Senate Budget Committee reports budget reform legislation

November 15, 2019
S. 2765, Bipartisan Congressional Budget Reform Act Bill text is at: https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/2765/text Cosponsors: Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Angus King (I-ME), Lindsey Graham (R-SC),… Read More

Testimony on zombie programs, aka unauthorized appropriations

October 31, 2019
Written testimony of Kevin R. Kosar Vice President of Policy, R Street Institute Before the U.S. Senate, Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs,… Read More

Video: Can budget reform revive Congress?

September 19, 2019
The budget process is a wreck. The president’s budget arrives to Congress dead as a doornail. Congress only sometimes even adopts a budget. And all too often there… Read More

ICYMI: Examining the case for biennial budgeting

September 18, 2019
                                                      View/download PDF… Read More

APSA Task Force Memorandum: The Appropriations Process

September 17, 2019
To:             The Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress From:   Nolan McCarty, Princeton University, chair; Sarah Binder, George Washington University; Josh Chafetz, Cornell University; Meredith… Read More

ICYMI: Sen. Mike Enzi releases ideas to fix broken congressional budget and spending process

August 14, 2019
 Below is a press release from Sen. Mike Enzi, Senate Budget Committee chairman. Senate Budget Committee Chairman… Read More

Can Congress curb its spending?

August 12, 2019
Congress recently approved legislation to suspend the federal debt ceiling and increase spending above levels currently allowed in law. In doing so, its members challenged our assumptions regarding the efficacy… Read More

New legislation to end government shutdowns

July 25, 2019
The below text comes from Sen. James Lankford (R, OK) and Maggie Hassan (D, NH). It’s a sad but true reality: Congress functions best on a deadline. In theory,… Read More

Congressional pay is a victim of excessive transparency

July 24, 2019
It happened again last month. Despite the efforts of dozens of thoughtful reformers, risky political moves by leadership and incisive op-eds, legislators once again proved incapable of voting themselves a… Read More

Why members of Congress should get a raise, whether they deserve it or not

July 3, 2019
You’ve surely heard the old line, “The best Congress money can buy.” Typically, it’s said sardonically. In the classic formulation, it’s not your money doing the buying. It’s special interests… Read More