Projections in the United States

Projections in the Federal Budget Process

Meaning of Projections in the congressional and executive budget processes (GAO source): Estimates of budget authority, outlays, receipts, or other budget amounts extending several years into the future. Projections are generally intended to indicate the budgetary implications of existing or proposed programs and legislation. Projections may include alternative program and policy strategies and ranges of possible budget amounts. Projections are not firm estimates of what will occur in future years, nor are they intended to be recommendations for future budget decisions.

The statutory basis for preparing and submitting projections is spelled out (1) for the President in section 201(a) of the Budget and Accounting Act (31 U.S.C. § 1105) and (2) for Congress and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) in sections 202, 308, and 402 of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act (2 U.S.C. §§ 601, 639, and 653). (See also Baseline; Budget Estimates; Multiyear Budget Planning.)

Resources

See Also

• Federal Appropriations
• Entries about the United States Budget Process in the Encyclopedia (including Projections)
• Public Debt

Further Reading

• Legislatures and the budget process: the myth of fiscal control

  (J Wehner, 2010)

• Reconcilable Differences?: Congress, the Budget Process, and the Deficit (JB Gilmour, 1990)
• Fiscal institutions and fiscal performance

  (JM Poterba, J von Hagen, 2008)