Should-Read: Doug Elmendorf et al.: Letter from Former CBO Directors on the Importance of CBO’s Role in the Legislative Process

Should-Read: Doug Elmendorf et al.: Letter from Former CBO Directors on the Importance of CBO’s Role in the Legislative Process: “The undersigned represent every former Director of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO)… https://medium.com/@douglas.elmendorf/letter-from-former-cbo-directors-on-the-importance-of-cbos-role-in-the-legislative-process-278863b7e1c6

…We write to express our strong objection to recent attacks on the integrity and professionalism of the agency and on the agency’s role in the legislative process…. Over the past 42 years CBO has been firmly committed to providing nonpartisan and high-quality analysis—and that commitment remains as strong and effective today as it has been in the past. Because CBO works for the Congress, and only the Congress, the agency’s analysis addresses the unique needs of legislators. To meet the standard of nonpartisan objectivity, CBO makes no recommendations about policy, regularly consults with researchers and practitioners with a wide range of views (as can be seen in the agency’s panels of advisers and reviewers for major studies), and enhances its transparency by releasing extensive descriptions of its analytic techniques and forecast record. To produce estimates of high quality, CBO uses its detailed understanding of federal programs and economic conditions, ongoing interactions with government officials and private-sector experts, the best academic research, and the latest available data consistent with the timing of the Congressional budget process…