Budget Options

Reports on Budget Options

To help inform lawmakers about the budgetary implications of various approaches to altering federal policies, CBO periodically issues a volume of policy options (called Options for Reducing the Deficit) covering a broad range of issues as well as separate reports that include options for changing federal tax and spending policies in particular areas. The options, which are accessible from this page, are derived from many sources and reflect a range of possibilities. For each option, CBO presents an estimate of its effects on the budget but makes no recommendations. Inclusion or exclusion of any particular option does not imply an endorsement or rejection by CBO. This search is updated regularly to include only the most recent version of a particular option.

Mandatory Spending Options (Other than those for health-related programs)

Title Latest Estimate
Change the Terms and Conditions for Oil and Gas Leasing on Federal Lands Dec 2016
Convert Multiple Assistance Programs for Lower-Income People Into Smaller Block Grants to States Dec 2016
Eliminate ARC and PLC Payments on Generic Base Acres Dec 2016
Eliminate Concurrent Receipt of Retirement Pay and Disability Compensation for Disabled Veterans Dec 2016
Eliminate Eligibility for Starting Social Security Disability Benefits at Age 62 or Later Dec 2016
Eliminate Subsidies for Certain Meals in the National School Lunch, School Breakfast, and Child and Adult Care Food Programs Dec 2016
Eliminate Supplemental Security Income Benefits for Disabled Children Dec 2016
Eliminate the Add-On to Pell Grants, Which Is Funded With Mandatory Spending Dec 2016
Eliminate Title I Agriculture Programs Dec 2016
Limit ARC and PLC Payment Acres to 50 Percent of Base Acres Dec 2016
Limit Enrollment in the Department of Agriculture's Conservation Programs Dec 2016
Limit Forgiveness of Graduate Student Loans Dec 2016
Link Initial Social Security Benefits to Average Prices Instead of Average Earnings Dec 2016
Make Social Security's Benefit Structure More Progressive Dec 2016
Narrow Eligibility for Veterans’ Disability Compensation by Excluding Certain Disabilities Unrelated to Military Duties Dec 2016
Raise Fannie Mae’s and Freddie Mac’s Guarantee Fees and Decrease Their Eligible Loan Limits Dec 2016
Raise the Full Retirement Age for Social Security Dec 2016
Reduce or Eliminate Subsidized Loans for Undergraduate Students Dec 2016
Reduce Pensions in the Federal Employees Retirement System Dec 2016
Reduce Social Security Benefits for New Beneficiaries Dec 2016
Reduce Subsidies in the Crop Insurance Program Dec 2016
Reduce TANF's State Family Assistance Grant by 10 Percent Dec 2016
Require Social Security Disability Insurance Applicants to Have Worked More in Recent Years Dec 2016
Restrict VA’s Individual Unemployability Benefits to Disabled Veterans Who Are Younger Than the Full Retirement Age for Social Security Dec 2016
Tighten Eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Dec 2016
Use an Alternative Measure of Inflation to Index Social Security and Other Mandatory Programs Dec 2016
Increase the Minimum Bid on Parcels Leased for Oil and Gas Development on Onshore Federal Lands Apr 2016
Increase the Royalty Rate for Oil and Gas Production on Onshore Federal Lands Apr 2016
Increase the Royalty Rate for Oil or Gas Production on Offshore Federal Lands When the Price Rises Above a Threshold Apr 2016
Require Nominations of Parcels to Be Leased for Oil and Gas Development on Offshore Federal Lands Apr 2016
Require Sealed Bidding for Auctions of Parcels Leased for Oil and Gas Development on Onshore Federal Lands Apr 2016
Change Cost-of-Living Adjustments for Social Security Dec 2015
Change Social Security Benefits for Specific Groups Dec 2015
Change the Benefit Formula for Social Security Dec 2015
Raise The Full Retirement Age for Social Security Dec 2015
Increase Reimbursement Rates by 10 Cents in the National School Lunch Program, the School Breakfast Program, and the Child and Adult Care Food Program Sep 2015
Increase the Income Limit for Free Meals in the National School Lunch Program, the School Breakfast Program, and the Child and Adult Care Food Program Sep 2015
Cut Spending on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in 2016 by 15 percent Mar 2015
Increase the State Family Assistance Grant for TANF to Account for Inflation Jan 2015
Extend the Waiting Period for DI Benefits From 5 Months to 12 Months Jul 2012
Reduce DI Benefits for People Age 53 and Older Jul 2012
Apply the Social Security Benefit Formula to Individual Years of Earnings Mar 2011
Raise the Earliest Eligibility Age for Social Security Mar 2011
Create a Sliding Scale for Children's Supplemental Security Income Benefits Based on the Number of Recipients in a Family Aug 2009
Eliminate Social Security Benefits for Children of Early Retirees Aug 2009
Eliminate the Exclusion for Unearned Income Under the Supplemental Security Income Program Aug 2009
Eliminate the Foreign Market Development Program Aug 2009
Eliminate the Social Security Lump-Sum Death Benefit Aug 2009
Limit the Repayment Period for Export Credit Guarantees Aug 2009
Reassign Reimbursable Costs for the Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program to the Beneficiaries It Serves Aug 2009
Reduce Funding for the Market Access Program Aug 2009
Reduce the Spousal Benefit in Social Security From 50 Percent to 33 Percent Aug 2009
Reduce Veterans' Disability Compensation to Account for Social Security DI Payments Aug 2009
Remove the Ceiling on the Collection of Overpayments From the Supplemental Security Income Program Aug 2009
Require Children Under Age 18 to Attend School Full Time as a Condition of Eligibility for Social Security Benefits Aug 2009
Require State and Local Pension Plans to Share Data With the Social Security Administration Aug 2009
Require the IRS to Deposit Fees for Its Services in the Treasury as Miscellaneous Receipts Aug 2009

Discretionary Spending Options (Other than those for health-related programs)

Title Latest Estimate
Build Only One Type of Nuclear Weapon for Bombers Dec 2016
Cancel Plans to Purchase Additional F-35 Joint Strike Fighters and Instead Purchase F-16s and F/A-18s Dec 2016
Cap Increases in Basic Pay for Military Service Members Dec 2016
Convert the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage Program From a Guarantee Program to a Direct Loan Program Dec 2016
Defer Development of the B-21 Bomber Dec 2016
Eliminate Certain Forest Service Programs Dec 2016
Eliminate Federal Funding for National Community Service Dec 2016
Eliminate Funding for Amtrak and the Essential Air Service Program Dec 2016
Eliminate Head Start Dec 2016
Eliminate Human Space Exploration Programs Dec 2016
Eliminate or Reduce Funding for Certain Grants to State and Local Governments Dec 2016
Eliminate the International Trade Administration’s Trade Promotion Activities Dec 2016
Impose Fees to Cover the Cost of Government Regulations and Charge for Services Provided to the Private Sector Dec 2016
Increase Payments by Tenants in Federally Assisted Housing Dec 2016
Limit Highway Funding to Expected Highway Revenues Dec 2016
Reduce Department of Energy Funding for Energy Technology Development Dec 2016
Reduce DoD’s Operation and Maintenance Appropriation, Excluding Funding for the Defense Health Program Dec 2016
Reduce Funding for International Affairs Programs Dec 2016
Reduce Funding for Naval Ship Construction to Historical Levels Dec 2016
Reduce the Annual Across-the-Board Adjustment for Federal Civilian Employees’ Pay Dec 2016
Reduce the Number of Housing Choice Vouchers or Eliminate the Program Dec 2016
Reduce the Size of the Federal Workforce Through Attrition Dec 2016
Reduce the Size of the Military to Satisfy Caps Under the Budget Control Act Dec 2016
Reduce the Size of the Nuclear Triad Dec 2016
Repeal the Davis-Bacon Act Dec 2016
Replace Some Military Personnel With Civilian Employees Dec 2016
Restrict Pell Grants to the Neediest Students Dec 2016
Stop Building Ford Class Aircraft Carriers Dec 2016
Scanning and Imaging More Shipping Containers Bound for or Arriving at U.S. Ports Jun 2016
Change the Share of Income That Tenants Contribute Toward Rent Sep 2015
Increase Funding for Public Housing Agencies’ Administration of Housing Assistance Sep 2015
Increase the Number of Housing Choice Vouchers Sep 2015
Require That Recipients of Housing Assistance Participate in a Work Support Program and Give Waiting-List Priority to Applicants Who Work Sep 2015
Eliminate Capital Investment Grants for Transit Systems Nov 2014
Eliminate Grants to Large and Medium-Sized Airports Nov 2014
Reduce Federal Funding for the Arts and Humanities Nov 2014
Reduce the Number of Ballistic Missile Submarines Nov 2014
Increase Fees for Aviation Security Nov 2013
Restrict Pell Grants to Students Who Meet Academic Progress Requirements Sep 2013
Restrict Pell Grants to Students Who Meet More Stringent Academic Eligibility Requirements Sep 2013
Consolidate the Department of Defense's Retail Activities and Provide a Grocery Allowance to Service Members Mar 2011
Consolidate and Encourage Efficiencies in Military Exchanges Aug 2009
Create State Revolving Funds to Finance Rural Water and Waste Disposal Aug 2009
Ease Restrictions on Contracting for Depot Maintenance Aug 2009
Eliminate Administrative Fees Paid to Schools in the Campus-Based Student Aid and Pell Grant Programs Aug 2009
Eliminate General Fiscal Assistance to the District of Columbia Aug 2009
Eliminate National Science Foundation Spending on Elementary and Secondary Education Aug 2009
Eliminate NeighborWorks America Aug 2009
Eliminate Regional Development Agencies Aug 2009
Eliminate the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund Aug 2009
Eliminate the Energy Star Program Aug 2009
Eliminate the Environmental Protection Agency's Science to Achieve Results Grant Program Aug 2009
Eliminate the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership and the Baldrige National Quality Program Aug 2009
Eliminate the Legal Services Corporation Aug 2009
Eliminate the National Park Service's Local Funding for Heritage Area Grants and Statutory Aid Aug 2009
Eliminate the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign Aug 2009
Impose Fees on the Small Business Administration's Secondary Market Guarantees Aug 2009
Reduce Funding for Research and Development Programs in the Science and Technology Directorate of the Department of Homeland Security Aug 2009
Reduce Rent Subsidies for Certain One-Person Households Aug 2009
Restrict First-Responder Grants to High-Risk Communities Aug 2009
Substitute Dependent Education Allowances for Domestic On-Base Schools Aug 2009

Revenue Options (Other than those related to health)

Title Latest Estimate
Capitalize Research and Experimentation Costs and Amortize Them Over Five Years Dec 2016
Change the Tax Treatment of Capital Gains From Sales of Inherited Assets Dec 2016
Convert the Mortgage Interest Deduction to a 15 Percent Tax Credit Dec 2016
Curtail the Deduction for Charitable Giving Dec 2016
Determine Foreign Tax Credits on a Pooling Basis Dec 2016
Eliminate Certain Tax Preferences for Education Expenses Dec 2016
Eliminate the Tax Exemptions for New Qualified Private Activity Bonds Dec 2016
Expand Social Security Coverage to Include Newly Hired State and Local Government Employees Dec 2016
Expand the Base of the Net Investment Income Tax to Include the Income of Active Participants in S Corporations and Limited Partnerships Dec 2016
Extend the Period for Depreciating the Cost of Certain Investments Dec 2016
Further Limit Annual Contributions to Retirement Plans Dec 2016
Further Limit the Deduction of Interest Expense for Multinational Corporations Dec 2016
Implement a New Minimum Tax on Adjusted Gross Income Dec 2016
Impose a 5 Percent Value-Added Tax Dec 2016
Impose a Fee on Large Financial Institutions Dec 2016
Impose a Tax on Emissions of Greenhouse Gases Dec 2016
Impose a Tax on Financial Transactions Dec 2016
Impose an Excise Tax on Overland Freight Transport Dec 2016
Include Disability Payments From the Department of Veterans Affairs in Taxable Income Dec 2016
Include Employer-Paid Premiums for Income Replacement Insurance in Employees' Taxable Income Dec 2016
Increase All Taxes on Alcoholic Beverages to $16 Per Proof Gallon Dec 2016
Increase Corporate Income Tax Rates by 1 Percentage Point Dec 2016
Increase Excise Taxes on Motor Fuels by 35 Cents and Index for Inflation Dec 2016
Increase Federal Civilian Employees' Contributions to the Federal Employees Retirement System Dec 2016
Increase Individual Income Tax Rates Dec 2016
Increase Taxes that Finance the Federal Share of the Unemployment Insurance System Dec 2016
Increase the Maximum Taxable Earnings for the Social Security Payroll Tax Dec 2016
Increase the Payroll Tax Rate for Medicare Hospital Insurance by 1 Percentage Point Dec 2016
Limit the Deduction for State and Local Taxes Dec 2016
Limit the Value of Itemized Deductions Dec 2016
Lower the Investment Income Limit for the Earned Income Tax Credit and Extend That Limit to the Refundable Portion of the Child Tax Credit Dec 2016
Raise the Tax Rates on Long-Term Capital Gains and Qualified Dividends by 2 Percentage Points Dec 2016
Repeal Certain Tax Preferences for Energy and Natural Resource–Based Industries Dec 2016
Repeal the "LIFO" and "Lower of Cost or Market" Inventory Accounting Methods Dec 2016
Repeal the Deduction for Domestic Production Activities Dec 2016
Repeal the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Dec 2016
Require a Minimum Level of Taxation of Foreign Income as It Is Earned Dec 2016
Require Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit Claimants to Have a Social Security Number That Is Valid for Employment Dec 2016
Subject All Publicly Traded Partnerships to the Corporate Income Tax Dec 2016
Tax All Pass-Through Business Owners Under SECA and Impose a Material Participation Standard Dec 2016
Tax Carried Interest as Ordinary Income Dec 2016
Tax Social Security and Railroad Retirement Benefits in the Same Way That Distributions From Defined Benefit Pensions Are Taxed Dec 2016
Use an Alternative Measure of Inflation to Index Some Parameters of the Tax Code Dec 2016
Change the Taxation of Earnings for Social Security Dec 2015
Eliminate the Deduction for State and Local Taxes Nov 2014
Further Limit Annual Contributions to Retirement Plans Nov 2014
Include All Income That U.S. Citizens Earn Abroad in Taxable Income Nov 2014
Increase Taxes That Finance the Federal Share of the Unemployment Insurance System Nov 2014
Limit the Value of Itemized Deductions Nov 2014
Modify the Rules for the Sourcing of Income From Exports Nov 2014
Impose a Tax on Financial Transactions Nov 2013
Include Investment Income From Life Insurance and Annuities in Taxable Income Nov 2013
Defer Interest Deductions Related to Deferred Income Jan 2013
Eliminate Check-the-Box Rules Jan 2013
Tax the Worldwide Income of U.S. Corporations as It Is Earned Jan 2013
Eliminate the Subchapter S Option and Tax Limited Liability Companies as C Corporations Dec 2012
Treat Large Pass-Through Entities as C Corporations Dec 2012
Raise the DI Tax Rate by 0.4 Percentage Points Jul 2012
Gradually Eliminate the Mortgage Interest Deduction Mar 2011
Include Social Security Benefits in Calculating the Phase-Out of the EITC Mar 2011
Reinstate the Superfund Taxes Mar 2011
Replace the Tax Exclusion for Interest Income on State and Local Bonds With a Direct Subsidy for the Issuer Mar 2011
Set the Corporate Income Tax Rate at 35 Percent for All Corporations Mar 2011
Cap Nonprofit Organizations' Outstanding Stock of Tax-Exempt Bonds Aug 2009
Eliminate Tax Subsidies for Child and Dependent Care Aug 2009
Eliminate the Additional Standard Deduction for Elderly and Blind Taxpayers Aug 2009
Eliminate the EITC for People Who Do Not Live With Children Aug 2009
Eliminate the Tax Exclusion for Employment-Based Life Insurance Aug 2009
End the Preferential Treatment of Dividends Paid on Stock Held in Employee Stock Ownership Plans Aug 2009
Finance the Food Safety and Inspection Service Solely Through Fees Aug 2009
Impose a Tax on Emissions of Nitrogen Oxides Aug 2009
Impose a Tax on Emissions of Sulfur Dioxide Aug 2009
Limit Deductions for Charitable Gifts of Appreciated Assets to the Gifts' Tax Basis Aug 2009
Require Self-Employed People and Employees to Pay the Same Amounts in Payroll Taxes Aug 2009
Tax Large Credit Unions in the Same Way as Other Thrift Institutions Aug 2009
Tax Qualified Sponsorship Payments to Postsecondary Sports Programs Aug 2009
Tax the Federal Home Loan Banks Under the Corporate Income Tax Aug 2009
Tax the Income Earned by Public Electric Utilities Aug 2009

Health Options

Title Latest Estimate
Adopt a Voucher Plan and Slow the Growth of Federal Contributions for the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program Dec 2016
Change the Cost-Sharing Rules for Medicare and Restrict Medigap Insurance Dec 2016
Consolidate and Reduce Federal Payments for Graduate Medical Education at Teaching Hospitals Dec 2016
End Congressional Direction of Medical Research in the Department of Defense Dec 2016
End Enrollment in VA Medical Care for Veterans in Priority Groups 7 and 8 Dec 2016
Impose Caps on Federal Spending for Medicaid Dec 2016
Increase Premiums for Parts B and D of Medicare Dec 2016
Increase the Excise Tax on Cigarettes by 50 Cents per Pack Dec 2016
Introduce Minimum Out-of-Pocket Requirements Under TRICARE for Life Dec 2016
Limit Medical Malpractice Claims Dec 2016
Limit States’ Taxes on Health Care Providers Dec 2016
Modify TRICARE Enrollment Fees and Cost Sharing for Working-Age Military Retirees Dec 2016
Raise the Age of Eligibility for Medicare to 67 Dec 2016
Reduce Medicare's Coverage of Bad Debt Dec 2016
Reduce Tax Preferences for Employment-Based Health Insurance Dec 2016
Repeal All Insurance Coverage Provisions of the Affordable Care Act Dec 2016
Repeal the Individual Health Insurance Mandate Dec 2016
Require Manufacturers to Pay a Minimum Rebate on Drugs Covered Under Part D of Medicare for Low-Income Beneficiaries Dec 2016
Repealing the Affordable Care Act Jun 2015
Reduce or Constrain Funding for the National Institutes of Health Nov 2014
Convert Medicare to a Premium Support System Nov 2013
Eliminate Exchange Subsidies for People With Income Over 300 Percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines Nov 2013
Title: Cap Increases in Basic Pay for Military Service Members