Testimony on CBO’s Appropriation Request for Fiscal Year 2020
Report
Director Keith Hall testifies on CBO’s appropriation request for fiscal year 2020 before the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch.
CBO is asking for appropriations of $53.6 million for fiscal year 2020. That amount represents an increase of $2.8 million, or 5.6 percent, from the $50.7 million provided to CBO for 2019. Of the total amount, nearly 91 percent would be used for personnel costs.
Reasons for the Requested Increase in Funding
CBO requests an increase of $2.8 million for two priorities—to pay for current staffing and to bolster transparency and responsiveness. Last year, the Congress increased CBO’s budget to put in place a multiyear plan to increase the agency’s capacity to make its work as transparent and responsive as possible, and the increase requested now would allow the agency to continue to pursue that plan.
Paying for Current Staffing CBO requests an increase of $1.3 million to fund current staffing levels in 2020. That amount would be used for a small increase in employees’ average salary and benefits to provide merit-based pay raises and keep pace with inflation.
Bolstering Transparency and Responsiveness The increase would include $1.2 million to fully fund 14 staff members hired throughout fiscal year 2019. (The addition in terms of full-time-equivalent positions, or FTEs, would be 7.6.) The increase would also include $0.3 million for 6 new hires in fiscal year 2020. (The addition in terms of FTEs would be 1.4.)