Sponsor
Ralph Norman
Representative · R-SC
Representative · R-SC
The bill increases congressional oversight and clarity of CBO budget projections for policymakers and taxpayers, but at the cost of added burdens on CBO staff and a risk of politicizing the agency's technical work.
Households, taxpayers, and policymakers: committees' ability to review and question CBO baseline projections provides clearer fiscal information that can improve congressional and household decision-making.
Congress and taxpayers: requiring the CBO Director to testify when requested increases oversight and transparency of federal budget projections.
Taxpayers and the public: more frequent political questioning of the CBO Director risks politicizing technical budget scoring and undermining the agency's perceived impartiality.
CBO Director and staff: added testimony requirements increase time demands that could divert staff resources away from producing analyses and cost estimates.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires the CBO Director to testify up to twice per year before each Budget Committee when the committee chair requests it, including review of baseline accuracy.
Official title: To amend the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to require the Director of the Congressional Budget Office to provide testimony at annual hearings held by the Committees on the Budget of the House of Representatives and the Senate, and for other purposes.
Introduced November 18, 2025 by Ralph Norman · Last progress November 18, 2025
Requires the Director of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to testify at up to two hearings per year before each chamber's Budget Committee when requested by the committee chair, with hearings to occur by year-end and able to cover topics the committees choose (including review of the CBO’s most recent baseline accuracy). Also adds a table-of-contents entry to the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974. The change creates a recurring, chair‑initiated reporting obligation for the CBO Director but does not authorize new spending, change budget rules, or create deadlines beyond scheduling the requested testimony each year.