A Nation Without a Budget: Statement by Maya MacGuineas

Once again, we are a nation without a budget. Congress has blown past its own deadline for passing a budget and is now working on appropriations bills without one.

Sadly, this trend of ignoring the budget process has become all too common. Last year was the first time Congress had passed a budget since 2009; rather than following it and enacting its $5 trillion in deficit reduction, Congress added $1 trillion more to the national debt.

The budget process is broken. Deadlines are regularly missed, procedures not followed, and rules evaded. There is too little transparency, insufficient accountability, and a lack of focus on the long term.

The time has come to repair and improve the nation’s budget process.

Our Better Budget Process Initiative has a number of ideas to do just that. And encouragingly, key Members of Congress like House Budget Chairman Tom Price, Senate Budget Chairman Mike Enzi, and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse are exploring bipartisan solutions to make the budget process stronger and more meaningful.

Reform can’t be about making the budget process more advantageous for one party. It must also be about making the process better for everyone.

Now is the time for Congress to take action.

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For more information, contact Patrick Newton, press secretary, at newton@crfb.org.