Report
Congress Must Suspend or Raise the Debt Limit
Protecting the full faith and credit of the U.S. government by suspending or raising the debt limit should not be a partisan issue.
Budget Process
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Policy Basics
Introduction to the Federal Budget Process
Policy Basics
The budget process includes the President's budget proposal, Congress’ “budget resolution,” the “reconciliation” process to change tax or entitlement laws, and deficit-control measures such as spending caps, pay-as-you-go requirements, and sequestration.
We monitor the budget process and work to prevent harmful changes to it, such as requirements to balance the budget every year or arbitrary limits on total or low-income spending.
Experts
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Failing to Suspend or Raise Debt Limit Would Have Wide-Ranging Effects
Were the nation to default on its legal obligations for the first time — which will occur if lawmakers don’t raise or suspend the debt limit in the coming days — that would have devastating...
Congress Must Suspend or Raise the Debt Limit
Protecting the full faith and credit of the U.S. government by suspending or raising the debt limit should not be a partisan...
Enzi-Whitehouse Would Threaten Medicare and Medicaid
December 18: We’ve updated this post.
Congress should reject efforts to attach, to end-of-year spending legislation, a bill from the Senate Budget Committee’s Chairman Mike Enzi...
Enzi-Whitehouse Budget Process Bill Includes Harmful Provision for Automatic Reconciliation
The bill could drive harmful budget cuts and unsound economic...
Portman Proposal for Automatic Continuing Resolution Not a Good Solution for Government Shutdowns
An automatic CR raises significant concerns and would cause serious problems of its own, undermining sound budgeting and diminishing Congress’ role in setting national...
House Appropriations Actions Set Stage for Battle Over 2020 Funding Levels and Priorities
Both defense and NDD funding would be above 2019 levels, with NDD programs receiving the larger boost, but these increases cannot become law without a bipartisan agreement to amend the BCA by raising...
5 Reasons to Reject Any Constitutional Balanced Budget Amendment
Members of Congress have proposed almost a dozen constitutional amendments this year requiring a balanced budget, all of which share serious drawbacks. Rep. Ben McAdams introduced the latest balanced...
Greenstein: President Trump’s Fiscal 2020 Budget Proposal a Troubling Vision for the Nation
The budget would make poverty deeper and more widespread, increase the ranks of the uninsured, exacerbate inequality and racial disparities, and shrink opportunities for those trying to get...
New Budget Deal Needed to Avert Cuts, Invest in National Priorities
Unless Congress and the President reach a new budget agreement, both non-defense and defense discretionary program areas will face deep cuts in 2020 and...
Automatic Continuing Resolutions Not a Good Solution for Government Shutdowns
An automatic CR would cause serious problems of its own, undermining sound budgeting and diminishing Congress’ role in setting national...