Oversight
Highlights of the Senate Budget Committee’s Chairman’s Mark
by Gordon Gray
On March 22, the Senate Budget Committee (SBC) released the Chairman's Mark for the FY2020 Budget Resolution. It is remarkable in that, unlike many recent budget plans from Congress or the administration, it has a nodding acquaintance with reality. It does not assume rosy economic growth, but rather hews to the Congressional Budget Office's (CBO) economic forecast. It does not purport to balance in 10 years, a task that is increasingly a flight of fancy. Rather, it acknowledges the reality of pr… Continue Reading
03.24.19
Enzi's 2020 budget plan attempts to tame federal deficits
by David Sherfinski and Stephen Dinan
The Senate Budget Committee will take up Chairman Mike Enzi's 2020 budget proposal this week, as lawmakers hunt for new ways to turn around a bleak U.S. fiscal picture that just saw the government post its worst monthly deficit ever. February saw the government dip $234 billion deeper into the red, as government spending soared, powered by increased payouts at the Pentagon and in Social Security and Medicare. Mr. Enzi's new budget tries to tame Medicare, though he leaves Social Security untouc… Continue Reading
03.23.19
Senate Budget Plan Includes Realistic Deficit Reduction
by Patrick Newton
Senate Budget Committee Chairman Mike Enzi (R-WY) introduced today a Chairman's Mark of the Fiscal Year 2020 budget resolution to be considered and voted on by the full committee. The budget calls for $538 billion in deficit reduction over five years. The following is a statement from Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget: We applaud the committee for putting forth a budget that includes significant deficit reduction and a realistic fiscal goal of returni… Continue Reading
03.23.19
Senate Republicans Issue Five-Year Plan to Rein In Budget Deficit
by Kristina Peterson
WASHINGTON-Senate Republicans issued a five-year budget plan Friday that calls for reducing the federal deficit and diverges from the White House over how much to stash in an emergency war fund. The budget resolution aims to cut mandatory spending, the part of federal funding extended on auto-pilot, by $551 billion by 2024. Republicans have long targeted this chunk of the federal budget, which pays for programs including Medicare and Medicaid, as the best opportunity for reining in spending. Ma… Continue Reading
03.22.19
Senate Budget Committee Chairman Mike Enzi proposes cuts to lower budget deficits
by Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) - A senior Senate Republican has unveiled a five-year budget plan that would modestly curb budget deficits that would otherwise soon breach $1 trillion, while rejecting President Donald Trump's gimmick of using war funding to sustain big increases for the Pentagon. Budget Committee Chairman Mike Enzi says the nonbinding blueprint is a "responsible first step" toward curbing budget deficits "by reducing overspending and setting real, achievable deficit reduction targets." The Wy… Continue Reading
03.22.19
Senate Budget Committee Chairman Mike Enzi unveils 2020 budget blueprint
by David Sherfinski
Senate Budget Committee Chairman Mike Enzi on Friday unveiled a federal budget for 2020 that includes some of President Trump's entitlement spending trims but ditches his defense spending gimmicks and rosy economic assumptions. The Wyoming Republican's plan leaves open the possibility of hitting Mr. Trump's $750 billion goal for defense spending, but only if Congress can agree to a deal to raise spending caps that likely also means a short-term spike in domestic spending - which Mr. Trump has o… Continue Reading
03.22.19
Enzi Unveils 5-Year Deficit Reduction Plan
WASHINGTON D.C. - Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY), Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, today released the Fiscal Year 2020 Budget Resolution, which would reduce deficits by more than half a trillion dollars over five years. "Strengthening America's future for our children and grandchildren begins by putting our nation on a more sustainable fiscal path and reducing our nation's deficit spending, which is approaching $1 trillion per year," said Chairman Enzi. "This budget is a responsible first st… Continue Reading
03.15.19
BUDGET ROUNDUP: BUDGET RESOLUTION BASICS
KEY TAKEAWAYS A budget resolution is a governing blueprint that provides an annual plan for the federal government's finances. The Congressional Budget Act (CBA) requires budget resolutions to cover the upcoming fiscal year and at least the following four fiscal years. Budget resolutions provide a mechanism for Congress to review the spending and revenue policies it has previously enacted and develop and enforce fiscal targets. Recognizing Congress's power of the purse, budget resolutions … Continue Reading
03.13.19
Chairman Enzi: We Must Put Our Nation on a More Sustainable Fiscal Path
WASHINGTON D.C. - During a hearing today on the President's fiscal year 2020 budget proposal, Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY), Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, said that Congress and the President must work together to put our nation on a more sustainable fiscal path. "It is no secret the federal government spends more than it takes in and will soon produce annual deficits exceeding $1 trillion," said Chairman Enzi. "Make no mistake, both sides share in the blame of rising deficits and debt, … Continue Reading
03.11.19
Chairman Enzi's Statement On President’s FY 2020 Budget Proposal
WASHINGTON D.C. - Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY), Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following statement today after the President's fiscal year 2020 budget proposal was released: "The President's annual budget proposal is the first step in the federal budget process and will allow us to consider how his priorities align with the priorities of Congress," said Chairman Enzi. "I look forward to working with my colleagues and the President to curb federal overspending and help bring ou… Continue Reading
03.08.19
Enzi moving ahead with ‘realistic’ budget resolution
by Paul M. Krawzak
The Senate Budget Committee plans to mark up a fiscal 2020 budget resolution the last week of March, setting out spending and revenue targets for the next five years. Budget Chairman Michael B. Enzi, who skipped the exercise last year, said he intends to break from past practice and write a "realistic" budget which, for example, would not envision balancing or wiping out deficits. That's in part a function of the shorter time frame to reach balance - budget resolutions in recent years have typ… Continue Reading
03.01.19
BUDGET ROUNDUP: Review of Almost $1 Trillion in Cap-Adjusted Spending
KEY TAKEAWAYS: Cap adjustments have allowed Congress to increase spending beyond the levels set forth in the Budget Control Act of 2011. These cap adjustments have resulted in almost $1 trillion in additional spending. The BCA contains several cap adjustments to increase spending for specified purposes, including emergencies, disasters, program integrity, and overseas contingency operations (OCO), without breaching the law's spending limits. The largest cap adjustments are the OCO and emer… Continue Reading
02.27.19
Enzi: Congress Has Spent Almost $1 Trillion Above Budget Caps Since 2011
WASHINGTON D.C. - During a Senate Budget Committee hearing on cap-adjusted spending under the Budget Control Act (BCA) of 2011, Chairman Mike Enzi (R-WY) noted that cap adjustments have allowed Congress to spend almost $1 trillion beyond the levels set forth in the law. Enzi said these cap adjustments have created an additional path to increase spending. "While a primary objective of the Budget Control Act was deficit reduction, the law also allows for several cap adjustments to increase spend… Continue Reading
02.04.19
Chairman Enzi Questions Census Bureau About Controlling Costs for 2020 Census
WASHINGTON D.C. - Senate Budget Committee Chairman Mike Enzi (R-WY) is questioning Census Bureau Director Steven Dillingham about the Bureau's plans to control the cost of the 2020 Census. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) placed the 2020 Census on its high-risk list because of concerns with the development and security of information technology (IT) systems and unreliable cost estimates. "The 2010 Census was the most expensive in history, costing about $12.3 billion. With the 2020 C… Continue Reading
02.04.19
Chairman Enzi Questions Census Bureau About Controlling Costs for 2020 Census
WASHINGTON D.C. - Senate Budget Committee Chairman Mike Enzi (R-WY) is questioning Census Bureau Director Steven Dillingham about the Bureau's plans to control the cost of the 2020 Census. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) placed the 2020 Census on its high-risk list because of concerns with the development and security of information technology (IT) systems and unreliable cost estimates. "The 2010 Census was the most expensive in history, costing about $12.3 billion. With the 2020 C… Continue Reading
02.04.19
Enzi wants answers on Census IT costs
by Chase Gunter
In a letter to new Census Director Steven Dillingham, Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) raised concerns about how the nearly $5 billion in IT spending is being managed by the bureau. To that end, Enzi pointed to the number of vacancies in a key program management office that oversees the bureau's IT integration contract. That contract, worth $890 million and awarded to the technology provider T-Rex Corporation, is Census' largest IT deal. As of June 2018, 33 of the 58 positions in the office charged with… Continue Reading
01.29.19
Chairman Enzi: CBO Report Highlights Need for Congress to Confront Out of Control Spending
WASHINGTON D.C. - During a Senate Budget Committee hearing on the Congressional Budget Office's Budget and Economic Outlook for fiscal years 2019 through 2029, Chairman Mike Enzi (R-WY) said the CBO report highlights the need for Congress to confront the threat of the nation's out of control spending. "Trillion dollar deficits are within sight, they are real, and it is time for us all to have an honest conversation as to how we are going to address them," said Chairman Enzi. "I believe that m… Continue Reading
01.09.19
Enzi Returns as Senate Budget Committee Chairman, Welcomes Senators Braun, Scott, and Cramer
WASHINGTON D.C. - Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY) today was again elected by his colleagues as Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, and welcomed new GOP Senators Mike Braun (R-IN), Rick Scott (R-FL), and Kevin Cramer (R-ND) to serve on the Committee during the 116th Congress. "I am honored to return as chair of the Senate Budget Committee as we focus on addressing the debt and overspending challenges facing our country," said Chairman Enzi. "I will continue to lead the charge to fix the broken bu… Continue Reading
12.19.18
Enzi Pressing Customs and Border Protection Over Millions Wasted on Hiring Contracts
WASHINGTON D.C. - Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY), Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, is pressing U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Kevin McAleenan for more information about a CBP hiring contract worth millions of dollars that only resulted in two new agency hires. The Homeland Security Department's Office of Inspector General (OIG) recently found that CBP paid a private contractor millions to help hire 7,500 Border Patrol agents and officers, but the contractor only hired tw… Continue Reading
12.19.18
Enzi Pressing Customs and Border Protection Over Millions Wasted on Hiring Contracts
WASHINGTON D.C. - Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY), Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, is pressing U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Kevin McAleenan for more information about a CBP hiring contract worth millions of dollars that only resulted in two new agency hires. The Homeland Security Department's Office of Inspector General (OIG) recently found that CBP paid a private contractor millions to help hire 7,500 Border Patrol agents and officers, but the contractor only hired tw… Continue Reading
