CBO says the deficit will be $468 billion for the budget year that ends in September. That’s slightly less than last year’s $483 billion deficit.
As a share of the economy, CBO says this year’s deficit will be slightly below the historical average of the past 50 years.
In a report released Monday, CBO projects solid economic growth for the next few years. The official scorekeeper of Congress also expects unemployment to drop slightly.
Beyond 2018, CBO projects deficits to start rising again as more baby boomers retire and enroll in Social Security and Medicare.