PAYGO Tracker
When Democrats assumed the House Majority at the start of the 110th Congress, they claimed their vaunted pay-as-you-go [PAYGO] rule would lead to a new era of fiscal discipline. Their actual record, however, tells a different story. On most of the Majority's priority legislation, PAYGO has been waived, gamed, ignored, or employed to justify billions of dollars in new spending and tax and fee increases.
Some highlights:
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Nearly a Half Trillion in Deficit Increases Exempted. Overall, the Majority passed legislation exempting $420.1 billion in non-offset deficit increase from its PAYGO rule. This figure does not double count the cost of provisions included in more than one bill. All PAYGO violations
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Billions in Savings Gimmicks. Adding together all the PAYGO gimmicks, such as artificial funding cliffs and timing shifts, brings the total amount of non-offset new mandatory spending to well over $500 billion.
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A Dozen PAYGO Waivers Passed. PAYGO was waived 12 times in the 110th Congress, to allow the Majority to increase the deficit, and violated at least once more.
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Appropriations Loophole Exploited. Non-offset mandatory spending was tacked on to numerous appropriation bills, exploiting a loophole in the rule.
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Nearly Three Dozen Tax and Fee Hikes Passed Under PAYGO. PAYGO was used to pass at least 34 tax hikes or fee increases through the house.
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Timing Shifts and Recycled Savings Employed. The Majority used numerous timing shifts to meet PAYGO, and has recycled the same offsets again and again to comply with the letter, but not the intent, of the rule. For example:
READ ENTIRE PAYGO DOCUMENT
Listed below are the instances in which the Majority waived or ignored its PAYGO rule during the 110th Congress. Overall, the Majority passed legislation exempting from PAYGO $420.1 Billion in non-offset deficit increases. This figure does not double-count provisions in more than one bill, and does not include billions more hidden through the use of PAYGO gimmicks.
TABLE: Deficit Increases Not Offset
Bill |
Date Passed |
Non-Offset Spending Increase
(over 10 years) |
| Auto Bailout - HR7321 [f] |
December 12 , 2008 |
$3.9 billion |
| Unemployment Compensation Extension Act - HR6867 |
October 3, 2008 |
$5.7 billion |
| Emergency Economic Stabilization Act - HR1424 |
October 3, 2008 |
$110.4 billion [a] |
| Economic Stimulus II - HR7110 [b] |
September 26, 2008 |
$23.9 billion |
| Disaster Tax Relief Act - HR7006 [c] |
September 24, 2008 |
$8.1 billion |
| 2008 AMT Patch - HR7005 [d] |
September 24, 2008 |
$64.6 billion |
| Housing and Economic Recovery Act - HR3221 |
July 23, 2008 |
$24.9 billion |
| Senate Restaurant Employees - S2967 |
July 10, 2008 |
$3 billion |
| 2008 War Supplemental Appropriations Act - HR2642 |
June 19, 2008 |
$70.9 billion |
| Emergency Extended Unemployment Compensation Act - HR5749 [e] |
June 12, 2008 |
$10.0 billion |
| Farm Bill - HR2419 |
May 14, 2008 |
$2.9 billion |
| Economic Stimulus I - HR5140 |
February 7, 2008 |
$124.4 billion |
| 2007 AMT Patch - HR 3996 |
December 19, 2007 |
$50.6 billion |
| State Children's Health Insurance Program - HR3963 |
October 25, 2007 |
$3.1 billion |
| 2007 War Supplemental Appropriations Act - HR 2206 |
May 24, 2007 |
$6 billion |
[a]: This does not include the cost of the Troubled Assets Relief Program [TARP].
[b]: This bill was not enacted. The second UI extension was passed and enacted as HR 6867.
[c]: This bill was not enacted. Disaster tax relief was later included in H.R. 1424, the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act.
[d]: This bill was not enacted. An AMT patch was later included in H.R. 1424, the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act.
[e]: This bill was not enacted. The first UI Extension was later included in H.R. 2642, the Supplemental Appropriations Act.
[f]: This bill was not enacted.
Budget Committee Documents on PAYGO:
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