Cole Urges Support for Baseline Budget Reform

This legislation makes really significant reforms in the way the CBO (Congressional Budget Office) decides baseline calculations. The CBO automatically budgets for inflation and discretionary spending. This process runs completely counter to what every American does with their own budget. No family sits down and assumes they will automatically have an inflationary increase in their budget next year. No small business sits down and says "my sales and revenue will automatically move up." As a matter of fact, using that approach is counterproductive because it actually discourages the search for savings and efficiencies.

I am an appropriator, and this is the road to deficit spending. Getting rid of this will bring our fiscal house back in order. We should have gotten rid of this a long time ago. I'm proud that Mr. Woodall and Mr. Ryan are pushing to do this.

This will allow us to reduce the size of government, it will increase transparency, and we'll be able to put our house where we ought to put it. Of course, the legislation is one piece of a broader set of reforms. But this is the first step and the right step and direction of getting our fiscal house in order. I commend my friend for bringing it to the floor, and I look forward to its passage.