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Hearing of the
Committee on Rules

"Biennial Budgeting: A Tool for Improving Government Fiscal Management and Oversight"

Statement of Congressman Porter J. Goss,
Chairman, Subcommittee on Legislative and Budget Process

 

MR. CHAIRMAN: THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE INITIATIVE TO HOLD THESE IMPORTANT HEARINGS ON A TOPIC OF GREAT INTEREST TO MANY MEMBERS. AS YOU KNOW, I HAVE SPENT A GOOD PORTION OF MY TENURE ON THE RULES COMMITTEE LOOKING FOR WAYS TO IMPROVE OUR CURRENT BUDGET PROCESS WHICH IS, PUT SIMPLY, BROKEN AND BROKEN BADLY.

WORKING WITH OUR FRIENDS AT THE BUDGET COMMITTEE AND BRINGING IN MEMBERS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE AISLE, WE DEVELOPED A FAIRLY COMPREHENSIVE PACKAGE LAST YEAR -- HR 853 -- THAT THIS COMMITTEE ACTED UPON AND THAT STILL AWAITS ITS CHANCE ON THE HOUSE FLOOR.

THAT PACKAGE INCLUDED A NUMBER OF VERY SIGNIFICANT CHANGES AND SERVED AS A BENCHMARK FOR STARTING THE DISCUSSION OF HOW TO CHANGE THE PROCESS FOR THE BETTER. AT THE TIME WE SAID THAT WE HAD NOT BEEN ABLE TO INCLUDE EVERYTHING IN THAT BILL – AS WE SOUGHT TO FIND SOME BASELINE CONSENSUS AMONG THE COMMITTEES OF JURISDICTION. WE ALSO HOPED TO DEVELOP A VEHICLE THAT WOULD YIELD POSITIVE RESULTS IF BROUGHT TO A CONFERENCE WITH THE SENATE.

I REMAIN HOPEFUL THAT WE WILL HAVE THE CHANCE TO BRING FORWARD HR 853 – OR ITS COMPONENT PARTS IN SOME OTHER VEHICLE IF NECESSARY – AS PART OF THIS LARGER DISCUSSION ABOUT "WITHER THE BUDGET PROCESS."

WITH REGARD TO THE TOPIC AT HAND TODAY – I LOOK FORWARD TO AN INFORMATIVE SERIES OF HEARINGS ON BIENNIAL BUDGETING. THIS IS A PROFOUND CHANGE IN THE PROCESS THAT, IF IT LIVES UP TO ITS BILLING, SHOULD IMPROVE EFFICIENCY, REDUCE REDUNDANCY, BOOST PROGRAMMATIC OVERSIGHT AND MINIMIZE FRUSTRATION. THAT'S A TALL ORDER FOR ANY PROCESS CHANGE, BUT I AM ENCOURAGED BY THE BROAD RANGE OF MEMBERS AND EXPERTS WITHIN THIS INSTITUTION AND ACROSS THE COUNTRY WHO HAVE CONCLUDED THAT IT'S TIME TO GIVE BIENNIAL BUDGETING A TRY ACROSS THE BOARD AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL.

IN MY VIEW, THE TIME HAS COME TO MAKE THIS CHANGE. GIVEN THE TOTALLY PREDICTABLE BUT SOMEHOW UNAVOIDABLE TRAIN WRECKS, NEAR MISSES, CHAOTIC LATE-NIGHT SESSIONS, AND NEARLY TOTAL PUBLIC DISTRUST THAT HAVE COME TO CHARACTERIZE OUR ANNUAL BUDGET ATTEMPTS, IT DOES APPEAR THAT WINNOWING THE PROCESS CAN BE A TONIC FOR WHAT AILS US.

I WOULD LIKE TO NOTE FOR THE RECORD, THOUGH, MR. CHAIRMAN, THAT I DO NOT BELIEVE ANY ONE PROCESS CHANGE CAN, ON ITS OWN, MAGICALLY RIGHT ALL THE WRONGS IN OUR SYSTEM.

OF COURSE WE ALL KNOW THAT NOTHING WILL SUBSTITUTE FOR GOOD JUDGMENT, PLAIN OLD FASHIONED HARD WORK AND AN ABILITY TO NEGOTIATE AND COMPROMISE FOR THE GOOD OF THE ORDER. IN ADDITION, MR. CHAIRMAN, LEST WE TRADE ONE SET OF PROBLEMS FOR ANOTHER IN PURSUING BIENNIAL BUDGETING, I HOPE WE WILL COUPLE ANY SUCH CHANGE WITH OTHER IMPORTANT PROCESS "FIXES" INCLUDING A REVAMPING OF THE WAY WE BUDGET FOR EMERGENCIES, STRENGTHENED ENFORCEMENT AND AN EFFORT TO PUT SOME TEETH INTO MAKING OUR TWO-STEP "AUTHORIZE-THEN-APPROPRIATE" PROCESS WORK AS INTENDED.

THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN.



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