Budgeting for the Future
T-AFMD-91-1: Published: Apr 12, 1991. Publicly Released: Apr 12, 1991.
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GAO discussed: (1) the impact of current budget decisions on the future economic well-being of the United States; and (2) actions the federal government could take to improve the long-term economic outlook. GAO noted that: (1) federal deficits drained private savings that could be devoted to new plants, equipment, and other productive private investments; (2) the current budget provided inadequate highway, education, research, and other public investment funding; and (3) by the end of fiscal year 1991, the federal debt was expected to reach $3.6 trillion, requiring annual interest payments of almost $300 billion. GAO also noted that the federal government should: (1) take additional steps to reduce the federal budget deficit to increase national investment; (2) assess long-term economic effects of budget systems and integrate that information into the decisionmaking and enforcement system; (3) establish a unified budget that reflects the government's total financial operations, including general, trust, and enterprise fund components subdivided to distinguish between operating and capital expenditures; (4) fully accrue federal civilian employee retirement and other employee benefit plan liabilities; (5) recognize federal financial exposure; (6) consider future costs resulting from federal government responsibilities in such areas as the cleanup of nuclear weapons facilities; (7) reevaluate government dependence on the baseline in analyzing whether budget policies achieved their desired results in the outyears; and (8) establish a high-level, bipartisan budget study commission to ensure the improvement of federal budgeting.
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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