Oversight
Enzi Asks For Honest Accounting of Higher Ed Proposal
WASHINGTON D.C. - Senate Budget Committee Chairman Mike Enzi (R-WY) today issued a letter asking the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Director to score S. 2677, the In the Red Act of 2016, which includes several costly higher education spending initiatives. Lacking accountability measures, it is unclear whether the bill would actually increase college access for students and families, or if it would trigger tuition increases that could affect the spiraling college costs for the 40 million Amer… Continue Reading
05.13.16
Top Senators Make A Case For A Better Budget Process
by Juliwegrace Brufke
The Senate's seeming inability to pass a budget is not due to party conflicts but the budget process itself, two top senators said during a panel discussion at the Peterson Foundation 2016 Fiscal Summit in Washington, D.C. Wednesday. Senate Budget Committee Chairman Mike Enzi of Wyoming said the process isn't substantive and is often used for political purposes. He cited how the upper chamber had a budget last year, managed to pass 11 of the twelve spending bills, yet still ultimately ended up … Continue Reading
05.12.16
New CBO Analysis Shows Increased Spending and Deficits for FY 2016
WASHINGTON D.C. - At the request of Senate Budget Committee Chairman Mike Enzi (R-WY), the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released an analysis that tracks the budgetary impact of enacted legislation against amounts the Senate agreed to in the budget resolution for fiscal year 2016 and the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015. The CBO analysis shows the breach of aggregate spending levels in FY 2016 is attributable to increased spending not accompanied by action on any of the deficit reduction assume… Continue Reading
05.12.16
Overview of Senate Budget Process Reform Proposals
Read the full Senate Budget Bulletin here.… Continue Reading
05.12.16
BUDGET BULLETIN: Overview of Senate Budget Process Reform Proposals
WASHINGTON, DC - The Senate Budget Committee today released its May 12, 2016, Budget Bulletin focused on various budget process reform proposals introduced in the Senate. The Budget Bulletin provides regular expert articles by Senate Budget Committee analysts on the issues before Congress relating to the budget, deficits, debt, and the economy. Read the full Senate Budget Bulletin here. Excerpts follow: Over the course of the 114th Congress, a number of senators have offered their own new ide… Continue Reading
05.11.16
Wanted: A Budget That Matters
by Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY)
Probably the worst kept secret in Washington is that America's budget process is broken. As chairman of the committee tasked with putting together a budget every year, I should know. Last year was a big one for our committee, because after years without a budget, the Senate last year was able to pass its first joint balanced budget since 2001. Unfortunately, just six months later it was ignored, and as a result our deficit and debt rose significantly. America's broken budget process no longer f… Continue Reading
04.28.16
Senate Considers Fixes to America’s Broken Budget Process
WASHINGTON, DC - The Senate Budget Committee today released its April 28, 2016, Budget Bulletin focused on fixes to the broken budget process. The Budget Bulletin provides regular expert articles by Senate Budget Committee analysts on the issues before Congress relating to the budget, deficits, debt, and the economy. Excerpts follow: The Problem: Broken Budgets and Out-of-Control Spending In theory, the annual budget process begins on the first Monday in February with submission of the presid… Continue Reading
04.27.16
Enzi: Put America on a Better Path
WASHINGTON D.C. - During the Senate Budget Committee's fourth hearing on the broken budget process, Chairman Mike Enzi (R-WY) today said that fixing the budget will help put the nation on a better path by providing more predictability, transparency, and accountability to spending by the federal government. "Both parties agree that our budget process is broken, and now is the time to fix it," said Chairman Enzi. "Instead of the current budget, which is designed to fail both Congress and the pu… Continue Reading
04.22.16
Budget Committee to Hold April 27 Hearing on Fixing the Budget Process: Better Budgets, Better Results
WASHINGTON D.C. - Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY), Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, will hold the fourth in a series of hearings Wednesday, April 27, 2016 at 10:30am on how to fix America's broken budget process. The hearing will focus on how better budgets will produce better results. Testifying will be Barry Anderson, Former Acting Director of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), James Capretta, Ethics and Public Policy Center Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute, and Stan Collende… Continue Reading
04.21.16
Chairman Enzi Vows a Bipartisan Budget Process Overhaul
by Jennifer Shutt, CQ Roll Call
Senate Budget Chairman Michael B. Enzi on Wednesday refrained from specifying what changes to the federal budget process could be drafted into an overhaul bill he hopes to release in May. But he said he plans to produce a proposal that would garner support from committee Democrats and that President Barack Obama would be willing to sign before the end of the year, an ambitious timetable. "The main focus is coming up with a budget that is transparent and enforceable, which we don't have now. An… Continue Reading
04.20.16
Enzi: Fixing Broken Budget Process Can Help Address Runaway Spending and Debt
WASHINGTON D.C. - During a hearing today focused on fixing the broken budget process and restoring stability to government operations, Senate Budget Committee Chairman Mike Enzi (R-WY) said that improving the broken budget process could help America succeed in addressing runaway spending and our explosive national debt. "America's current budget process is designed to fail. It is time to focus on creating a transparent, accountable, and predictable process that actually fits the problem," said … Continue Reading
04.18.16
Chairman Research Test
04.18.16
Enzi Files Topline Numbers to Establish FY 17 Senate Budget Framework
WASHINGTON D.C. - Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY), Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, today filed the topline spending numbers agreed to in the Bipartisan Budget Act (BBA) of 2015 last fall, which allows the Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee to enforce the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 and points of order. This language also allows the Senate Appropriations Committee to begin its work on annual spending bills immediately. "Congressional passage of the spending deal last year made top-li… Continue Reading
04.15.16
The Broken Budget Process & How Mike Enzi Wants to Fix it
by Michelle Cottle
If it's April, it must be budget season in Congress-or, more specifically, time for Congress to blow its annual budget deadline. April 15 is the official target. But no one takes that seriously. Often, lawmakers spend an extra month or so hammering out a budget resolution. More often these days, they opt not to pass one at all. Senate Budget Committee Chairman Mike Enzi, for one, is fed up. Looking to spotlight the insanity, he is holding a series of hearings this month exploring "How to fix th… Continue Reading
04.13.16
Enzi: It’s Time For a Better Budget Process
WASHINGTON D.C. - During the Senate Budget Committee's second in a series of hearings focused on America's broken budget process, Chairman Mike Enzi (R-WY) today said congressional budgets are no longer governing documents and are increasingly ignored, leaving the country without a long-term plan. He said it's time for a better budget process that allocates taxpayer resources effectively and efficiently. "It's long past time for a serious, constructive conversation about how we fix our broken … Continue Reading
04.13.16
GAO Report on Duplication Highlights Effect of Broken Budget Process
WASHINGTON D.C. - Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY), Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, released the following statement today after the Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a new report highlighting program duplication that has arisen because of America's broken budget process. "The duplication highlighted in GAO's new report is because of America's broken budget process, and contributes to the nation's spiraling levels of overspending," said Chairman Enzi. "A better budget process wil… Continue Reading
04.12.16
Establishing an FY17 Senate Budget Framework
WASHINGTON, DC - The Senate Budget Committee today released its April 12, 2016, Budget Bulletin focused on establishing a fiscal year 2017 Senate Budget framework. The Budget Bulletin provides regular expert articles by Senate Budget Committee analysts on the issues before Congress relating to the budget, deficits, debt, and the economy. Read the full Senate Budget Bulletin here. Excerpts follow: Producing a Senate Budget Framework The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 (BBA-15, P.L. 114-74) requ… Continue Reading
04.07.16
Budget Committee to Hold April 13 Hearing on Fixing Broken Budget Process
WASHINGTON D.C. - Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY), Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, will hold the second in a series of hearings Wednesday, April 13, 2016 at 10:30am focused on fixing the broken budget process. Wednesday's hearing will highlight the benefits of outcome-based budgeting and how it could improve congressional budget decisions. The current input-based process encourages Congress to ask how much more it can spend on a program. Changing this process to an outcome-based approach would… Continue Reading
04.06.16
Enzi: Federal Financial Mismanagement Contributes to Broken Budget Process
WASHINGTON D.C. - During a hearing today focused on the unreliability of federal financial data, Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY), Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, said that the federal government's financial mismanagement contributes to the broken budget process. "The Congressional budget process is fundamentally broken, which has contributed to spiraling levels of overspending and debt," said Chairman Enzi. "But it's important to understand that the broken budget process is just one part of … Continue Reading
04.01.16
Budget Committee to Hold April 6 Hearing on GAO Audit of Unreliable Federal Financial Data
WASHINGTON D.C. - Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY), Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, will hold a hearing Wednesday, April 6, 2016 at 10:30am focused on the unreliability of federal financial data based on audits done by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The Secretary of the Treasury, in coordination with the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), annually prepares the consolidated financial statements of the U.S. Government, for Congress and the Administration to use i… Continue Reading
