Budget veteran Eric Ueland writes in Roll Call that it is time to bring back the Budget committees to the congressional budget process.
- The current budget process that has Congress and the president negotiate discretionary spending limits has led to fewer trade-offs and little debate among members of Congress.
- By returning to the normal budget process, one in which the Budget and Appropriations committees have more say, we would see better democratic representation and increased fiscal discipline.
- Fiscal discipline benefits the environment. By making our spending more efficient, we can dedicate limited resources to priorities that lower emissions and drive energy innovation.
“This year, the last set of negotiated discretionary spending levels has expired. Restoring the role of the Budget committees to serve as the clearinghouse for reviewing all aspects of the president’s budget request and establishing the upcoming fiscal year’s discretionary spending totals would be beneficial.”
Read the full article here.
The views and opinions expressed are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of C3.