Press Releases

Yesterday, Rep. Ron Estes (R-Kansas) introduced the Executive Action Cost Transparency Act. This bill would mandate that the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) provide a comprehensive and centralized list of final administrative actions in order to increase transparency and streamline information flow, providing lawmakers with needed information on spending. This would include proposed rules, final rules, executive orders, memorandum, and judicial actions since the last baseline and would further require CBO to provide updated estimates for scores that meet a threshold of $50 billion over 10 years.
 
“Our nation is now more than $35 trillion in debt, and we need to do everything we can to change course on this growing crisis. In just the last three and a half years alone, the Biden-Harris administration has issued more than 130 executive actions that have cost taxpayers more than $2 trillion – not to mention additional judicial and administration actions in that time – demonstrating just how costly non-legislative actions can be. Improving the information that CBO provides to Congress and the public is one crucial step that will help ensure we know the true cost of D.C. spending,” said Rep. Estes.
 
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 that established the Congressional Budget Office. Congress has a duty to ensure CBO is fulfilling its mission of providing lawmakers with accurate and timely information and analysis on legislation and the economy. Rep. Estes’ bill is part of a package of CBO reform bills that the Budget Committee will consider at a markup this week.