Peterson Foundation Statement on JSC Concluding Without Passing Recommendations

NEW YORK — Michael A. Peterson, CEO of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, commented today after the bipartisan Joint Select Committee on Budget and Appropriations Process Reform dissolved without passing any recommendations:
“It’s unfortunate that even the Committee’s draft package of modest recommendations failed to advance. Significant work remains to address America’s fiscal challenges and the Committee’s proposals could have been a small step in the right direction to improve our budget process.
“Members of this Committee spent nearly a year discussing a range of fiscally responsible ideas. Many of these are worthy of additional consideration, and lawmakers in the new Congress should explore bipartisan reforms to improve our broken budget process.”
Further Reading
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The reconciliation process avoids the potential need to gather 60 votes to end debate and, therefore, allows the Senate to adopt legislation with a simple majority.
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The national defense budget funds a wide range of activities and represents a significant share of overall federal spending.