The Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 established a parallel process for the legislative branch.
It also created the Congressional Budget Office to produce budget projections and cost estimates outside of the control of the executive branch.
Under the current process, it is hard for Congress and the president to agree on a multi-year budget plan, even if they want to.
Today's budget process was constructed when discretionary spending was a much more significant aspect of the overall budget.
Of course, changing the budget process would not guarantee better budgetary outcomes.
If there were ever an inclination among political leaders in Congress and in the administration to reduce long-term deficits, a better budget process might help.
Congress should refocus the budget process on reducing the government's massive unfunded obligations for entitlement programs and facilitating durable budgetary agreements between the executive and legislative branches.
https://www.realclearpolicy.com/articles/2018/03/21/the_structural_roots_of_budget_dysfunction_110559.html
It also created the Congressional Budget Office to produce budget projections and cost estimates outside of the control of the executive branch.
Under the current process, it is hard for Congress and the president to agree on a multi-year budget plan, even if they want to.
Today's budget process was constructed when discretionary spending was a much more significant aspect of the overall budget.
Of course, changing the budget process would not guarantee better budgetary outcomes.
If there were ever an inclination among political leaders in Congress and in the administration to reduce long-term deficits, a better budget process might help.
Congress should refocus the budget process on reducing the government's massive unfunded obligations for entitlement programs and facilitating durable budgetary agreements between the executive and legislative branches.
https://www.realclearpolicy.com/articles/2018/03/21/the_structural_roots_of_budget_dysfunction_110559.html
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