About Us

The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget is a nonpartisan, non-profit organization committed to educating the public on issues with significant fiscal policy impact.

Our bipartisan leadership comprises some of the nation's leading budget experts, including many past heads of the House and Senate Budget Committees, the Congressional Budget Office, the Office of Management and Budget, and the Government Accountability Office.

As an independent source of objective policy analysis, we regularly engage policymakers of both parties and help them develop and analyze proposals to improve the country’s fiscal and economic condition. These efforts have reinforced the Committee’s role as an authoritative voice for fiscal responsibility and an educational resource for policymakers and the general public. We are also a trusted budget watchdog that assists journalists across the country in understanding fiscal developments in Washington.

In 2024, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget sought to educate and engage the public, policymakers, and the media about the major fiscal issues facing the nation from Congressional funding deadlines to the looming insolvency of our nation’s trust funds and the debate over tax and fiscal policy expirations next year. Our US Budget Watch 2024 project was successful in bringing transparency and accountability to the presidential campaign by analyzing the major candidates’ agendas, with high-profile citations in presidential debates, news stories, television interviews, and questions asked to the candidates.

For an in-depth look at our impact in Washington and beyond, see our recent highlights.  

Our History

In 1980, Robert Giaimo (D-CT) and Henry Bellmon (R-OK) both left Congress. Mr. Giaimo had served in the House of Representatives for 20 years, including four as Chairman of the House Budget Committee. Mr. Bellmon had served 12 years as a Senator and was the ranking Republican on the Senate Budget Committee from its inception in 1975.

These two fiscal policy leaders convened a group of other former Budget Committee Chairmen, former Directors of the Office of Management and Budget, leading economists, and business leaders. The group concluded that the country needed an organization outside government that was committed to a sound budget process. They formed the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, and it was incorporated on June 10, 1981.