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This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.

Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

FACT BRIEF

Is the Build Back Better Act expected to increase the national deficit?

Monday, December 13, 2021

By Jacob Alabab-Moser

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YES

The Build Back Better Act is expected to increase the national deficit in the short term before beginning to decrease it in 2027.

The Congressional Budget Office's cost estimate shows a total increase of $367 billion in the deficit as a result of the legislation. Annually, the legislation will cause net increases in the deficit between 2022 and 2027, after which it will cause net decreases until 2031. The estimate also finds that the legislation will result in decreases in deficits after 2031.

Following a request by Republican members of Congress, the CBO projected deficit increases of $3 trillion between 2022 and 2031 from the Build Back Better Act for a modified scenario in which various policies in the legislation would be permanent rather than temporary. However, President Biden and Democratic members of Congress have said that any extensions of the programs would be offset by other changes.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

Congressional Budget Office Summary of cost estimate for H.R. 5376, the Build Back Better Act

Congressional Budget Office Re: Budgetary effects of making specified policies in the Build Back Better Act permanent

CNN CBO issues score on how much Build Back Better would cost if programs were permanent

White House Remarks by President Biden on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

US Senate Democrats Schumer statement on GOP-requested fake CBO score

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Gigafact

Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

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About fact briefs published on Gigafact

Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.