Judd Gregg: Fixing the unfixable — the federal budget
Judd Gregg, a former Republican senator from New Hampshire, served as chairman of the Senate Budget Committee from 2005 to 2007 and ranking member from 2007 to 2011. He recently wrote an op-ed featured in The Hill suggesting six budget process changes for the Joint Select Committee on Budget Process reform to consider.
Read the full op-ed here.
Gregg's full list includes:
- Require the budget to have two-thirds support to advance out of the Budget Committee and limit amendments
- Only have members from the Appropriations and Finance Committees on the the Budget Committee.
- Have the budget set a maximum for federal spending and debt, as well as a floor for revenues, all as a percent of GDP.
- Give the budget authority to address entitlements and taxes, with "reconcilation-like" instructions forming the core of the bill.
- Have the Budget Committee establish committees similar to the Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) for discretionary spending accounts.
- Failure to pass a budget would cause the government to close, pausing many mandatory benefit payments such as Social Security.
Read the full op-ed here.
"My Views" are works published by members or staff of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, but they do not necessarily reflect the views of all members of the committee.
