An 'Unpresidented' [Sic] Era of Budgeting: The Relationship between the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Post-2016

Abstract

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) have had a long-standing relationship of nonpartisan mutual reinforcement premised on analytical rigour. The CBO has also played a role in “keeping them [the OMB] honest” in terms of exerting a non-political budgeting standard that allows the OMB to produce more nonpartisan budget analysis without executive recrimination. This notion of “keeping them honest” is revisited in this discussion paper, in light of the Trump-administration and specifically with respect to its appointment of OMB director Mick Mulvaney. The paper suggests that the CBO’s nonpartisan exertion of analytical rigour will assume an even greater importance but is likely to face “unpresidented” [Sic, unprecedented] resistance from the executive.