First Annual Better Budget Process Summit

• Peter Cohn, Congressional Quarterly (Moderator)
• Stuart Butler, Brookings Institution
• Frances Lee, University of Maryland
• Steve Redburn, George Washington University

Description:

With Congressional approval stuck at just above single digits, reforming the way we budget and set national priorities in an effective and timely way can serve as a critically important step in regaining public trust in the Congress and American democracy.

This first annual Better Budget Process Summit will bring together Members of Congress, Congressional staff, policy experts, members of the media, and others who share a common concern about our deteriorated state of affairs and the need to work together to restore a functioning budget process. We expect this event to be timely given that the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 established the Joint Select Committee on Budget and Appropriations Process Reform. The committee has the mission of developing legislation to reform the budget process and will be comprised of 16 members of Congress.



This year’s summit will feature an innovative set of proposals for budget process reform resulting from a yearlong dialogue organized by Convergence Center for Policy Resolution. Devised by seasoned representatives from some of Washington’s most established interest groups along with budget policy experts, these recommendations will offer a strategic, longer-term framework for passing a budget on a more predictable schedule. While these groups hold different positions and priorities for federal spending, they are supporting reforms that they believe address the failings of the current budget process and could lead to better outcomes for Congress, their constituents, and the country.

The summit will also feature remarks by the leading budget reform experts, political scientists, and Members of Congress listed above who will discuss different reform ideas gaining traction and how best to move them forward.