Federal budget documents contain a dizzying number of promises, projections and assumptions, generally stitched together with a lot of grand statements about job creation and a bright future for our kids.
But how should one properly read the budget to get an unvarnished look at the state of the country’s finances? Which tables and charts in the document can give us a better sense of where money is being allocated and the government’s underlying priorities? What sorts of tricks do budget writers use to make the economic outlook seem rosier than it actually might be? Three experts well versed in budgetspeak shared their tips for looking at the document with a critical eye.
