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Davis Testifies: Independent CBO Vital to Congress

Washington, D.C. – A vibrant, robust, and independent Congressional Budget Office is vital to Congress in the performance of its legislative duties, Bipartisan Policy Center Senior Advisor Sandy Davis said in testimony to a House Budget Committee hearing on CBO oversight today.

“Effective communication between CBO and Congress is one of the agency’s biggest challenges,” Davis, a former CBO legislative liaison, said. He pushed back at suggestions that outside organizations could replace CBO, saying, “these ideas are misguided, would diminish the quality of analyses available to Congress, and ultimately would weaken Congress’ ability to assert its budgetary responsibilities under the Constitution.”

“CBO works for you,” Davis told the committee. “The people at the agency are dedicated to its mission. Work with them, ask for explanations. Ultimately, you may not like the answer you get, but you should never feel you haven’t been heard or that the response is incomplete,” he said.

“Nonpartisan analysis is not the product of splitting the difference between partisan positions. It is an objective assessment of likely outcomes based on available data and information,” Davis said.

Read the full testimony

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