Increasing Baseline Updates Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. BOYLE of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 9716, the Increasing Baseline Updates Act, a bipartisan measure to ensure Congress has the accurate and timely information we need to govern responsibly.

This bill is fairly straightforward. It requires that the Congressional Budget Office, or CBO, to provide at least two updates to its annual budget baseline each year, with one update including the underlying economic data. It also ensures the President submits technical budget data to Congress by February 1, giving the CBO the tools it needs to fulfill its critical role.

CBO's baseline projections are the foundation for evaluating proposed policies. They are the measuring stick for determining how legislation will impact our budget and economy. Regular updates ensure we aren't working with outdated information.

Let me emphasize something else. The CBO is nonpartisan. Its mission is not Democratic nor Republican. It is simply to provide Congress with unbiased, fact-based analysis. For decades--indeed, 50 years, to be exact--it has done an outstanding job, consistently delivering reliable and transparent baseline updates. However, we cannot ignore the fact that some on the other side of the aisle are working to undermine this institution.

Madam Speaker, the numbers don't lie. We may not like CBO reports from time to time, but the numbers are the numbers. Instead of facing these facts, some, instead, would rather attack the messenger. That is wrong, and we can't let that happen. CBO's credibility and independence are essential. It must be able to continue to operate free from political interference.

Now, this bill highlights what we can achieve when we work together. On the Budget Committee this year, working alongside my friend, Chairman Arrington, we have had unprecedented support from the minority party to make sure we could achieve bipartisan reforms. This bill is further evidence of that. Through real bipartisan collaboration, we found a solution. That is why every single member of the Budget Committee, all 32 of us, voted to advance the gentleman from Utah's bill.

I thank my colleague, Mr. Moore, for introducing this bill. I, again, thank my Republican colleagues. Especially Messrs. Arrington, Estes, and Norman, for working with us, and I thank my Democrat colleague, Congressman Tom Suozzi, for his contributions to this effort.

I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 9716, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. BOYLE of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close.

I was waiting for one other speaker, but seeing that he is not here, I will conclude this brief discussion.

I, again, thank everyone who worked tirelessly to make this bill a reality. Once again, I extend my gratitude to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Moore), and I urge all of my colleagues to support this important legislation.

Again, let this be a lesson to all of us, that through bipartisan work we can achieve meaningful reforms. I hope that in the new year we will continue to build upon the bills that we passed through this committee and through this House on a bipartisan basis.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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