Increasing Baseline Updates Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. MOORE of Utah. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 9716) to amend the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to require the Congressional Budget Office to provide baseline updates, and for other purposes.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 9716

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Increasing Baseline Updates Act''. SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE UPDATES TO BASELINE.

Section 202(e) of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 602(e)) is amended by adding at the end the following:

``(4)(A) The Director shall, to the extent practicable, submit to the Committees on the Budget of the House of Representatives and the Senate at least two updates to the baseline submitted under paragraph (1). At least one of the updates shall include economic data used by the Director to calculate such update.

``(B) Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to limit the Director from providing any other update to the baseline during such year.''. SEC. 3. ANNUAL TECHNICAL BUDGET DATA SUBMISSION BY THE PRESIDENT.

Section 1106 of title 31, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:

``(d) On or before February 1 of each calendar year, the President shall submit to Congress technical budget data for the fiscal year beginning in the ensuing calendar year, which shall include up-to-date estimates for current year and prior year data and credit reestimates for the current year (as included in the Federal credit supplement of such budget).''.

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Mr. MOORE of Utah. 9716.

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Mr. MOORE of Utah. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise today in support of my bill, the Increasing Baseline Updates Act.

I thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Suozzi) for co-leading this effort.

The Increasing Baseline Updates Act would require CBO to produce at least two baseline updates per year, including at least one with economic data. Currently, under the Budget Act, CBO is required to publish its baseline before February 15 of each year, but a specific number of baseline updates is not statutorily required.

As a result, in recent years, CBO has not published updates to the baseline later in the calendar year. The last time CBO published a baseline update after July was in 2020, and the Office has not published three baseline updates in a calendar year since 2019.

By requiring these two additional baseline updates each year, the Increasing Baseline Updates Act will ensure Congress has updated information on the most relevant budget and economic figures to better inform the appropriations process and other legislative proposals we consider later in any given calendar year.

The bill also ensures CBO will receive the relevant technical data from the executive branch by February 1 of each year so CBO can complete their baseline in a timely manner.

I was proud that this bill unanimously passed the Budget Committee this past September, with the help of the ranking member from Pennsylvania.

During the 118th Congress, the Budget Committee has been laser focused on sounding the alarm about the threat posed to our Nation by the debt and deficit crisis in which we find ourselves. This has included bipartisan efforts with our Democratic colleagues on reforms to bolster improper payment accountability, improve the budget process, and shore up our long-term fiscal solvency.

Critical to our efforts to rein in the Federal debt and deficit is providing oversight of CBO to ensure this office is providing Congress the most accurate and timely information possible to inform legislative efforts.

There is a sincere desire in a bipartisan way to get after the fiscal state of this Nation, and we have seen several proposals emerge. Not all of them have passed, but a lot of them have been worked on together with my Democratic colleagues on the Budget Committee to accomplish things to improve this process. That is what the Increasing Baseline Updates Act aims to accomplish.

We know we have a lot more work to do. We are $36 trillion in debt, and we had a staggering $1.8 trillion deficit last fiscal year. We are paying more just to service the debt than on our national defense for the first time. It is unacceptable, and we must reverse our debt culture.

Madam Speaker, I look forward to working with my colleagues in the new Congress on efforts to grow the economy, cut spending, and eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse in the Federal Government. The Increasing Baseline Updates Act is a commonsense reform solidifying a total of three baseline updates per year to provide Congress with a better and more up-to-date sense of fiscal and economic developments, while paving the way for a return to regular order.

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Mr. MOORE of Utah. Madam Speaker, I include in the Record letters and statements of support from various organizations and individuals as part of H.R. 9716. These include the Economic Policy Innovation Center and National Taxpayers Union Foundation. Economic Policy Innovation Center, December 10, 2024. Hon. Jodey Arrington, Chairman, Committee on the Budget, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Hon. Brendan Boyle, Ranking Member, Committee on the Budget, House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Chairman Arrington and Ranking Member Boyle: The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) serve Congress by providing non-partisan analysis. To accomplish this mission, it is essential that Congress and the public have faith in the methodology by which the CBO and the JCT produce their estimates and reports. An important way to improve trust in the Congressional scorekeepers is by increasing transparency through more frequent updates to the baseline and regular releases of economic data.

H.R. 9716, the Increasing Baseline Updates Act, introduced by Congressman Blake Moore (R-UT-01) would improve the CBO's ability to access data from the Executive Branch. It would also ensure Congress has updated information to use when legislating.

The bill requires the CBO to submit to Congress at least two updates to the budget and economic baseline each year. The bill further stipulates that the President must submit technical data necessary for the CBO's estimates to Congress ``on or before February 1 of each calendar year.''

The federal budget process must evolve to confront the serious fiscal challenges of today and tomorrow. The proposed bill ensures access to the accurate and timely information necessary for lawmakers to do their work for the American people.

We at EPIC applaud your work in improving the federal budget process to enable Congress and the public to be better informed about the true impact of legislation under consideration. Sincerely, Paul Winfree, Ph.D, President and CEO. ____ National Taxpayers Union Foundation, December 10, 2024.

This week, the House of Representatives is poised to take up the Increasing Baseline Updates Act (H.R. 9716) introduced by Rep. Blake Moore (R-UT) and cosponsored by Reps. Thomas Suozzi (D-NY), Ron Estes (R-KS), and Ralph Norman (R-SC). The bill will be considered under suspension on Wednesday. This bipartisan legislation aims to enhance the ability of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to produce and update its annual budget baseline. Specifically, the bill mandates that the executive branch provide critical data to CBO by February 1 and requires CBO to produce at least two updates to its baseline each year. These reforms would ensure lawmakers have access to more timely and accurate fiscal data. what the bill would do

CBO's annual baseline, a ten-year projection of the budget and economy based largely on current law, is generally published in January or February. It serves as a critical benchmark for evaluating the fiscal impact of legislative proposals. Updates are released in the spring and late summer to reflect changes in enacted laws and economic conditions.

The baseline is often delayed because Congress and the President do not complete work on the budget in a timely manner. However, it can also be delayed because the White House's Office of Management and Budget (OMB) does not provide key data to CBO as soon as it could. OMB manages and produces the President's annual budget request based on data from across the federal departments and agencies. This data is only made available to CBO at the same time the budget is released to the public.

The Increasing Baseline Updates Act addresses this issue by requiring OMB to provide relevant technical data to CBO by February 1 each year. This will enable CBO to finalize its budget baseline more quickly. It would also require CBO, to the extent practicable, to provide at least two baseline updates to Congress. In most years, CBO will produce one or two updates, but, under the Increasing Baseline Updates Act, this would become the minimum. More frequent baseline updates would also improve the accuracy of legislative cost estimates, which are measured against the most recent baseline. bipartisan support for better budget data

This bipartisan reform to provide for more timely CBO budget baselines and updates was passed in September by the House Budget Committee with a vote of 32-0. This reform builds on a pair of bills enacted by Congress this fall. The CBO Data Sharing Act (H.R. 7032), introduced by the Budget Committee's Chairman Jodey Arrington (R-TX) and Ranking Member Brendan Boyle (D-PA) and the CBO Data Access Act (S. 1549), introduced by Senators Gary Peters (D-MI) and Susan Collins (R-ME). These bills made it easier for CBO to get the budgetary data it needs from federal agencies without needless delays, so that it can produce legislative cost estimates on a shorter timeline. conclusion

The Increasing Baseline Updates Act is a pragmatic, bipartisan reform that strengthens CBO's ability to provide timely and accurate fiscal data to lawmakers. By expediting the availability of critical technical data and codifying baseline update requirements, this legislation ensures that Congress has the tools it needs to make informed budgetary decisions. As the national debt continues to grow, reforms for improved baselines and cost estimates will help lawmakers make progress towards sound fiscal management and accountability in government. Demian Brady, Vice President of Research.

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Mr. MOORE of Utah. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers at this time, and I am prepared to close.

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Mr. MOORE of Utah. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close.

As we close this debate, even if it might have been a little more abrupt, it doesn't take away from the impact of something like this. That is what happens in this place when we can strike a balance and find an opportunity to recognize both the ranking member and the chairman of the Budget Committee. That is where a lot of this work on budget reform has been done. It has taken countless discussions and getting to the right spot, and that is the product that we have here today--sensible, reasonable reforms that are needed.

We are going to get an opportunity to hear from CBO more frequently as we try to continue to navigate this incredibly difficult fiscal situation that we are in. We are in a tough spot.

The Budget Committee held another hearing just this morning on this very subject. We have a responsibility to our constituents and our kids' generation to get our finances in check.

This bill will help Congress get back to regular order and ensure we have updated information and the most relevant budget data and economic figures as we continue to craft policy.

I once again thank the Committee for its unanimous support on this bill. In order to get to that unanimous support, Ranking Member Boyle has been a significant leader in doing that. I thank him and Mr. Suozzi for their efforts on this bill.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support its passage, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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Mr. MOORE of Utah. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

The yeas and nays were ordered.

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