With the proposed markup date for the budget resolution set for March 9, behind the scenes negotiation involving the budget committee chairmen and members of Congress was in full swing last week and through the weekend. Senate Budget Chairman Judd Gregg (R-NH) and House Budget Chairman Jim Nussle (R-IA) have spent the last few weeks soliciting input from members. While details are still vague, there are some initial indications of the shape and scope of the resolution.

The Congressional Budget Office released its estimates March 5 for the cost of President Bush’s fiscal year 2006 budget, showing deficits increasing by $1.6 trillion over the next 10 years. The CBO report will greatly impact the way the House and Senate budget committees write their FY 06 budget resolutions set for markup this week.

The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) has published its evaluation of the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) process for reviewing referrals alleging illegal political campaign intervention by charities. It describes the process used in detail, and said it found no indications that the random sample of cases it reviewed were handled inappropriately. The IRS requested the review after its audit of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), announced shortly before the election, raised questions about political motivation.