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Unless otherwise indicated, all years referred to in this report are fiscal years. Numbers in the text and tables may not add to totals because
of rounding.
In the print version of this report, option 400-03 (Eliminate the Essential Air Service Program) states in the text that eliminating the program would save $4.8 billion from 2000 to 2009. That estimate is incorrect. The correct estimate is $480 million, as shown in the table accompanying the option. This electronic version contains the corrected text for the option. |
This volume compiles 250 specific policy options for reducing federal spending or increasing revenues in a wide variety of programs. Prepared at the request of the House and Senate Budget Committees, it is intended to help policymakers maintain budgetary discipline and accomplish related policy goals. The report is similar to the compendiums of policy options for reducing the deficit that the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) prepared from 1980 to 1997.
The policy options included in this report come from many sources, and the Congress has considered most of them at some time in the past. In keeping with CBO's mandate to provide objective and impartial analysis, the discussion of each option presents the cases for and against it as fairly as possible. CBO does not endorse the options included, nor does exclusion of any proposal imply a recommendation for or against it.
The report begins with an introductory section that discusses the major rationales for budgetary discipline and explains how to use the information presented in this volume. Part One includes more than 200 options for reducing spending, organized by the functional categories of the budget--national defense; international affairs; general science, space, and technology; and so on. Each functional category is introduced by a page of background data and information on recent spending trends within that function. Part Two presents more than 50 options for generating revenues. The report concludes with an appendix listing the scorekeeping guidelines used to enforce the discretionary spending limits and pay-as-you-go requirement of the Budget Enforcement Act of 1990 (as amended).
All divisions of the Congressional Budget Office contributed to this report, which was coordinated by Sandy Davis, Steve Lieberman, and Barry Anderson. Sandy Davis also prepared the introductory section. The spending options were coordinated by David H. Moore, R. Mark Musell, R. William Thomas, and Bruce Vavrichek. The revenue options were coordinated by Diane Lim Rogers and Roberton Williams. Budget authority and outlay estimates were coordinated by Tom B. Bradley, Paul R. Cullinan, Peter H. Fontaine, and Michael A. Miller. The staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation prepared most of the revenue estimates. The background pages for each function were prepared by David H. Moore and Peter H. Fontaine, with assistance from Keith Mattrick. Laurie Brown designed the interactive version of the report, with technical support from Frank Gibbs. Barry Anderson designed the cover.
Sherry Snyder supervised the editing of the report, and Kathryn Quattrone
oversaw production. Major portions were edited by Leah Mazade, Christian
Spoor, and Liz Williams. The authors owe thanks to Sharon Corbin-Jallow,
Judith A. Cromwell, Denise Jordan, Angela Z. McCollough, Ronald Moore,
L. Rae Roy, and Simone Thomas, who typed the early drafts. Kathryn Quattrone
prepared the report for publication, and Laurie Brown prepared the electronic
versions for CBO's World Wide Web site, both assisted by Martina Wojak-Piotrow.
Dan L. Crippen
Director
April 1999
INTRODUCTION | |
PART ONE - SPENDING OPTIONS | |
Function 050: National Defense | |
050-01-A | Reduce U.S. Forces to START II Levels by 2007 |
050-01-B | Reduce Nuclear Delivery Systems Within Overall Limits of START II |
050-02 | Terminate Production of D5 Missiles After 1999 |
050-03 | Remove Peacekeeper Missiles Ahead of START II Ratification |
050-04 | Reduce the Scope of DOE's Stockpile Stewardship Program |
050-05 | Cancel Development of the Tritium Production Accelerator |
050-06 | Reduce Procurement of the Virginia Class New Attack Submarine |
050-07 | Reduce the Number of Aircraft Carriers and Air Wings to 10 |
050-08 | Reduce Procurement of DDG-51 Destroyers |
050-09 | Reduce Purchases of the Navy's F/A-18E/F |
050-10 | Defer Purchases of the Marine Corps's V-22 Aircraft |
050-11 | Reduce Air Force Tactical Forces |
050-12 | Reduce Purchases of the Air Force's F-22 |
050-13 | Create Common NATO Airlift and Cut U.S. C-17 Costs |
050-14 | Defer Procurement of Tactical Airlift |
050-15 | Cancel the Army's Comanche Helicopter Program |
050-16 | Cancel the Army's Crusader Artillery Program |
050-17 | Cancel the Army's Tank Upgrade Program |
050-18 | Restructure Officer Accession Programs |
050-19 | Revise Cost Sharing for Military Health Benefits |
050-20 | Downsize the Military Medical System |
050-21 | Close and Realign Additional Military Bases |
050-22 | Increase Competition Between DoD and Private-Sector Housing |
050-23 | Transfer Commissary Operations to a DoD-Wide Exchange System |
050-24 | Consolidate and Encourage Efficiencies in Military Exchange Activities |
050-25 | Demolish Obsolete and Excess Structures |
050-26 | Create Incentives for Military Families to Save Energy |
050-27 | Allow Federal Agencies to Bargain for Electricity |
050-28 | Sell Surplus Real Property of the Department of Energy |
050-29 | Eliminate Cargo Preference |
Function 150: International Affairs | |
150-01 | Eliminate Overseas Broadcasting by the U.S. Government |
150-02 | Reduce Assistance to Israel and Egypt |
150-03 | Eliminate the Export-Import Bank, Overseas Private Investment Corporation, and Trade and Development Agency |
150-04 | Cease Additional Funding of Multilateral Development Banks |
Function 250: General Science, Space and Technology | |
250-01 | Cancel the International Space Station Program |
250-02 | Eliminate the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research |
250-03 | Reduce NSF Funding for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Science Research |
Function 270: Energy | |
270-01 | Eliminate the Department of Energy's Applied Research Programs for Fossil Fuels |
270-02 | Eliminate the Department of Energy's Applied Research for Energy Conservation |
270-03 | Eliminate the Department of Energy's Applied Research for Solar and Renewable Energy Resources |
270-04 | Eliminate Energy Conservation Grant Programs |
270-05 | Eliminate Electrification and Telephone Credit Subsidies Provided by the Rural Utilities Service |
270-06 | Restructure the Power Marketing Administrations to Charge Higher Rates |
270-07 | Sell the Southeastern Power Administration and Related Power Generation Equipment |
270-08 | Eliminate Federal Funding for the Partnership for New Generation Vehicles |
270-09 | Sell Oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve |
270-10 | Eliminate the Analysis Function of the Energy Information Administration |
Function 300: Natural Resources and Environment | |
300-01 | Increase Net Receipts from National Timber Sales |
300-02 | Impose a Five-Year Moratorium on Land Purchases by the Departments of Agriculture and the Interior |
300-03 | Eliminate Federal Grants for Water Infrastructure |
300-04 | Spend the Remaining Balance of the Superfund Trust Fund and Terminate the Program |
300-05 | Charge Market Rates for Information Provided by the National Weather Service |
300-06 | Eliminate the NOAA Weather Radio Network |
300-07 | Change the Revenue-Sharing Formula from a Gross-Receipt to a Net-Receipt Basis for Commercial Activities on Federal Lands |
300-08 | Charge Royalties and Holding Fees for Hardrock Mining on Federal Lands |
300-09 | Raise Grazing Fees on Public Lands |
300-10 | Recover Costs Associated with Administering the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Permitting Programs |
300-11 | Impose User Fees on the Inland Waterway System |
300-12 | Open the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to Leasing |
300-13 | Impose a New Harbor Maintenance Fee |
300-14 | Terminate Economic Support Fund Payments Under the South Pacific Fisheries Treaty |
Function 350: Agriculture | |
350-01 | Reduce Federal Support for Agricultural Research and Extension Activities |
350-02 | Reduce Department of Agriculture Spending for Export Marketing and International Activities |
350-03 | Reinstate Assessments on Growers, Buyers, and Importers of Tobacco |
350-04 | Eliminate Mandatory Spending for the Agricultural Research Activities of the Fund for Rural America and the Initiative for Future Agriculture and Food Systems |
350-05 | Limit Future Enrollment of Land in the Department of Agriculture's Conservation Reserve Program |
350-06 | Eliminate Attaché Positions in the Foreign Agricultural Service |
350-07 | Reduce the Reimbursement Rate Paid to Private Insurance Companies in the Department of Agriculture's Crop Insurance Program |
350-08 | Eliminate Public Law 480 Title I Sales and Title III Grants and Limit the Secretary of Agriculture's Authority |
350-09 | Eliminate the Market Access Program |
Function 370: Commerce and Housing Credit | |
370-01 | End the Credit Subsidy for Major Small Business Administration Business Loan Guarantee Programs |
370-02 | Reduce Costs of the ITA by Eliminating Trade Promotion Activities or Charging the Beneficiaries |
370-03 | Eliminate the Advanced Technology Program |
370-04 | Eliminate the Manufacturing Extension Partnership and the National Quality Program |
370-05 | Eliminate the Minority Business Development Agency |
370-06 | Eliminate New Funding for the Rural Rental Housing Assistance Program |
370-07 | Charge a User Fee on Commodity Futures and Options Contract Transactions |
370-08 | Eliminate FHA Mortgage Insurance Rebates |
370-09 | Increase the Ginnie Mae Guarantee Fee |
370-10 | Require all GSEs to Register with the SEC |
370-11 | Impose a Lease Fee on Analog Television Licenses |
Function 400: Transportation | |
400-01 | Eliminate Federal Subsidies for Amtrak |
400-02 | Eliminate Grants to Large and Medium-Sized Hub Airports |
400-03 | Eliminate the Essential Air Service Program |
400-04 | Eliminate NASA's Support for Producers and Users of Commercial Airliners |
400-05 | Establish Charges for Airport Takeoff and Landing Slots |
400-06 | Increase User Fees for FAA Certificates and Registrations |
400-07 | Establish Marginal Cost-Based Fees for Air Traffic Control Services |
400-08 | Discontinue Funding from the General Fund for Highway Projects |
400-09 | Impose a User Fee to Cover the Cost of the Federal Railroad Administration's Rail Safety Activities |
Function 450: Community and Regional Development | |
450-01 | Convert the Rural Community Advancement Program to State Revolving Loan Funds |
450-02 | Eliminate the Economic Development Administration |
450-03 | Eliminate the Appalachian Regional Commission |
450-04 | Drop Wealthier Communities from the Community Development Block Grant Program |
450-05 | Eliminate the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation |
450-06 | Eliminate Funding for New Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities |
450-07 | Drop Flood Insurance for Certain Repeatedly Flooded Properties |
450-08 | Eliminate the Flood Insurance Subsidy on Pre-FIRM Structures |
450-09 | Eliminate Federal Support for Tennessee Valley Authority Activities |
Function 500: Education, Training, Employment, and Social Services | |
500-01 | Reduce Funding for Title I, Education for the Disadvantaged |
500-02 | Eliminate Funding for Bilingual and Immigrant Education |
500-03 | Reduce Funding to School Districts for Impact Aid |
500-04 | Limit Federal Funding for State Education Reform |
500-05 | Eliminate Funding for Federal Initiatives to Reduce Class Size |
500-06 | Consolidate and Reduce Funding for Several Elementary and Secondary Education Programs |
500-07-A | Restrict Interest Subsidies on Loans to Undergraduates |
500-07-B | Increase Origination Fees for Unsubsidized Loans to Students and Parents |
500-07-C | Restrict Eligibility for Subsidized Student Loans by Including Home Equity in the Determination of Financial Need |
500-08 | Reduce Special Allowance Payments to Lenders in the Student Loan Program |
500-09 | Eliminate Administrative Fees Paid to Schools in the Campus-Based Student Aid and Pell Grant Programs |
500-10 | Eliminate the Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership Program |
500-11 | End New Funding for Perkins Loans |
500-12 | Reduce Funding for the Arts and Humanities |
500-13 | Eliminate Funding for the Senior Community Service Employment Program |
500-14 | Eliminate Funding for the National and Community Service Act |
500-15 | Reduce Funding for Head Start |
500-16 | Reduce the 50 Percent Floor on the Federal Share of Foster Care and Adoption Assistance Payments |
500-17 | Reduce the Federal Matching Rate for Administrative and Training Costs in the Foster Care and Adoption Assistance Programs |
Function 550: Health | |
550-01 | Reduce Funding for the National Health Service Corps |
550-02 | Reduce the Floor on the Federal Matching Rate in Medicaid |
550-03 | Reduce the Enhanced Federal Matching Rates for Certain Administrative Functions in Medicaid |
550-04-A | Restrict the Allocation of Common Administrative Costs to Medicaid |
550-04-B | Reduce Spending for Medicaid Administration |
550-05 | Convert Medicaid and Medicare DSH Payments into a Block Grant |
550-06 | Reduce Subsidies for Health Professions Education |
550-07 | Combine and Reduce Public Health Service Block Grants |
550-08 | Adopt a Voucher Plan for the FEHB Program |
550-09 | Base Retiree Health Benefits on Length of Service |
550-10 | Establish New User Fees for Medical Devices Regulated by the FDA |
Function 570: Medicare | |
570-01 | Reduce Medicare's Payments for the Indirect Costs of Patient Care That Are Related to Hospitals' Teaching Programs |
570-02 | Reduce Medicare's Direct Payments for Medical Education |
570-03 | Eliminate Additional Capital-Related Payments for Hospitals with Residency Programs |
570-04 | Convert Medicare Payments for Graduate Medical Education to a Block Grant and Slow Their Rate of Growth |
570-05 | Eliminate Medicare's Additional Payments to Sole Community Hospitals |
570-06 | Institute a Single Global Payment for Hospitals' and Physicians' Services Provided During an Inpatient Stay |
570-07 | Increase and Extend the Reductions in the Medicare PPS Market Basket |
570-08 | Reduce Medicare's Payments for Hospitals' Inpatient Capital-Related Costs |
570-09 | Eliminate Medicare's Payments to Hospitals for Enrollees' Bad Debts |
570-10 | Eliminate Medicare's Payments to Nonhospital Providers for Enrollees' Bad Debts |
570-11 | Reduce Medicare Expenditures for Prescription Drugs |
570-12 | Index Medicare's Deductible for Physicians' Services |
570-13-A | Simplify and Limit Medicare's Cost-Sharing Requirements |
570-13-B | Restrict Medigap Coverage |
570-14 | Collect Deductible and Coinsurance Amounts on Clinical Laboratory Services Under Medicare |
570-15 | Impose a Copayment Requirement on Home Health Visits Under Medicare |
570-16 | Prohibit First-Dollar Coverage Under Medigap Policies |
570-17 | Increase the Premium for Physicians' Services Under Medicare to 30 Percent of Program Costs |
570-18 | Tie the Premium for Physicians' Services Under Medicare to Enrollees' Income |
570-19-A | Increase Medicare's Age of Eligibility to Match Social Security's Normal Retirement Age |
570-19-B | Permit Early Buy-In to Medicare Along with an Increase in the Normal Age of Eligibility |
Function 600: Income Security | |
600-01 | End Trade Adjustment Assistance |
600-02 | End the Expansion of Programs for Building New Housing Units for Elderly and Disabled People |
600-03 | Increase Payments by Tenants in Federally Assisted Housing |
600-04 | Reduce Rent Subsidies to Certain One-Person Households |
600-05 | Stop Expansion of the Number of Rental Assistance Commitments |
600-06 | Reduce Funding for Employment and Training in the Food Stamp Program |
600-07 | Reduce the Exemptions from Employment and Training Requirements for Food Stamp Recipients |
600-08 | Reduce the $20 Unearned Income Exclusion Under the Supplemental Security Income Program |
600-09 | Create a Sliding Scale for Children's SSI Benefits Based on the Number of Recipients in a Family |
600-10 | Reduce the Federal Matching Rate for Administrative Costs in the Child Support Enforcement Program |
600-11 | Repeal the Hold-Harmless Provision for State Collections in the Child Support Enforcement Program |
600-12 | Reduce TANF Block Grants to States |
600-13 | Reduce Funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program |
600-14-A | Defer Cost-of-Living Adjustments for CSRS Annuitants |
600-14-B | Limit Some COLAs for Federal Retirees |
600-14-C | Reduce COLAs for Middle- and High-Income Federal Retirees |
600-15 | Modify the Salary Used to Set Federal Pensions |
600-16 | Restrict the Government's Matching Contributions to the Thrift Savings Plan |
600-17 | Increase Employee Contributions for Federal Pensions |
Function 700: Veterans Benefits | |
700-01 | Suspend Funding for Major Construction Projects in the Veterans' Health Care System |
700-02 | End Future Veterans' Compensation Payments for Certain Veterans With Low-Rated Disabilities |
700-03 | End Future Awards of Veterans' Disability or Death Compensation when a Disability is Unrelated to Military Duties |
700-04 | Eliminate "Sunset" Dates on Certain Provisions for Veterans in the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 |
700-05 | Extend and Increase Copayments for Outpatient Prescriptions Filled at VA Pharmacies |
700-06 | Increase Beneficiaries' Cost Sharing for Care at VA-Operated Nursing Facilities |
700-07 | Revise the Montgomery GI Bill Program |
Function 750: Administration of Justice | |
750-01 | Reduce Funding for Law Enforcement Efforts to Control Illegal Drugs |
750-02 | Reduce Funding for Justice Assistance and Certain Justice-Related Activities |
Function 800: General Government | |
800-01 | Restrict Public-Purpose Transfers of Real Property by GSA |
800-02 | Eliminate General Fiscal Assistance to the District of Columbia |
800-03 | Eliminate Mandatory Grants to U.S. Territories |
800-04 | Require the IRS to Deposit Fees from Installment Agreements in the Treasury as Miscellaneous Receipts |
800-05 | Eliminate Federal Antidrug Advertising |
Function 920: Allowances | |
920-01 | Eliminate Requirements That Agencies Purchase Alternative-Fuel Vehicles |
920-02 | Reduce the Number of Political Appointees |
920-03 | Charge Federal Employees Commercial Rates for Parking |
920-04 | Impose a Fee on GSE Investment Portfolios |
920-05 | Repeal the Service Contract Act |
920-06-A | Repeal the Davis-Bacon Act |
920-06-B | Raise the Threshold for Coverage Under the Davis-Bacon Act |
PART TWO - REVENUE OPTIONS | |
Restrict Itemized Deductions and Credits Under the Income Tax | |
REV-01 | Limit Mortgage Principal Eligible for Interest Deduction to $300,000 |
REV-02 | Limit the Mortgage Interest Deduction for Second Homes |
REV-03 | Limit Deductions of State and Local Taxes to the Excess Over 2 Percent of Adjusted Gross Income |
REV-04 | Limit Deductions for Charitable Gifts of Appreciated Property to Tax Basis |
REV-05 | Limit Deductions for Charitable Giving to the Amount Exceeding 2 Percent of Adjusted Gross Income |
REV-06 | Phase Out the Child and Dependent Care Credit |
REV-07 | Include Social Security Benefits in the Phaseout of the Earned Income Tax Credit |
REV-08 | Limit the Tax Benefit of Itemized Deductions to 15 Percent |
Restrict the Tax-Favored Treatment of Nonretirement Fringe Benefits | |
REV-09 | Impose an Excise Tax on Nonretirement Fringe Benefits |
REV-10 | Limit the Tax Exemption of Employer-Paid Health Insurance |
REV-11 | Include Employer-Paid Life Insurance in Taxable Income |
REV-12 | Eliminate the Employer Exclusion for Dependent Care |
Restrict the Tax-Favored Treatment of Certain Household Income | |
REV-13 | Include the Income-Replacement Portion of Workers' Compensation and Black Lung Benefits in Taxable Income |
REV-14-A | Include 85 Percent of Social Security and Railroad Retirement Benefits in Taxable Income for all Recipients |
REV-14-B | Include 85 Percent of Social Security and Railroad Retirement Benefits in Taxable Income for Higher-Income Recipients and Include 50 Percent for all Other Recipients |
REV-14-C | Include 85 Percent of Social Security and Railroad Retirement Benefits in Taxable Income for Higher-Income Recipients |
REV-15 | Include Investment Income from Life Insurance and Annuities in Taxable Income |
REV-16 | Include an Income-Related Portion of the Insurance Value of Medicare Benefits in Taxable Income |
REV-17 | Raise the Age Limit for the Kiddie Tax from 14 to 18 for Taxing Investment Income |
Increase Taxes Dedicated to Social Insurance Trust Funds | |
REV-18 | Expand Medicare Coverage to Include State and Local Government Employees Not Now Covered |
REV-19 | Make Calculation of Taxable Wages for Self-Employed People Equivalent to Calculation for Other Workers |
Increase Taxes on Income of Multinational Firms | |
REV-20 | Eliminate the Source Rules Exception for Inventory Sales |
REV-21 | Treat Foreign Sales Corporations Like Other Foreign Subsidiaries |
REV-22 | Make Foreign Subnational Taxes Deductible Rather Than Creditable |
Broaden Taxes on Wealth and Capital Gains | |
REV-23-A | Include Accrued Capital Gains in the Last Income Tax Return of the Deceased |
REV-23-B | Enact Carryover Basis for Capital Gains Held Until Death |
REV-24 | Eliminate Like-Kind Exchanges |
REV-25 | Convert the Credit for State Death Taxes to a Deduction |
REV-26 | Include Life Insurance Proceeds in the Base for Estate Taxes |
REV-27 | Eliminate Nonbusiness Valuation Discounts Under the Estate Tax |
Curtail Income Tax Preferences for Businesses | |
REV-28 | Reduce Tax Credits for Rehabilitating Buildings |
REV-29 | Repeal the Low-Income Housing Credit |
REV-30-A | Tax Credit Unions Like Other Thrift Institutions |
REV-30-B | Tax Credit Unions with More than $10 Million in Assets Like Other Thrift Institutions |
REV-31 | Repeal the Expensing of Exploration and Development Costs for Extractive Industries |
REV-32 | Repeal the Percentage Depletion for Extractive Industries |
REV-33 | Repeal the Tax Credit for Enhanced Oil Recovery Costs and Expensing of Tertiary Injectants |
REV-34 | Repeal the Partial Exemption for Alcohol Fuels from Excise Taxes on Motor Fuels |
REV-35 | Capitalize the Costs of Producing Timber |
REV-36 | Replace Corporate Credit with a Deduction for Employer FICA on Certain Tip Income |
REV-37 | Repeal the "Lower of Cost or Market" Inventory Valuation Method |
REV-38 | Tighten Rules on Interest Deductions for Corporate-Owned Life Insurance |
REV-39 | Repeal Tax-Free Conversions of Large C Corporations to S Corporations |
REV-40 | Repeal the Expensing of Certain Agricultural Costs |
REV-41 | Eliminate Exemption for Income for Cooperatively Owned Electric and Telephone Utilities |
Impose Taxes on Activities Harmful to the Environment | |
REV-42 | Increase the Excise Tax on Cigarettes by 50 Cents per Pack |
REV-43 | Increase all Alcoholic Beverage Taxes to $16 per Proof Gallon |
REV-44 | Index Tobacco and Alcohol Tax Rates for Inflation |
REV-45 | Increase Motor Fuel Excise Taxes by 12 Cents per Gallon |
REV-46-A | Tax Water Pollutants on the Basis of Biological Oxygen Demand |
REV-46-B | Impose an Excise Tax on Toxic Water Pollutants |
REV-47-A | Impose a Tax on Sulfur Dioxide Emissions |
REV-47-B | Impose a Tax on Nitrogen Oxide Emissions |
REV-47-C | Impose a Tax on Particulate Matter |
REV-47-D | Impose a Tax on Volatile Organic Compounds |
REV-48 | Impose a One-Time Tax on Emissions from New Automobiles and Light Trucks |
APPENDIX - SCOREKEEPING GUIDELINES |