Chairman Arrington, Ranking Member Boyle, and members of the committee:
Thank you for holding the September 11, 2024, hearing on CBO Oversight.
Problem: Responding to Representative Blake Moore, CBO Director Swagel said:
A key challenge for us sometimes can be the timing of information from the executive branch. The President’s budget has not been released by the statutory deadline. We get information from the executive branch on the actual spending for the prior year at the time of the President’s budget, so when the president is late, that affects our ability to update the baseline for the spring.
Solution #1: Chairman Arrington identified one way to help the president’s budget request arrive sooner: finish appropriating on time with the bipartisan, bicameral Prevent Government Shutdowns Act that he and Representative Jimmy Panetta lead in the House. The Chairman said Congress should “have to stay here until we get our appropriations done, and instead of shutting the government down, we should shut the travel of Members of Congress down until we get our job done.”
Solution #2: Representative Buddy Carter and Senator Joni Ernst have another piece of the puzzle: don’t let the President give the State of the Union address until Congress gets the budget request and the national security strategy each year. This would add teeth to the longstanding but often ignored deadlines.
Their bill, the Send Us Budget Materials and International Tactics in Time (SUBMIT IT) Act, would use a high profile moment to get Congress information it needs to succeed on annual appropriations and security authorizations. Publishing the reports first would, in turn, ground the State of the Union in comprehensive budget and strategic proposals.
The House Budget Committee is a committee of jurisdiction for both bills. They would promote timely, regular budget and security information from the White House to Congress. This would support Congressional committees directly and indirectly through the CBO.
Thank you for seeking better ways for Congress to serve the American people.
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