Hearing of the
Subcommittee on Legislative and Budget Process
on Biennial Budgeting
Thank you, Madam Chairwoman, for allowing me to testify before the Committee today. I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to be here and explain why I am pleased to be a cosponsor of H.R. 981 and supportive of biennial budgeting.
Biennial budgeting should not – and is not – a partisan issue. I am pleased to join with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in promoting common sense budget process reform.
I have been in this House for 14 years now and have seen my fair share of appropriations train wrecks. As a member of the House Budget Committee, I know the budget process and the work that goes into it each year. I respect the role of both the Budget and Appropriations Committees in this annual process and commend Chairman Nussle and Ranking Member Spratt for their roles. I might also add that our new chairman this year, Mr. Nussle, has done a commendable job in asserting the authority of the Budget Committee and continuing to hold hearings on important budget issues. However, I am convinced that it is time to try a new budget system.
There are many reasons to support biennial budgeting, as my colleagues here will demonstrate. I would like to concentrate my testimony today on the benefits a biennial budget would mean for increased oversight and better time management.
We need to replace our current, time-consuming, bloated and inefficient budget process with biennial budgeting. I strongly believe that biennial budgeting will allow more time for the critical role of oversight of federal programs. The amount of time spent on the annual appropriations bills – both in committee and on the floor – leaves us significantly less time to engage in needed oversight activities and enact authorization bills. For example, just this week we passed the first Justice Department authorization bill since 1979. This is ridiculous.
Congress routinely funds unauthorized programs because we simply don't have time to take up the authorization legislation. In fiscal year 1999, $120.9 billion was provided for 137 unauthorized programs. This is simply wrong. Part of responsible governing includes funding programs that have gone through the oversight and authorizing process. Biennial budgeting will allow us to spend significantly more time reviewing and authorizing programs that merit taxpayer dollars.
The effective oversight of federal programs results in improved management and better evaluations of program goals and performance. Oversight allows for increased opportunity to fix problems before resources are wasted or abused. We have a grave responsibility to ensure that our constituents' taxpayer dollars are spent wisely and responsibly on programs that work effectively and achieve their desired results. The amount of time we spend each year on appropriations bills leaves us precious little time for serious consideration of authorization and oversight matters.
The annual appropriations and budget process increasingly dominates the congressional agenda and rarely do we seem to meet our own imposed deadlines. Last year, Congress passed an incredible 21 continuing resolutions to keep the government operational. The final appropriations bill was signed into law on December 21, nearly 3 months after the beginning of the next fiscal year. This is unacceptable.
Congress' annual struggle to complete the budget, authorization and appropriation process by October 1 routinely results in a decline in the quality of all three processes. All too often, we end up with a final giant omnibus appropriations bill that has more ornaments on it than most Christmas trees could support. We spend the next few weeks and months trying to figure out exactly what was and was not included. This is no way to spend taxpayer dollars.
All the time we spend working on the budget and appropriations bills each year is time we cannot spend on other important issues that Congress needs to address. Biennial budgeting would allow us to spend more time in Committee and on the floor considering issues that deserve our attention.
The American people have made it clear that some of their priorities are education reform, prescription drugs, reforming Medicare and extending the solvency of Social Security. Shouldn't we spend the majority of our time on these national priorities instead of the appropriations process each year? I believe that a biennial budget would allow us to stop wasting valuable time each year and get on with the job our constituents sent us to Washington to do.
In short, biennial budgeting encourages more responsible spending by federal agencies. It takes the appropriations process out of election year politiking. And it means increased government efficiency and improved oversight and authorization. Biennial budgeting would allow us to get back to the people's business of considering authorizing legislation and conducting oversight to ensure that their tax dollars are spent responsibly.
Thank you and I look forward to your questions.
