The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB) is a non-profit public policy organization based in Washington, D.C. that addresses federal budget and fiscal issues. It was founded in 1981 by former United States Representatives Robert Giaimo (D-CT) and

Henry Bellmon Henry Louis Bellmon (September 3, 1921 – September 29, 2009) was an American Republican politician from the U.S. State of Oklahoma. A member of the Oklahoma Legislature, he went on to become both the 18th and 23rd governor of Oklahoma, ...

(R-OK), and its board of directors includes former Members of

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

and directors of the

Office of Management and Budget The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP). OMB's most prominent function is to produce the president's budget, but it also examines agency programs, pol ...

, the Congressional Budget Office and the

Federal Reserve The Federal Reserve System (often shortened to the Federal Reserve, or simply the Fed) is the central banking system of the United States of America. It was created on December 23, 1913, with the enactment of the Federal Reserve Act, after a ...

History

The organization was founded by former Representative and Chairman of the House Budget Committee Robert Giaimo (D-CT) and former Representative and Ranking Budget Committee member

(R-OK) on June 10, 1981. After leaving Congress, the two decided that the country needed an organization outside of government committed to advocating for sound budget process, and decided to convene a group including other former Budget Committee Chairmen, former Directors of the Office of Management and Budget, leading economists, and businessmen. In the 1990s, the CRFB formed the Cost Containment Coalition, led by then-president Cox, to find a solution to what some had termed a health care crisis. This coalition was later criticized for receiving funding from

Philip Morris Phil(l)ip or Phil Morris may refer to: Companies *Altria, a conglomerate company previously known as Philip Morris Companies Inc., named after the tobacconist **Philip Morris USA, a tobacco company wholly owned by Altria Group ** Philip Morris Inte ...

and the Tobacco Institute. The Coalition lobbied against an excise tax on tobacco under consideration by the Clinton administration. CRFB was also host of the Peterson-Pew Commission on Budget Reform, which released its initial report, "Red Ink Rising," in December 2009 and its second report, "Getting Back in the Black," in November 2010.

Leadership

The committee's first president was Carol Cox Wait, who served until 2003 and remained on CRFB's board of directors. Wait was succeeded by Maya MacGuineas, who also served as Director of the Fiscal Policy Program at the

New America Foundation New America, formerly the New America Foundation, is a think tank in the United States founded in 1999. It focuses on a range of public policy issues, including national security studies, technology, asset building, health, gender, energy, educ ...

. In July 2015, CRFB announced Mitch Daniels, Leon Panetta and Timothy Penny as the new co-chairs of its board. CRFB's board of directors was previously co-chaired by William Frenzel (R-MN), Timothy Penny (I-MN), and Charles Stenholm (D-TX), all former Congressional representatives. The organization's activities are overseen by a 40-member board of directors composed of experts and prominent figures in federal budget, tax and fiscal policy. A large part of the board is composed of former directors of major budget-related government offices including the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the

(OMB), the House and Senate Budget Committees, and the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. The group also includes numerous former Congressmen, former U.S. Comptrollers General, university and think tank experts on fiscal policy, and prominent members of the business and legal community.

Research and publications

The Committee focuses on many issues including deficit reduction, entitlement reform, fundamental tax reform, improving the budget process, and other topical issues as they arise. In the past, CRFB has produced analyses in areas including: * A detailed summary and cost estimate of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, and an infographic visualizing how the money will be spent * The stages in the annual federal budget cycle (e.g., the President's budget submission, Congressional Budget Resolution, explainers on appropriations, government shutdowns, etc.) * Developments and changes in Congressional budget procedures and process, such as an appropriations tracker * The status and future prospects of long-term government “entitlement” programs (e.g., Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security) * The findings of regular financial and budgetary reports put out by government offices (e.g., the Congressional Budget Office's “Monthly Budget Report,” the “Budget and Economic Outlook],” and the Long-Term Budget Outlook.") * Tax and spending bills proposed by Congress or the President * The costs of the candidates’ campaign promises during the 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020 Presidential Elections, including an analysis of 2020 candidate health care plans * The fiscal implications of the government's actions during the Economic and Financial Crisis of 2008–2009 * Major public policy initiatives (e.g., health care reform), including an illustrative stimulus plan, and a list of budget offsets that can produce savings]. The organization also issues regular press releases on day-to-day news developments related to federal budget, tax, and fiscal policy.

Based at the New America Foundation

From 2004 through 2013, the organization was based at the

, a non-profit, non-partisan, Washington, D.C.-area public policy “think tank.” Republican Maya MacGuineas, President of CRFB, was also the Program Director of New America's Fiscal Policy Program, and most of CRFB's staff were also co-appointed to positions at New America. As of January 2014 the organization no longer has ties with the New America Foundation.

Projects and initiatives

US Budget Watch

In 2008, the organization received a grant from the Pew Charitable Trusts to raise the public understanding of important fiscal matters facing the country during the 2008 election. This project, called US Budget Watch, was also tasked with tracking the candidates’ tax and spending promises both during and after the election. The project's most high-profile contribution to the public debate was its series of “Voter Guides,” which attempted to tabulate the costs of then-Senator Barack Obama's and Senator John McCain's campaign promises. The project's "Promises, Promises: A Fiscal Voter Guide to the 2008 Election" was widely cited in the mainstream media during the campaign. CNN called it “the most detailed analysis of McCain's and Obama's budget plans.". On October 15, 2008, during the third debate of the 2008 presidential election, moderator Bob Schieffer asked a question citing US Budget Watch's voter guides about the effects of the candidates' proposed policies on the deficit. In February 2012, US Budget Watch released a report assessing the debt impact of the campaign proposals from the Republican presidential candidates. The study was preceded by a publication laying out “The 12 Principles of Fiscal Responsibility for the 2012 Campaign.” Efforts in the 2016 presidential campaign included a report comparing the fiscal impact of the policy proposals from Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, titled "Promises and Pricetags." Data from the project was cited in several debates. US Budget Watch 2020 has published explainers on candidates' proposals and fact-checked their statements related to fiscal policy, as well as compared candidate healthcare plans. It also produced an analysis comparing the campaign proposals of President Trump and Vice President Biden.

Budget Process Reform

In late 2008, CRFB received support from

The Peter G. Peterson Foundation The Peter G. Peterson Foundation is an American foundation established in 2008 by Peter G. Peterson, former US Secretary of Commerce in the Nixon Administration and co-founder of the Blackstone Group, an American financial-services company. ...

and the Pew Charitable Trusts to create a new commission that would explore options for reforming the federal budget process, the Peterson-Pew Commission on Budget Reform. Initially, the commission was directed by Jim Bates, former Chief Counsel and Staff Director of the U.S. House Committee on the Budget, and former Associate Director of Energy, Natural Resources, Agriculture, & Science at the

. F. Steven Redburn, a former senior official in the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, directed the project in 2010 and 2011. The project completed its work in 2011 and was succeeded by the Better Budget Process Initiative. The Better Budget Process Initiative was created in 2014 to fix the broken budget process through concrete ideas to reform and improve the way the budget is developed. Publications produced by the initiative include principles for a budget resolution and budget baseline reforms.

FixUS

FixUS was formally launched in 2020. According to its website: "FixUS is a group of Americans united in shared concern over the divided state of our country. We believe that healing these divisions is our highest national priority, and essential to preparing our nation to face the defining challenges of the 21st century." FixUS conducted a national Roadshow and Listening Tour to discuss the division and dysfunction plaguing our politics. It produced a report with findings.

Campaign to Fix the Debt

The Campaign to Fix the Debt was launched in July 2012, and has advocated for deficit reduction (including cuts to

Social Security Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifical ...

and Medicare) and

tax reform Tax reform is the process of changing the way taxes are collected or managed by the government and is usually undertaken to improve tax administration or to provide economic or social benefits. Tax reform can include reducing the level of taxati ...

to avoid a fiscal cliff. In 2012, former Democrat

Erskine Bowles Erskine Boyce Bowles (born August 8, 1945) is an American businessman and political figure from North Carolina. He served from 2005 to 2010 as the president of the University of North Carolina system. In 1997–98 he served as White House C ...

and former Republican Senator Alan Simpson served as co-chairs, while former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell and former Senator Judd Gregg served as steering committee co-chairs.

SSDI Solutions Initiative

The McCrery-Pomeroy SSDI Solutions Initiative was launched in 2014 to identify “practical policy changes to improve the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program and other policies for people with disabilities.” It was co-chaired by former Congressmen Earl Pomeroy (D-ND) and Jim McCrery (R-LA), both former Chairmen of the House Ways & Means Social Security Subcommittee. The initiative published a book, ''SSDI Solutions: Ideas to Strengthen the Social Security Disability Insurance Program'', in 2016 based on papers commissioned from various policy experts. It published several more commissioned papers in 2018 and 2019.

Go Big

CRFB launched the Go Big initiative after The Budget Control Act of 2011, enacted in early August to raise the debt-ceiling and avoid default, tasked a bipartisan 12-member Joint Congressional Committee on Deficit Reduction (Super Committee) with finding an additional $1.5 trillion in deficit reduction by November 23. For this reason, CRFB launched "Go Big" in an effort to urge the Super Committee to exceed its savings mandate of $1.5 trillion and enact a bipartisan, comprehensive fiscal reform plan.

Moment of Truth Project

In early 2011, former fiscal commission co-chairs Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson launched the Moment of Truth Project, a non-profit, non-partisan effort that seeks to foster honest discussion about the nation's fiscal challenges, the difficult choices that must be made to solve them, and the potential for bipartisan compromise that can move the debate forward and set our country on a sustainable path. The Moment of Truth project aims to use the Fiscal Commission's findings to spark a national discussion on the need to implement a comprehensive budget fix, and to help further develop the policy reforms ideas to improve the nation's fiscal outlook.

Stimulus.org

In early 2009, CRFB unveiled Stimulus.org, a database which tracked the spending and deficit impact of all major government actions taken in response to the economic and financial crisis. On the April 5, 2009 edition of CBS’ Face the Nation, host

Bob Schieffer Bob Lloyd Schieffer (born February 25, 1937) is an American television journalist. He is known for his moderation of presidential debates, where he has been praised for his capability. Schieffer is one of the few journalists to have covered all f ...

used figures from CRFB's “Stimulus Watch” chart while questioning Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner about the amount of

Troubled Asset Relief Program The Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) is a program of the United States government to purchase toxic assets and equity from financial institutions to strengthen its financial sector that was passed by Congress and signed into law by President ...

(TARP) funds that remained unspent.

Fiscal Roadmap Project

CRFB's "Fiscal Roadmap Project" was an initiative seeking to outline how the U.S. can move from stabilizing the economy during financial crisis to addressing its long-term fiscal problems. The ultimate goal of the project was to show how policymakers can eventually put the country in what CRFB regards as a sounder fiscal position. The project released at least two long analyses, one on deficits and another on the activities of the Federal Reserve during the economic and financial crisis of 2007-2008. The Fiscal Roadmap project was originally directed by Anne Vorce, former U.S. economic expert for the European Commission.

Interactive tools

CRFB has created several interactive tools to create a better understanding of the fiscal challenges facing the country and the choices required to address them. The "COVID Money Tracker" tool was launched in 2020 to track federal spending in response to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. The “Stabilize the Debt” online budget simulator was launched in 2010 and challenged the user to reduce the national debt to 60% of the economy in the medium term and put it on a declining course thereafter with a variety of options available from all parts of the federal budget. It was replaced by the "Debt Fixer" tool in 2017. Results are occasionally compiled and analyzed to highlight trends in public support for specific deficit reduction ideas. “The Reformer: An Interactive Tool to Fix Social Security” offers options to improve Social Security and put its finances on a sustainable path.

Prominent past and current board members

*Barry Anderson, former acting Director of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) *

Roy Ash Roy Lawrence Ash (October 20, 1918December 14, 2011) was the co-founder and president of the American company Litton Industries and director of the Office of Management and Budget from February 2, 1973 until February 3, 1975, during the administr ...

, former OMB Director for Nixon and Ford administrations * Nancy Kassebaum Baker, former U.S. Senator from Kansas *

, former Governor of Oklahoma and U.S. Senator from Oklahoma and co-founder of CRFB *

, former co-chairmen of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform * Charles Bowsher, former Comptroller General of GAO under Reagan administration * Kent Conrad, former Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee *

Dan Crippen Dan Crippen (born March 18, 1952, in Canistota, South Dakota) was the executive director of the National Governors Association from 2011 to 2015. He now serves as member of the Board of Trustees to the Center for Health Care Strategies, Inc. and ...

, former CBO Director from 1999 to 2003 * Mitch Daniels, former OMB Director and Governor of Indiana * Dick Darman, former OMB Director under George H.W. Bush administration * Vic Fazio, former U.S. Representative from California * William Frenzel, former U.S. Representative from Minnesota * Bill Gradison Jr., former U.S. Representative from Ohio * William H. Gray III, former U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania *

Alan Greenspan Alan Greenspan (born March 6, 1926) is an American economist who served as the 13th chairman of the Federal Reserve from 1987 to 2006. He works as a private adviser and provides consulting for firms through his company, Greenspan Associates LLC. ...

, former Chairman of the Federal Reserve * Jane Harman, former U.S. Representative from California * William Hoagland, former Staff Director of the Senate Budget Committee * Douglas Holtz-Eakin, former Director of CBO, economic advisor to McCain 2008 presidential campaign *

James R. Jones James Robert Jones (born May 5, 1939) is an American lawyer, diplomat, Democratic politician, a retired U.S. Congressman from Oklahoma, and a former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico under President Bill Clinton. Jones grew up in Muskogee, Oklahoma, ...

, former Chief of Staff to Lyndon Johnson * Lou Kerr, President and Chair of the Kerr Foundation *

Jim Kolbe James Thomas Kolbe (June 28, 1942 – December 3, 2022) was an American politician who served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives. He represented Arizona's 5th congressional district from 1985 to 2003 and its ...

, former U.S. Representative from Arizona * James Lynn, former Director of OMB *

Marjorie Margolies Marjorie Margolies (; formerly Margolies-Mezvinsky; born June 21, 1942) is a fellow at the University of Pennsylvania Fels Institute of Government, an adjunct faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania, and a women's rights activist. Sh ...

, former U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania * Dave McCurdy, former U.S. Representative from Oklahoma * James T. McIntyre, former Director of the OMB *

David Minge David R. Minge (born March 19, 1942) is an American former judge and politician. David Minge served as a judge on the Minnesota Court of Appeals from 2002 until retiring at the end of March 2012. Previously, Minge was a Democratic–Farmer–L ...

, former U.S. Representative from Minnesota * Jim Nussle, former Director of OMB under George W. Bush * Paul O'Neill, former Secretary of the Treasury under George W. Bush * June E. O'Neill, former Director of CBO * Marne Obernaurer Jr., Chairman of the Beverage Distributors Company *

Robert Packwood Robert William Packwood (born September 11, 1932) is an American retired lawyer and politician from Oregon and a member of the Republican Party. He resigned from the United States Senate, under threat of expulsion, in 1995 after allegations of ...

, former Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee * Leon Panetta, former OMB Director and Director of the Central Intelligence Agency * Rudolph Penner, former CBO Director * Timothy Penny, former U.S. Representative from Minnesota *

Peter G. Peterson Peter George Peterson (June 5, 1926 – March 20, 2018) was an American investment banker who served as United States Secretary of Commerce from February 29, 1972, to February 1, 1973, under the Richard Nixon administration. Before serving as Sec ...

, former U.S. Secretary of Commerce and founder of Peter G. Peterson Foundation * Robert Reischauer, former Director of CBO and current President of the Urban Institute * John J. Rhodes, former U.S. Representative from Arizona * Alice Rivlin, founding Director of CBO, former member of Federal Reserve Board of Governors *

Charles Robb Charles Spittal Robb (born June 26, 1939) is an American politician from Virginia and former officer in the United States Marine Corps. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 64th governor of Virginia from 1982 to 1986 and a United ...

, former U.S. Senator from Virginia *

Martin Sabo Martin Olav Sabo (February 28, 1938 – March 13, 2016) was an American politician who served as United States Representative for , which includes Minneapolis; the district is one of eight congressional districts in Minnesota. Early life and ...

, former Chairman of the House Budget Committee *

Charles Schultze Charles Louis Schultze (December 12, 1924 – September 27, 2016) was an American economist and public policy analyst. He served as the Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers during the President Carter Administration. Schultze was appo ...

, former Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers * Alan K. Simpson, former Republican Senator from Wyoming *

John W. Snow John William Snow (born August 2, 1939) is an American economist, attorney, and businessman who is the former CEO of CSX Corporation and served as the 73rd United States secretary of the treasury under U.S. President George W. Bush. He replaced ...

, former Secretary of the Treasury under George W. Bush *

John Spratt John McKee Spratt Jr. (born November 1, 1942) is an American politician who was the U.S. representative for from 1983 to 2011. The 5th Congressional District covers all or part of 14 counties in north-central South Carolina. The largest cities a ...

, former House Budget Committee Chairman * Elmer Staats, former U.S. Comptroller General * Charles Stenholm, former U.S. Representative from Texas * Eugene Steuerle, Senior Fellow at the Urban Institute * David Stockman, former Director of OMB under Reagan, former U.S. Representative from Michigan * Robert Strauss, former Chairman of Democratic National Committee * Lawrence Summers, former Treasury Secretary and Director of the National Economic Council * John Tanner, former U.S. Representative from Tennessee * Tom Tauke, former U.S. Representative from Iowa * Laura Tyson, former Chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers * George Voinovich, former U.S. Senator from Ohio * Paul Volcker, former Chairman of the Federal Reserve * Carol Cox Wait, former President of CRFB * David Walker, former U.S. Comptroller General and Director of GAO * Joseph R. Wright, former Director of OMB under Ronald Reagan *

Janet Yellen Janet Louise Yellen (born August 13, 1946) is an American economist serving as the 78th United States secretary of the treasury since January 26, 2021. She previously served as the 15th chair of the Federal Reserve from 2014 to 2018. Yellen is ...

, current

United States Secretary of the Treasury The United States secretary of the treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, and is the chief financial officer of the federal government of the United States. The secretary of the treasury serves as the principal a ...

References

External links

Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget
{{DEFAULTSORT:Committee For A Responsible Federal Budget Nonpartisan organizations in the United States Non-profit organizations based in Washington, D.C. Organizations established in 1981 Political and economic think tanks in the United States