The Joint Select Committee on Budget and Appropriations Process Reform, established by the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, will begin consideration on November 15 of the newly-released co-chairs’ mark. The deadline for the Committee to report out legislative text and reports for consideration in the Senate and House is November 30.
In response to the co-chairs’ mark and accompanying report, National Taxpayers Union Director of Federal Affairs Nan Swift issued a short statement:
National Taxpayers Union (NTU) commends the Members of the Joint Select Committee on Budget and Appropriations Process Reform for their hard work and commitment to improving what is widely regarded as a broken process. Though the current recommendations fall short of the stricter budgetary reforms that taxpayers had hoped for, NTU recognizes the many challenges that stand in the way of that goal.
NTU supports the work of the Committee as a critical initial step in the long push for reforms that strengthen the budget process, elevate this important issue, and ultimately address the mounting fiscal crisis taxpayers face. The magnitude of this and other problems, such as entitlement spending and our skyrocketing debt, are such that all parties need to come to the table and make tough trade-offs. It is our hope that a positive outcome from this process can serve as model for future deliberations.
NTU will be closely watching the amendment process as it unfolds and urges Committee Members to support those amendments that would incentivize fiscal responsibility, bolster the role of good budgeting in decision-making, and increase accountability.