Joint Select Committee falls short
Meeting during the first snowfall of the season and without
notice, the Joint Select Committee on Budget and Appropriations Process Reform
does little of the first and none of the second. JSC markups, amendments and
votes can be found at https://budgetappropriationsprocessreform.house.gov/news/press-releases/joint-select-committee-report-legislative-text.
While shifting to a true biennial process would certainly be
helpful, the committee instead proposed an unreachable first year process with
a programmed supplemental for the second year. With little in the way of enforcement,
this will result in continuing resolutions until February or March of the
second year with supplemental adjustments soon after.
The Whitehouse-Purdue Amendment, if retained in the final
legislation, will make the process worse by requiring that fifteen (15) members
of the minority agree to the concurrent budget resolution. This faux bipartisanship
gives the minority party a veto over action, which in today’s hyper-partisan
environment means a programmed veto rather than programmed action.
In practice, a minority veto will limit tax increases, especially
on the wealthiest taxpayers and largest corporations, even in times where such
decreases will lead to asset inflation rather than economic growth. This was
the purpose behind the Balanced Budget
Amendment long proposed by the Republican Party in order to give them a
seat at the table when the Democrats have the majority in both parties and the
White House.
Bipartisanship comes
from legislation which attracts a minority from one side or the other to pass, even
if the leadership of both parties disagree.
In multiple comments to the JSC (see note below), the Center
for Fiscal Equity recommended enforcement through enactment of a Joint Budget
Resolution (JBR). The JBR would trigger automatic appropriations at the beginning
of the fiscal year, with detailed appropriation marks at the same proportionate
levels as the current services budget. If no JBR is passed, then the marks in the Budget Control Act would have the same force,
allowing automatic appropriations in the same manner.
To achieve compromise earlier, we recommend that a permanent
Joint Budget Committee draft the JBR to be enacted by a date certain to avoid
reverting to the budget caps. This will provide both expedited process and
likely early involvement of the White House, who would release detailed
appropriation requests only after the JBR is passed.
Co-Chairman Lowery commented in her opening statement on
November 15th that the Budget
Control Act marks are too low and that this leads to the inability to pass
appropriations bills. Automatic appropriations would end this difficulty and
spur action by both parties. If BCA
levels are too low, then the marks in the Act could have been increased by the
legislation amending the process itself.
The JSC must abandon the process it used to create this
legislation, which required majorities
in both parties to agree to amendments or the Chair’s mark. Requiring each
house provide a majority of from each chamber is customary. Allowing either party
a veto turns the legislative process on its head. It is no wonder the JSC result
is weak.
Until such comprehensive
changes are made, the Center for Fiscal Equity urges any session prior to the
new Congress to reject this bill and to send a new Joint Select Committee to
start from scratch in the 116th Congress.
We offer our help in setting the terms for debate.
NB: Prior Comments can be found at:
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posted by Michael Bindner at 12:56 AM
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