Concurrent Resolution on the Budget

Concurrent Resolution on the Budget
Name	Concurrent Resolution on the Budget
Legislature	United States Congress
Longtitle	Concurrent resolution setting forth the congressional budget
Enacted by	United States Congress
Date enacted	Various
Summary	Framework for fiscal year spending allocations, revenue projections, and budgetary aggregates used to guide appropriations and budget reconciliation

Concurrent Resolution on the Budget The Concurrent Resolution on the Budget is a congressional budget blueprint adopted by the United States Congress that establishes aggregate levels for federal debt, federal tax receipts, and spending ceilings for the upcoming fiscal year. It is negotiated primarily through the House Budget Committee and the Senate Budget Committee and serves as a coordination tool among legislative leadership such as the Speaker of the House, the Senate Majority Leader, and committee chairs like the Chair of the House Budget Committee.

Overview

The resolution lays out topline totals for discretionary spending, mandatory spending, and deficit targets while offering instructions for the budget reconciliation process and guidance to the House Appropriations Committee and Senate Appropriations Committee. It often references macroeconomic projections from the Congressional Budget Office and the Office of Management and Budget, and it frames negotiations involving the President of the United States, the Treasury Department, and congressional party leadership such as the Democratic Party (United States) and the Republican Party (United States).

History and Legislative Development

Origins trace to mid-20th century budget reform efforts culminating in the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974, which created the contemporary budget process alongside the Congressional Budget Office. Key historical moments include disputes during the Reagan presidency over deficits, the budget standoff under Bill Clinton, the Budget Control Act of 2011 negotiations involving Speaker John Boehner, and sequestration debates linked to Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell. The resolution has evolved through clashes between committee prerogatives and leadership, exemplified in episodes such as the government shutdown of 1995–1996 and the 2013 United States federal government shutdown.

Procedures and Content

Drafting begins with the chair of the House Budget Committee or the Senate Budget Committee producing a budget resolution text setting aggregates for revenue and outlays. The document includes allocations to 12 appropriations subcommittees of the United States House Committee on Appropriations and parallel allocations to the United States Senate Committee on Appropriations. It may include reconciliation instructions to committees such as the House Ways and Means Committee, the Senate Finance Committee, the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. The resolution is debated on the House floor and the Senate floor and requires only concurrent passage; it is not presented to the President of the United States.

Role in the Congressional Budget Process

Acting as the central coordinating document under the Congressional Budget Act, the resolution sets the framework for appropriation measures and reconciliation bills. It informs scorekeeping by the Congressional Budget Office and the Office of Management and Budget and constrains action through points of order enforceable via the Senate Parliamentarian and the House Parliamentarian. Leadership uses the resolution to steer omnibus bills and continuing resolutions during budget impasses like those resolved in omnibus negotiations with figures such as Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi.

Relationship to Appropriations and Reconciliation

The budget resolution establishes 302(a) and 302(b) allocations that guide the Appropriations Committee in drafting twelve annual appropriations bills. It may include reconciliation directives invoking the reconciliation process established in the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, enabling expedited consideration of major fiscal legislation such as tax reform under Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 discussions or entitlement adjustments pursued by lawmakers like Ronald Reagan-era advocates. Reconciliation is subject to the Byrd Rule overseen by the Senate Budget Committee and the Senate Parliamentarian.

Legal Status and Constitutional Considerations

The resolution is a concurrent resolution and thus lacks force of law; it does not carry the signature of the President of the United States and is not a statute like the Appropriations Act. Constitutional questions occasionally arise regarding separation of powers involving the Executive Office of the President, particularly when the Office of Management and Budget implements spending priorities that intersect with presidential prerogatives. Litigation has involved parties such as the Supreme Court of the United States when disputes about mandates, appropriations, or congressional procedures implicate constitutional clauses like the Appropriations Clause.

Impact and Criticism

Proponents argue the resolution provides fiscal discipline and predictability for stakeholders including federal agencies like the Department of Defense, the Department of Health and Human Services, and beneficiaries of programs like Social Security and Medicare. Critics contend it can be symbolic, produce gridlock leading to continuing resolution reliance, and enable partisan bargaining exemplified by clashes during the Obama administration and the Trump administration. Commentators and think tanks such as the Brookings Institution, the Heritage Foundation, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, and the Cato Institute have analyzed its efficacy, while scholars from institutions like Harvard University, Yale University, and the University of Chicago have debated reform proposals including a return to biennial budgeting or statutory budget authority reforms.

Category:United States federal budget