Process
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Reinstatement of Pay-As-You-Go is a Welcome Step Toward Fiscal Responsibility
December 20, 2006
House and Senate Democratic leaders have pledged to reinstate the “Pay-As-You-Go” rule early in the 110th Congress. Such a rule, which was in effect in the 1990s, helps to enforce fiscal discipline by requiring that any tax cut or increase in entitlement spending be offset by an increase in other taxes or reduction in other entitlement … -
House Proposal to Reform Earmarks Employs Double Standard, Largely Exempting Earmarks Packaged as Special Interest Tax Breaks
September 14, 2006
The House is about to consider a change in its rules that would require any committee that includes an “earmark” in legislation to report the name of the Member who sponsored the earmark.[1] One aspect of this proposal jumps out: while earmarked funding would be subject to this rule, earmarked special-interest tax breaks would be exempt from the rule, except for tax breaks that … -
Budget Process Bill Would Result In Deep Cuts In Medicare and Medicaid
Revised August 9, 2006
The Senate Budget Committee has approved a bill (S. 3521) that would radically alter federal budget procedures and could lead to deep cuts over time in the vast majority of domestic programs, including Medicaid, Medicare, and SCHIP. While the odds are slim that the legislation will be considered by the full Senate this year, the … -
Combined Effect of Senate Proposals Would Be To Finance Near-Repeal of the Estate Tax with Cuts in Medicare, Veterans Benefits, School Lunches, and Other Programs
August 9, 2006
At the urging of Senate Republican leader Bill Frist, the Senate last week considered a House-passed proposal to repeal most but not all of the estate tax. The measure contains no “offsets”; its large cost would be financed through higher deficits. In June, the Senate Budget Committee approved a far-reaching bill to make major changes in … -
Gregg Bill Would Make Far-Reaching Changes In Budget Rules
Revised August 9, 2006
Executive Summary Sweeping legislation to radically alter federal budget procedures, designed by Senate Budget Committee chairman Judd Gregg and endorsed by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, was adopted by the Budget Committee on June 20. The bill may be brought to the Senate floor this summer (either as a single piece of … -
Budget Process Bill Threatens Veterans’ Programs
August 4, 2006
The Senate Budget Committee has approved a bill (S. 3521) that would radically alter federal budget procedures and could lead to deep cuts over time in the vast majority of domestic programs, including veterans’ programs. While the odds are slim that the legislation will be considered by the full Senate this year, the bill is nevertheless important because it appears to reflect an … -
Putting Their Cards on the Table: Senate Budget Bill Indicates Intention to Pay for Tax Cuts by Sweeping Cuts in Programs for Middle- and Low-Income Households
August 2, 2006
The tax cuts enacted since 2001 have been financed through borrowing — that is, through higher deficits. The sharp estate-tax cut that was approved by the House of Representatives on July 29 and is about to be considered in the Senate would be deficit financed, as well. A new Treasury Department analysis issued on July 25 acknowledges, … -
Another Commission? The Wolf Entitlement Commission Includes Favorable and Unfavorable Aspects
August 1, 2006
Representative Frank Wolf (R-VA) recently introduced legislation (H.R. 5552) to establish a commission to study the long-term fiscal problems the United States faces.[1] The commission would propose legislation to address these problems, and Congress would be required to vote up or down on that legislation. The bill also permits a … -
Statement by Robert Greenstein: House Leadership Invokes “Martial Law,” Forcing Members to Vote on Key Bills Without Full Knowledge of What They Are Voting On: Move Represents Erosion Of The Democratic Process
July 28, 2006
The House Republican Leadership has announced its intention to have the House vote, before adjourning on Friday or Saturday, on several major pieces of legislation that are not yet available to House members in final form because behind-closed-door negotiations on the proposals are still going on.… -
Sunset Commission Proposals Would Not Provide "Good Government"
July 21, 2006
The House Government Reform Committee on July 20 approved, on close to party-line votes, two bills that would establish “sunset commissions.” These sunset commission proposals could be considered by the full House as early as the week of July 24. The two bills before the Government Reform Committee are H.R. 5766, introduced by Representative Todd Tiahrt (R-KS), and H.R. 3282, … -
Senate “Line-Item Veto” Proposal Invites Abuse by Executive Branch
July 12, 2006
The Senate Budget Committee recently approved the Legislative Line Item Veto Act of 2006, a variation of a proposal the Bush Administration submitted earlier this year. The Budget Committee adopted this measure as part of a larger budget-process bill that it passed on June 20. [1] The Senate is expected to consider the line-item veto measure later this session, most likely as a stand-alone … -
Discretionary Caps in Gregg Bill Would Lead To Overly Deep Cuts
Revised July 7, 2006
Senate Budget Committee Chairman Judd Gregg (R-NH) has introduced legislation (S. 3521) that would make a number of far-reaching changes in the federal budget process. The Senate Budget Committee is scheduled to mark up that legislation on June 20. Included in the legislation are provisions that would establish … -
Proposed Discretionary Caps Would Hit States Hard
July 5, 2006
The Senate Budget Committee on June 20 approved legislation (S. 3521) crafted by Budget Committee Chairman Judd Gregg (R-NH) that would make a number of far-reaching changes in the federal budget process.[1] Included in the legislation, which the full Senate may consider this summer, are provisions that would establish … -
Combined Effect of Bills Moving in the Senate Would Be To Finance Near-Repeal of the Estate Tax With Cuts in Medicare, Veterans Benefits, School Lunches, and Other Programs
June 26, 2006
At the urging of Senate Republican leader Bill Frist, the House of Representatives last week approved a measure designed by House Ways and Means Committee chairman Bill Thomas to repeal most but not all of the estate tax. The measure contains no “offsets”; its large cost would be financed through higher deficits.… -
Senate Budget Process Legislation Embraces "Misguided 45 Percent Trigger"
June 26, 2006
Executive Summary Major budget-process legislation approved by the Senate Budget Committee on June 20 seeks to limit the share of Medicare expenditures that are financed by general revenues. The legislation (S. 3521), crafted by Senate Budget Committee Chairman Judd Gregg (R-NH), would establish a new Senate … -
House "Line-Item Veto" Proposal Invites Abuse By Executive Branch
June 19, 2006
The House Budget Committee has approved the Legislative Line Item Veto Act of 2006, a variation of a proposal that the Bush Administration submitted earlier this year.[1] The House floor is expected to consider this legislation during the week of June 18, while the Senate Budget Committee is scheduled to consider a different … -
Biennial Budgeting: Do The Drawbacks Outweigh The Advantages?
June 16, 2006
Senate Budget Committee Judd Gregg (R-NH) has introduced legislation (S. 3521) that would make far-reaching changes in the federal budget process. Included in that legislation is a proposal to move the federal budget from an annual to a biennial cycle. Proponents of biennial budgeting present it as a reform that will … -
Administration's Argument Against Pay-As-You-Go For Tax Cuts Does Not Withstand Scrutiny
June 13, 2006
Bipartisan budget watchdog groups such as the Concord Coalition and the Committee for Economic Development have called for reinstatement of the Pay-As-You-Go rules, which helped move the budget from deficits to surpluses in the 1990s. Eminent figures such as former Federal Reserve chair Alan Greenspan and David Walker, head of the … -
Proposed Line-Item Veto Legislation Would Invite Abuse by Executive Branch
Revised April 21, 2006
The Administration has proposed the Legislative Line Item Veto Act of 2006, which was recently introduced in Congress by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) as S. 2381 and by Representative Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) as H.R. 4890.[1] Both the House and the Senate are expected to consider the proposal in coming months. The … -
Changing The Budget Rules
April 18, 2006
In the budget it presented to Congress last month, the Bush Administration proposed a series of changes in the rules under which Congress considers and approves the federal budget.[1] The principal Administration proposals have a common theme: the new rules would allow unlimited tax cuts while imposing tight limits on … -
Background on Potential Budget Gimmick in Tax Reconciliation Conference
March 28, 2006
Issued Jointly With Lawmakers currently trying to work out differences between the versions of the tax cut reconciliation legislation that the House and Senate passed last year reportedly are considering using a gimmick — which entails claiming that one tax cut “pays for” another tax cut — to evade an important Senate rule. That … -
Press Release: Joint Statement Opposing Potential Budget Gimmick
March 28, 2006
Issued Jointly With Congress is contemplating a gimmick that would circumvent existing budget enforcement rules in the Senate and increase long-term deficits. House and Senate conferees on the reconciliation tax bill are considering a proposal to offset part of the short-term revenue loss (in 2011 through 2015) from one tax cut by enacting another … -
Five-Year Discretionary Caps Would Be Unwise at This Time
March 27, 2006
The President has again proposed enactment of binding caps for each of the next five years on overall levels of funding and expenditures for discretionary programs (i.e., programs that are non-entitlements). Under the proposal, the cap for each fiscal year through 2011 would be set at the overall levels for discretionary … -
A Pay-As-You-Go Rule That Would Exempt All Tax Cuts Would Make a Mockery of Efforts to Restore Fiscal Discipline
March 20, 2006
The House of Representatives will apparently consider legislation in coming weeks that would make a number of changes in the federal budget process. It is possible that this legislation will include a provision endorsed by the House Budget Committee in 2004 that would resurrect the “pay-as-you-go” rules, but in a … -
"Joint Budget Resolution" Could Lead to Gridlock on Appropriations and Shift Power to the Executive Branch
March 16, 2006
Under the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, budget resolutions are “concurrent resolutions” that do not go to the President for his signature or veto and are not laws. Also under current rules, if a budget resolution has not been approved by May 15, appropriations bills may be brought to the House floor so that … -
Proposed Cap Would Require Deep Cuts In Entitlement Programs
March 16, 2006
The Republican Study Committee, a group of conservative members of the House of Representatives, has proposed to establish an “entitlement cap” that limits total expenditures for entitlement programs other than Social Security and requires projected expenditures for such programs to be cut $1.8 trillion over the next … -
Administration Proposals To Hide Tax-Cut Costs
February 14, 2006
The President’s 2007 budget includes two proposals that risk corrupting federal budget rules in order to facilitate passage of Administration tax cuts. One proposal calls on Congress to adopt a new scoring convention that would make the cost of extending the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts disappear; under this proposal, legislation to …
