CBO

Creative approaches to financing investment in public assets and the private sector abound throughout American history. The New Deal, the CARES Act and other legislation have made use of government corporations, equity purchases and loan guarantees to generate durable and appreciating public assets.

Commentary about the Biden administration’s proposed fiscal relief policies has relied heavily on estimates of the economy’s potential output. However, few commentators or policymakers look under the hood to check how these estimates are calculated.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office’s analysis of the macroeconomic impacts of the Enhanced Unemployment Insurance (EUI) provisions of the CARES Act is deeply flawed.