law remains the same – Used to provide a benchmark to evaluate changes in law ■ President’s Budget – Incorporates the President’s proposals – CBO uses its own technical and economic assumptions in the analysis ■ National Income and Product Accounts
- 9. 8C O N G R E S S I O N A L B U D G E T O F F I C E Objectives of Budget Presentations ■ Federal Budget – Focus on cash flows – Provide information for policy deliberations – Facilitate management and control of federal activities – Help the Treasury manage cash and determine borrowing needs ■ National Income and Product Accounts – Provide a comprehensive accounting of activity in the U.S. economy – Measure current production and income generated – Use federal spending as a component of GDP – Inflows and outflows are not very different in aggregate from budget totals
- 10. 9C O N G R E S S I O N A L B U D G E T O F F I C E Sources of Data for Baseline Projections and Other Analyses ■ Department of the Treasury – Monthly Treasury statement – Daily Treasury statement ■ Office of Management and Budget – President’s budget – Historical tables and other supplemental data ■ Federal, state, and local agencies – Census data – Data collected about Medicaid, Medicare, and other programs and revenues ■ Think tanks, associations, academic research, etc.
- 11. 10C O N G R E S S I O N A L B U D G E T O F F I C E Budget Totals, 2009, 2013, and 2015 Billions of Dollars Percentage of GDP Actual, 2009 2013 2015 Actual, 2009 2013 2015 Total Revenues 2,105 2,813 3,399 15.1 17.5 19.3 Total Outlays 3,518 3,455 3,777 25.2 21.5 21.4 _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________ _______________________________________ ___________________________________ _______________________________________ Total Deficit -1,413 -642 -378 -10.1 -4.0 -2.1
- 12. 11C O N G R E S S I O N A L B U D G E T O F F I C E Federal Debt Held by the Public 1940 1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 Actual Projected (Percentage of gross domestic product)
- 13. 12C O N G R E S S I O N A L B U D G E T O F F I C E What Is a Cost Estimate? ■ Required for each piece of legislation reported by a full Congressional committee ■ Assesses the impact of legislation relative to current law ■ Tells a concise story about the legislation’s budgetary impact ■ Many informal estimates are prepared to help committees develop legislation
- 14. 13C O N G R E S S I O N A L B U D G E T O F F I C E Scope of a Cost Estimate ■ Includes federal budgetary effects for the current year and up to 10 subsequent years ■ Gives information on mandates imposed on state, local, and tribal governments or on the private sector ■ The basis of the estimate is given to explain how the numbers were derived
- 15. 14C O N G R E S S I O N A L B U D G E T O F F I C E Components of Estimating Costs ■ Research – Obtain timely information to guide analysis ■ Analysis – Carefully review legislation to assess how it would change current law – Determine key factors that drive budgetary outcomes – Quantify the estimated impact on federal budget ■ Communication – Write a clear explanation of the estimate and key components of its basis
- 16. 15C O N G R E S S I O N A L B U D G E T O F F I C E Example: Estimate of the Cost of Emergency Unemployment Compensation ■ Proposal: Make additional payments to qualified individuals who continue to be unemployed and who have exhausted regular benefits ■ Legislation specifies the amount and duration of the new benefit ■ The Department of Labor provides data on the number of claims and the exhaustion rates of the regular benefit as well as the average weekly benefit (actuals to date) ■ CBO’s economic and technical assumptions are used to consider future disbursements ■ Cost = people × dollars × duration (adjusted for attrition)
- 17. 16C O N G R E S S I O N A L B U D G E T O F F I C E Data From the Department of Labor: Average Benefits 12 Month Average 12 Month Total Month Ending First Payments Final Payments Benefits Paid (000) Exh. Rate Duration Weekly Benefit Amount Benefits Paid (000) First Payments Final Payments 01/31/2013 1,129,541 358,483 4,275,183 46.55 16.96 303.60 42,695,866 8,599,605 4,149,393 02/28/2013 732,314 301,532 3,767,500 46.43 16.92 304.09 42,174,616 8,503,519 4,094,994 03/31/2013 600,381 322,424 3,719,975 46.43 16.90 304.61 41,894,134 8,447,203 4,061,510 04/30/2013 594,836 360,648 3,640,235 46.05 16.89 305.29 41,783,199 8,408,975 4,020,115 05/31/2013 566,823 326,220 3,094,444 45.83 16.83 305.66 41,384,040 8,354,437 3,979,658
- 18. 17C O N G R E S S I O N A L B U D G E T O F F I C E Data From the Department of Labor: Emergency Unemployment Compensation All Tiers EUC Tier 1 Initial Claims Weeks Claimed First Payments Weeks Paid Avg. Wkly Ben. Amt. Benefits Paid Final Payments US 1/31/2012 547,016 14,527,513 342,319 5,744,344 287.09 1,649,149,276 261,906 US 2/29/2012 446,455 12,082,526 292,809 5,065,966 287.49 1,456,414,637 224,579 US 3/31/2012 461,927 11,569,446 281,459 4,937,338 286.58 1,414,939,163 220,270 US 4/30/2012 458,793 12,690,185 288,711 5,175,935 288.00 1,490,667,870 228,181 US 5/31/2012 433,058 11,278,671 277,416 5,076,758 288.28 1,463,509,744 230,449 US 6/30/2012 442,252 10,685,209 238,512 4,332,047 289.65 1,254,790,379 203,749 US 7/31/2012 436,881 11,988,064 284,912 4,788,214 290.71 1,391,995,386 218,375 US 8/31/2012 399,683 9,620,104 270,830 4,370,372 299.32 1,308,129,127 194,583 US 9/30/2012 360,016 9,319,888 235,720 4,065,206 293.83 1,194,486,153 183,016 US 10/31/2012 398,782 9,696,764 261,021 4,609,702 293.35 1,352,239,583 197,853 US 11/30/2012 380,325 8,897,781 228,147 3,903,022 294.92 1,151,082,339 191,188 US 12/31/2012 374,243 9,735,968 236,189 3,923,681 297.16 1,165,976,733 293,547 US 1/31/2013 420,484 8,436,072 264,162 3,346,478 292.12 977,565,240 248,937