Kent Conrad: Congress should reinstate the 'Conrad Rule' to prevent abuse of budget reconciliation

Kent Conrad is a former senator from North Dakota, a former Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, and a member of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. He recently wrote an opinion piece for The Hill, an excerpt of which is below. 

Congress is considering using budget reconciliation – one of the budget’s most powerful tools – to help pass President Biden’s agenda. As a former chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, I am uniquely familiar with budget reconciliation. I have seen it used wisely, and I have seen it used recklessly, and I urge the Senate to reinstate the rule we put in place in 2007: the “Conrad Rule,” which prevents any reconciliation bill from increasing the deficit.

Read the entire piece here. 

Published works by members or staff of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget do not necessarily reflect the views of all members or staff of the Committee.