Budget Issues:
Trust Funds and Their Relationship to the Federal Budget
AFMD-88-55: Published: Sep 30, 1988. Publicly Released: Nov 4, 1988.
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Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the budget status of trust funds, specifically: (1) what distinguishes trust fund receipts from other receipts in the federal government's accounts; (2) whether the government should use trust fund balances to finance programs and deficits in non-trust-fund parts of the budget; (3) how trust funds should be treated for budget purposes; and (4) identifying on-budget and off-budget trust funds, along with the receipts, outlays, and balances of each for the most recently completed fiscal year (FY).
GAO found that: (1) trust fund receipts are legally dedicated to financing accounts that are, in general, statutorily designated as trust funds; (2) most trust fund balances are not cash set aside in the Treasury or bank accounts, but are invested in Treasury securities; and (3) the current unified budget masks the effect of trust fund surpluses upon the budget's totals because it focuses on a single surplus or deficit total. GAO also found that, in FY 1987: (1) the 165 on-budget and two off-budget trust funds had gross receipts of $465 billion and gross outlays of $392 billion; (2) the trust funds' accumulated balances totaled $450 billion; and (3) the two off-budget trust funds accounted for about half of all trust fund receipts and outlays.
Dec 15, 2020
The Nation's Fiscal Health:
Information on the Spending and Revenue Implications of Potential Debt TargetsGAO-21-211: Published: Dec 15, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 15, 2020.
Oct 7, 2020
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The Nation's Fiscal Health:
A Long-Term Plan Is Needed for Fiscal SustainabilityGAO-21-161T: Published: Oct 7, 2020. Publicly Released: Oct 7, 2020.
Sep 23, 2020
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The Nation's Fiscal Health:
Effective Use of Fiscal Rules and TargetsGAO-20-561: Published: Sep 23, 2020. Publicly Released: Sep 23, 2020.
Jan 23, 2020
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Federal Trust Funds and Other Dedicated Funds:
Fiscal Sustainability Is a Growing Concern for Some Key FundsGAO-20-156: Published: Jan 16, 2020. Publicly Released: Jan 23, 2020.
Dec 19, 2019
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State and Local Governments' Fiscal Outlook:
2019 UpdateGAO-20-269SP: Published: Dec 19, 2019. Publicly Released: Dec 19, 2019.
Nov 14, 2019
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Certificated Expenditures:
Executive Office of the President FY 2018 Certificated Expenditures Were Spent for Authorized PurposesGAO-20-139R: Published: Nov 14, 2019. Publicly Released: Nov 14, 2019.
Oct 16, 2019
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Civilian Personnel:
Additional Guidance and Consistent Data Reporting Could Help Improve the Marine Corps' Budget ManagementGAO-20-148: Published: Oct 16, 2019. Publicly Released: Oct 16, 2019.
Jun 26, 2019
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The Nation's Fiscal Health:
Actions Needed to Achieve Long-Term Fiscal SustainabilityGAO-19-611T: Published: Jun 26, 2019. Publicly Released: Jun 26, 2019.
Apr 10, 2019
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The Nation's Fiscal Health:
Action Is Needed to Address the Federal Government's Fiscal FutureGAO-19-314SP: Published: Apr 10, 2019. Publicly Released: Apr 10, 2019.
Mar 27, 2019
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Fiscal Exposures:
Federal Insurance and Other Activities That Transfer Risk or Losses to the GovernmentGAO-19-353: Published: Mar 27, 2019. Publicly Released: Mar 27, 2019.
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