Congress Watch: Biennial Budgets and Congress

When somebody has a limited amount of time to look at a large, complicated issue, many of the details are bound to escape notice.  The number of details missed increases when multiple distractions take away from the limited viewing time. The federal budget is no different.

Each year, Congress is required to complete what has become the cumbersome (and expensive) process of funding the federal government.  Between the first Monday in February (when the President presents his spending plan to Congress) and the end of the fiscal year on September 30th, Congress must formulate, enact, and execute the federal budget.  For many different reasons this process has become an annual exercise in futility.  It leads to a mad scramble to keep the government operating through continuing resolutions and ends in the passage of an omnibus spending bill.  The result is an almost eight month long spectacle that puts the focus on the big picture, allowing many of the important details to escape notice.

For decades, Congress has considered ditching annual budgets for a biennial budget process.  While the details of the plans differ, the basic premise is that Congress would use the first year of each Congress to formulate, enact, and execute a budget for the next two years.  Once completed, Congress would turn its attention to the oversight and investigation of federal programs and agencies.  Unburdened by the time constraints and distractions associated with the current budget process, Congress could spend the necessary time focusing on the details and nuances of the federal budget.

Although some groups oppose biennial budgets as unworkable and fraught with problems, multi-year budget agreements have already been used effectively.  In the past, so-called “budget summits” between Congress and the Reagan, Bush, and Clinton Administrations have all yielded agreements to which future federal budgets adhered.  And, just last year, Congress reached agreement on a two-year budget deal with the Obama Administration which, in theory, should make the appropriations process easier this year.

The fact is that the federal budget process is broken.  Annual battles that focus on keeping the doors open distract from Congress’ oversight and investigative functions and put too much federal spending on autopilot.  Biennial budgeting can help fix that.