[20050323]RS21756_冻结非国防开支以减少预算赤字的选择.pdf

1 CBO, Budget and Economic Outlook: Fiscal Years 2006-2015, p. xiii.Congressional Research Service The Library of CongressCRS Report for CongressReceived through the CRS WebOrder Code RS21756March 23, 2005The Option of Freezing Non-defense Discretionary Spending to Reduce the Budget DeficitGregg EsenweinSpecialist in Public FinanceGovernment and Finance DivisionPhilip D. WintersAnalyst in Government FinanceGovernment and Finance DivisionSummaryCongressional concern over the size of the federal budget deficit has prompted callsfor a reduction in federal expenditures. One proposal would freeze non-defensediscretionary funding at its FY2005 level. Since non-defense discretionary outlaysconstitute slightly under 20% of overall federal outlays, limiting their growth wouldproduce a modest reduction in the federal budget deficit. Congressional Budget Office(CBO) estimates indicate that freezing non-defense discretionary funding at its FY2005level would produce a cumulative savings of approximately $147 billion includingreduced interest payments over the FY2006 to FY2010 time period. These savingswould reduce the cumulative baseline budget deficit by approximately 12% over theperiod. This