CBO Estimate Shows the Senate Immigration Bill's Budget Impact Is Very Modest

Publication Date: June 2007

Publisher: Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (Washington, D.C.)

Author(s): James Horney

Research Area: Banking and finance; Population and demographics

Keywords: Economic projections; Federal budget; International migration; Fiscal future

Type: Report

Abstract:

CBO assumes that even if future Congresses appropriate the full amount of discretionary (annually appropriated) funding that the bill authorizes for border enforcement and for other efforts to deter undocumented immigrants, the legislation would increase the unified federal budget deficit by only “several billion dollars a year” by 2027; even if “several” were as much as $10 billion, the increase in the deficit would amount to only a little over one one-thousandth of the projected federal budget for that year and about two-and-one-half ten-thousandths of GDP.  Moreover, if — as is likely — future Congresses actually appropriate less than the full amount the Senate immigration bill authorizes (or reduce other discretionary appropriations to offset part of the effect of the increase in border enforcement funding), the effect of the immigration bill on future deficits is likely to be close to zero.