Fixing the Budget Process, One Step at a Time

Authors Sam Berger and Pete Sapp discuss how lawmakers can fix the budget process from a bipartisan perspective.

We’re a progressive and a conservative who don’t agree on much. While we have genuine policy disagreements on most issues of substance, we do agree that the federal budget process is broken and the dysfunction is a disservice to our country – especially to Americans who don’t often have a voice in Washington.

Thankfully, lawmakers have a chance to fix it.

While it does not receive the same attention as other pressing national concerns, the broken budget process has wide-ranging, pernicious effects. Fiscal brinksmanship wastes taxpayer dollars, hurts virtually every constituency the federal government touches, and erodes public trust in institutions. Congress last completed the budget process on time – passing all appropriations bills prior to the beginning of the fiscal year – in 1997, more than 20 years ago.

The above excerpt was originally published in The Hill. Click here to view the full article.

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