Is the Immigration Bill a Plus for the Budg...

The Congressional Budget Office gets a piece of the huge debate over the immigration bill today, with a preliminary estimate showing the compromise plan would be a net plus for the budget. That's not even close to the last word on this topic, even from the CBO, which is promising a more detailed analysis soon. But at this point CBO is saying most of the increased revenue would come from Social Security payroll taxes, which means we're going to hear a lot more in the next few weeks on whether increasing immigration will bail out Social Security.

If you're looking to background yourself on the argument, this paper from the Social Security Advisory Board takes a look at the problem. Their bottom line: higher immigration would be helpful, but not a "free lunch" solution.