Abstract
This activity, “Balancing the Budget,” provides students an opportunity to explore and manipulate the US federal budget, and to attempt to balance that budget using policy options proposed in recent years. You will assume the role of a US Senator from New Jersey. In this capacity, you will
- work on a congressional taskforce to try to eliminate the federal deficit;
- design your own budget, based on your personal priorities and ideology;
- justify your budget plan.
Learning Goals
After reading your text and completing this exercise, you will be able to
- describe the current US federal budget;
- understand the policy trade-offs and political costs associated with comprehensive budget reform; and
- identify and evaluate prominent options for balancing the budget, including both spending reductions and revenue-generating alternatives.
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