Capitol Freeze: Fiscal Effects of Discretionary Spending Caps

Capitol Freeze: Fiscal Effects of Discretionary Spending Caps, a new report by the Pew Fiscal Analysis Initiative finds that the savings from recently proposed freezes would range widely, from $377 billion to $1.5 trillion over the next decade, depending on what they include and their timing. The report also finds that without any action, the federal debt will continue to rise to unprecedented levels – up to 158 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2035.

Below is an interactive calculator, which further supports findings from Capitol Freeze: Fiscal Effects of Discretionary Spending Caps. The calculator allows the user to set different discretionary spending freeze parameters and see the effect the choices would have on the deficit and debt. The methodology for this tool and the analysis for the paper can be found on page 27 of Capitol Freeze: Fiscal Effects of Discretionary Spending Caps.