Congressman Blake Moore Reintroduces Bill to Improve Congressional Access to Economic Data
WASHINGTON—Congressman Blake Moore reintroduced legislation to improve congressional access to economic data. The Increasing Baseline Updates Act will require the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to produce at least two baseline updates each year, including one update with economic data. This will ensure Congress has the most up-to-date information on relevant budget and economic figures to inform the appropriations process and other legislation.
This legislation was originally introduced during the 118th Congress. It was unanimously passed by the House Budget Committee and out of the House of Representatives in December 2024.
"Americans have made it abundantly clear that they welcome the Trump Administration’s efforts to rein in wasteful federal spending and lower our crippling national debt,” Congressman Moore said. “The Increasing Baseline Updates Act will help this critical initiative by enhancing Congress’s ability to make informed decisions during the budgeting process with more consistently updated data from the Congressional Budget Office."
“We can’t get our fiscal house in order or be good stewards of the taxpayers’ hard-earned dollars if we’re flying blind. Rep. Blake Moore’s smart, commonsense reform ensures Congress has timely, accurate budget and economic data so we can make better decisions and better confront our out-of-control debt. This is a practical fix that strengthens the budget process and serves the American people well,” House Budget Chairman Jodey Arrington said.
Background:
Under the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974, CBO is required to publish its baseline before February 15th of each year. The baseline is a projection of federal outlays and revenues under current and future fiscal years according to existing law. Despite the requirement for an annual baseline, there is no statutory obligation for CBO to provide a specific number of baseline updates, which are critical to ongoing policymaking in Congress. The last time CBO published a baseline update after July was 2020. This is problematic considering Congress’s tendency to pass government funding bills at the end of the calendar year. Additionally, the last time CBO published three baselines in a year was 2019. This leaves lawmakers relying on outdated information on the fiscal state of our nation. The Increasing Baseline Updates Act is an important step toward improving our budget process and returning to regular order.
You can read the full bill here and on Congress.gov.