Study: Presidential Frontrunners Would Boost Budget by Range of $7 Billion to $287...

Study: Presidential Frontrunners Would Boost Budget by Range of $7 Billion to
$287 Billion Annually

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Jan. 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Presidential contenders
have been differentiating themselves from others inside and outside of their
parties, but when it comes to fiscal policy, ideological labels don't
necessarily apply. That's one finding of a comprehensive National Taxpayers
Union Foundation (NTUF) study that provides cost estimates -- based on hard
data -- for over 450 of the major candidates' proposals that would affect the
federal budget.

"Our analyses will help taxpayers distinguish political posturing from
concrete proposals -- many of which would significantly change the federal
budget," NTUF Senior Policy Analyst Demian Brady said. "As campaigning nears
its 'Super Tuesday' peak, Americans have a chance to systematically examine
how future budget plans may affect their future finances."

NTUF assumed the most conservative cost estimates of federal outlays based on
numerous sources, including candidates' own projections; summaries from the
Congressional Budget Office, Congressional Research Service, and White House
Office of Management and Budget; and NTUF's BillTally cost-accounting system.
The eight reports (six Republicans and two Democrats) also found:

-- Candidates proposed 189 items that would increase federal spending, 24
items that would decrease it, and 238 items whose budgetary impacts are
unknown -- in addition to dozens of sub-items further detailing program
components. The four frontrunners (John McCain, Mitt Romney, Hillary Clinton,
and Barack Obama), proposed fiscal policy agendas whose net effect would raise
annual federal outlays between $6.9 billion and $287.0 billion.

-- The top-tier GOP candidates often portrayed as "conservative" (Mitt Romney
and Mike Huckabee) called for larger spending hikes ($19.5 billion and $54.2
billion, respectively), than the so-called "moderate conservative" (John
McCain, $6.9 billion).

-- Among Democrats, Barack Obama, often described as ideologically more
"moderate" than Hillary Clinton, has the larger agenda of the two ($287.0
billion vs. $218.2 billion).

-- Defense-related spending items received the highest proposed increases
among Republican candidates. (Huckabee offered $67.2 billion and Romney $40.6
billion, for example.) Among Democrats, Clinton's biggest boost goes toward
health care ($113.6 billion) and Obama's for economy, transportation, and
infrastructure ($105.0 billion).

-- Two candidates proposed sufficient spending cuts that more than offset new
spending plans: Rudy Giuliani (-$1.4 billion) and Ron Paul (-$150.1 billion).

NTUF is the nonpartisan research arm of the 362,000-member National Taxpayers
Union, a citizen group founded in 1969. Note: For full reports, graphs, and
audio analysis, visit http://www.ntu.org.

SOURCE National Taxpayers Union Foundation

Pete Sepp or Natasha Altamirano, both of the National Taxpayers Union
Foundation, +1-703-683-5700