Orszag Selected New CBO Director

Dec 12, 2006 by Dana Chasin

Incoming Senate Budget Committee chair Kent Conrad (D-ND) announced today that he has selected Brookings Institution economics scholar Peter Orszag to serve as the new director of the Congressional Budget Office, replacing Donald Marron. Conrad said that he selected Orszag after consulting with incoming House Budget Committee chair John Spratt (D-SC), current Senate Budget Committee chair Judd Gregg (R-NH), and the incoming House Budget Committee ranking member Paul Ryan (R-WI).

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The Longest CR

Dec 12, 2006 by Matt Lewis

So the budget battle of 2006 will end with a whimper, not a bang. The new Democratic leadership wants to (CQ, $) extend the continuing resolution for the entire 2007 fiscal year, with some adjustments. Though not ideal, it's probably the best of all available options. It will:
  • Impose a "moratorium" on earmarks, which could put the next Congress on a path toward more earmark reforms
  • Remove a distraction for the new Congress, giving it more time to focus on an ambitious 100-hour agenda

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Entitlements II: This Table Needs a Taster

Dec 12, 2006 by Dana Chasin

A Washington Post article today reprises the "table talk" from yesterday about entitlement reform.

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Holy Land Foundation

Dec 12, 2006 by Amanda Adams*

A notable New York Times article covers new action that is being taken to challenge the Treasury Department's process for designating charities as supporters of terrorism. The Treasury Department has designated five U.S. Muslim charities as terrorist supporters seizing millions of dollars in assets, including the largest Holy Land Foundation. On Monday Holy Land sued seeking dismissal of over half of the charges against them. This decision to sue was based on the ruling last month in a Federal District Court in Los Angeles.

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An Agenda to Weaken Protections

Dec 11, 2006 by Guest Blogger

Agencies released today the Fall 2006 Unified Agenda and Regulatory Plan, which sums up the work of the last six months and sets priorities for the coming year. Unfortunately, this year's regulatory plan has a few too many familiar faces. Agencies have failed to make progress on important regulations such as reducing worker's exposure to crystalline silica or upgrading energy efficiency standards. What's even more troubling about the Bush's regulatory plan for 2007 is the return of some industry favorites that aim to rollback health, safety and environmental standards.

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Dem Leaders Favor Long-Term CR

Dec 11, 2006 by Matt Lewis

Expect a long-term continuing resolution for the "punted" 2007 budget. Following announcements by the chairmen of the Appropriations Committees favoring a CR, Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Harry Reid issued this statement today:

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Entitlement Spending Solutions: Table This

Dec 11, 2006 by Dana Chasin

Entitlement growth is a growing problem, budget policymakers in Congress and the Administration agree. Time to deal with it is of the essence, with the '08 campaign soon likely to make debate on solutions too hot to handle, both sides agree. "Everything is on the table," incoming Democratic Budget Committee chairmen, Rep. John M. Spratt Jr. and Sen. Kent Conrad say. Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. and White House Office of Management and Budget Director Rob Portman have not ruled anything out.

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Oversight of Iraq Reconstruction Funds Sill Needed

Dec 11, 2006 by Craig Jennings

On Friday we posted on a House vote to extend the term of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR). Keeping tabs on how the $38 billion pledged by the United States for Iraq Reconstruction is spent is the job of the SIGIR. Released over the weekend, this CBO report delves into the ins-and-outs of Iraq reconstruction finances, and on page 5 the CBO references the work of the SIGIR:

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Congress Questions GSA's Anti-Oversight Plans

Dec 11, 2006 by Matt Lewis

GovExec reported that new GSA chief Lurita Doan, who's had it out for the GSA's Inspector General office, got two serious letters from Congress last week. One of the letters, from Reps. Henry Waxman (D-CA), James Oberstar, (D-MN), and Eleanor Holmes Norton, (D-DC), questioned Doan's plan to hire contractors to conduct "pre-contract award audits" that the Inspector General's office has been doing for quite some time. The letter says the move raises conflict of interest and privacy concerns. Rightly so.

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CR Extended Until Next Congress

Dec 11, 2006 by Matt Lewis

On Saturday morning, the President signed an extension of a stopgap continuing resolution, making few changes to its destructive funding formula. It will last until February 15th. CQ ($) reports: The stopgap spending measure does not contain major deviations from the funding formula in the previous resolutions, despite lobbying by veterans’ groups for $3 billion in additional veterans’ health care money. The resolution calls for agencies that have not yet had their fiscal 2007 appropriations measures enacted to get the lowest of the House-passed, Senate-passed or previous year funding level.

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