Congressional Budget Office Data Sharing Act

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 7032) to amend the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to provide the Congressional Budget Office with necessary authorities to expedite the sharing of data from executive branch agencies, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 7032.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Congressional Budget Office Data Sharing Act.

First, I thank my colleague and friend, the ranking member of the Budget Committee, Mr. Boyle of Pennsylvania, for working with me on this commonsense, bipartisan reform. I also thank our Budget Committee chairman, Jodey Arrington, for his leadership and work on this effort, as well.

As a Congress, there is one thing we can all agree on: The current budgetary process is not working for the American people.

Congress has adopted a budget resolution by its statutorily required April 15 deadline only four times in the last four decades.

We have to find ways to address this brokenness so we can serve and steward the American people's hard-earned tax dollars. A key part of this is process reform.

To me, process is a set of incentives that drive behavior, and we must change the current behavior that is failing this country, especially our children and grandchildren.

Right now, the CBO encounters ongoing challenges in obtaining necessary data from executive branch agencies in a timely manner without restrictions. CBO's recent interactions with the Social Security Administration reveal a systemic issue that extends beyond a single agency. The process of renewing

data agreements, which are vital for the CBO's analyses, has been met with significant delays.

For example, a particular Social Security agreement with the Social Security Administration, critical for ongoing access to essential data, required over a year of negotiations before it was finalized and renewed. This consumed significant resources and time and deprived Congress of valuable information.

It is clear that the current framework is broken. There are many interpretations of various legislative mandates that bring inefficiencies and obstacles to data access. These challenges impact how quickly CBO can provide vital information to Congress and hinder Members' ability to make fully informed decisions regarding the budgetary impact of proposed legislation.

Our bill will put an end to this troubling dynamic.

The Congressional Budget Office Data Sharing Act would ensure the CBO has the tools it needs to deliver for us, their customer, timely and accurate information. It assists CBO in providing Congress with cost estimates for legislation and other fiscal reports that are critical for bringing accountability and transparency.

We streamline the CBO's ability to obtain necessary data, enabling timely completion of its work. We also strengthen and clarify the CBO's ability to request and receive data from executive branch agencies.

This doesn't threaten the confidentiality of sensitive information. Rather, the CBO would be required to maintain confidentiality in a way similar to the executive branch agency that is providing it.

This bill also ensures that future laws will not limit or modify this enhanced authority unless explicitly stated.

Finally, the bill provides increased transparency by requiring the CBO to report to the House and Senate Budget Committees on the requests it makes to agencies and any challenges encountered in retrieving necessary information.

I am proud to support this measure that will give CBO some of the tools it needs to provide timely, accurate, and complete information to Congress.

This legislation is smart, bipartisan, and a step in the right direction to improving the way that we budget Americans' hard-earned tax dollars.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter).

Mr. Speaker, I am ready to close, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I ask to include in the Record letters in statement of support from various organizations and individuals as part of H.R. 7032.

These include from the Congressional Budget Office, several former directors of the Congressional Budget Office, including: Dan Crippen, Doug Elmendorf, and Doug Holtz-Eakin; Sandy Davis who served as the Congressional Budget Office's Associate Director for Legislative Affairs from 2003-2015, and the Economic Policy Innovation Center.

I will include in the Record the Bipartisan Policy Center, the Cato Institute, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, and the National Taxpayers Union Foundation.

Dan Crippen, Former CBO Director

I applaud the House Budget Committee for its legislation

allowing CBO more access to data from federal agencies. I

urge the House to pass the bill in time for the Senate to act

expeditiously as well.

Having once served as Director, I can report first-hand

that agencies collect data valuable to CBO analysis of

legislation and important issues to the Congress.

Unfortunately, many of those agencies are reluctant to share

the data for any number of reasons, including:

privacy;

enabling statutes; and,

the inherent power of ``owning'' the data (often unspoken).

The bill the House plans to consider will help clarify the

ability of agencies to overcome any legislative restrictions

that might impose concern about the legality of transfers.

Other concerns can be mitigated using an MOU.

Privacy has often been the reason given for not sharing

data. Various deidentification techniques can protect

privacy. I was often told that I could identify Bill Gates

tax return without any identifying information . . . of

course, with more taxpayers at his level of income, it would

be more difficult now. Nonetheless, it is possible to

eliminate entirely a few cells that would be identifiable

without severe masking of all data, destroying the

statistical properties of the information.

With the help of Chairman Moynihan, CBO gained access to

IRS data, but under all the same laws and rules of the IRS

itself . . . including go-to-jail provisions for leaking.

Some analysts at CBO were initially chagrined at the new

exposure, but subsequently understood the security measures

we needed to take to successfully comply. This legislation

would do the same for all agencies.

The Census Bureau often claimed that its charter made any

census data available only to the Census Bureau . . . to help

improve its data collection. I once encouraged the House

Appropriations Committee to include CBO access to Census

Bureau data, which they did, only to have the Bureau launch a

large and successful campaign against it. The Bureau claimed

leaks by CBO would discourage people from returning the

census survey when, at least at that point, the only agency

to leak data was the Bureau itself. This bill would make it

clear that it is appropriate and legal for agencies to allow

CBO to use data collected by the government.

No matter what the reason, nor how good the motives,

withholding data from CBO deprives the Congress of better

estimates and analysis. This legislation will make it more

straightforward and less ambiguous, without jeopardizing

existing privacy. The folks at CBO, along with other fine

qualities, are not a leaky lot . . . as shown by their

history.

-Mr. Speaker, I also include in the Record letters and statements of support from various organizations and individuals as part of H.R. 7032. These include statements of support from the National Taxpayers Union, the CATO Institute, and the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.

Romina Boccia, CATO

Strengthen budget data sharing. The Congressional Budget

Office (CBO) plays a critical role in informing Congress

about the fiscal state of the nation as well as in providing

forward-looking guidance for how policy changes will affect

the budgetary picture. At times, CBO has encountered

difficulties accessing necessary data from other government

agencies which complicates the production of objective,

impartial, and timely analyses of legislative proposals. The

Congressional Budget Office Data Sharing Act (H.R. 7032)

empowers CBO to get the data it needs to get the job done,

ensuring legislators can make informed budgetary decisions.

Improving fiscal reporting should be a nonpartisan priority

and it's encouraging to see that this is the case for H.R.

7032. which was reported out of the House Budget Committee

with unanimous support.

Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget

Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a

Responsible Federal Budget, said. ``The Congressional Budget

Office (CBO) needs timely access to government data to

provide information to lawmakers as they make decisions

affecting our country's fiscal path. The Congressional Budget

Office Data Sharing Act would streamline the process for CBO

to obtain such data and thus contribute to improved and more

timely information for lawmakers. Policymakers should pass

this bill.''

National Taxpayers Union Foundation

The Congressional Budget Office Data Sharing Act introduced

by the House Budget Committee's Chairman Jodey Arrington (R-

TX) and Ranking Member Brendan Boyle (D-PA) will help CBO to

respond to congressional requests for legislative analyses in

a timelier manner.

Under current policies, CBO can encounter roadblocks in

getting information it needs from federal agencies that lead

to avoidable delays. The bill would add the CBO to the same

exemption to the Privacy Act of 1974 that is provided to the

Government Accountability Office and both chambers of

Congress. It is also important to note that CBO is obligated

to protect data in the same way as other federal agencies.

The bipartisan CBO Data Sharing Act would help improve

CBO's important work by streamlining its access to needed

information. In turn, CBO can provide lawmakers and taxpayers

with more accurate and timely cost estimates of legislative

proposals.

Demian Brady,

Vice President of Research,

National Taxpayers Union Foundation.

Mr. Speaker, again, I express my sincere gratitude to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Boyle), my friend and fellow Notre Dame graduate, and the ranking member of the Budget Committee for his bipartisan work and his partnership on the CBO Data Sharing Act.

It is a testament to the spirit of bipartisanship that we have on the House Budget Committee. I, again, thank our budget chair, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Arrington) for his work and his commitment on this bill.

I also extend my deep appreciation to my fellow members of the Budget Committee for their work in support of this

legislation, as well as the Budget Committee staff, both on the Republican and Democratic side.

It is critical that the Congressional Budget Office has access to the data needed to support the budget process and ensure that we are the best stewards of Americans' hard earned tax dollars.

The CBO plays a meaningful role in the legislative process by determining the fiscal impact of important potential policy decisions that we undertake here in this House.

Too often, the CBO struggles to obtain the necessary data from executive branch agencies in a timely manner. As was mentioned earlier, this has ripple effects on its ability to deliver prompt budgetary analysis to Congress.

As we all know, this, in turn, delays the Congress in making fully informed decisions regarding the budgetary impact of legislation.

H.R. 7032 removes this hurdle and helps streamline the budget process. This bipartisan legislation will grant the CBO the authority to request and receive key data from executive branch agencies, ensuring it is able to fulfill its mission as laid out in the Congressional Budget Act of 1974.

While expanding access, however, this bill also recognizes the importance of protecting data privacy and ensures that the CBO continues to be subject to congressional oversight.

Given the critical nature of the CBO's work, we can't allow them to continue to operate in a broken budgetary system.

This bipartisan legislation supports strengthening the CBO while allowing us as lawmakers to make the most informed and forward-thinking decisions possible.

I am grateful to everyone who played a part in moving this bill, and I commend the bipartisan members of the Budget Committee who voted unanimously for this bill during committee markup.

I am proud to express my strong support for the CBO Data Sharing Act. I look forward to voting in favor of this piece of legislation. I urge my colleagues to do the same.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 9716) to amend the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to require the Congressional Budget Office to provide baseline updates, and for other purposes.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 9716.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise today in support of my bill, the Increasing Baseline Updates Act.

I thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Suozzi) for co-leading this effort.

The Increasing Baseline Updates Act would require CBO to produce at least two baseline updates per year, including at least one with economic data. Currently, under the Budget Act, CBO is required to publish its baseline before February 15 of each year, but a specific number of baseline updates is not statutorily required.

As a result, in recent years, CBO has not published updates to the baseline later in the calendar year. The last time CBO published a baseline update after July was in 2020, and the Office has not published three baseline updates in a calendar year since 2019.

By requiring these two additional baseline updates each year, the Increasing Baseline Updates Act will ensure Congress has updated information on the most relevant budget and economic figures to better inform the appropriations process and other legislative proposals we consider later in any given calendar year.

The bill also ensures CBO will receive the relevant technical data from the executive branch by February 1 of each year so CBO can complete their baseline in a timely manner.

I was proud that this bill unanimously passed the Budget Committee this past September, with the help of the ranking member from Pennsylvania.

During the 118th Congress, the Budget Committee has been laser focused on sounding the alarm about the threat posed to our Nation by the debt and deficit crisis in which we find ourselves. This has included bipartisan efforts with our Democratic colleagues on reforms to bolster improper payment accountability, improve the budget process, and shore up our long-term fiscal solvency.

Critical to our efforts to rein in the Federal debt and deficit is providing oversight of CBO to ensure this office is providing Congress the most accurate and timely information possible to inform legislative efforts.

There is a sincere desire in a bipartisan way to get after the fiscal state of this Nation, and we have seen several proposals emerge. Not all of them have passed, but a lot of them have been worked on together with my Democratic colleagues on the Budget Committee to accomplish things to improve this process. That is what the Increasing Baseline Updates Act aims to accomplish.

We know we have a lot more work to do. We are $36 trillion in debt, and we had a staggering $1.8 trillion deficit last fiscal year. We are paying more just to service the debt than on our national defense for the first time. It is unacceptable, and we must reverse our debt culture.

Madam Speaker, I look forward to working with my colleagues in the new Congress on efforts to grow the economy, cut spending, and eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse in the Federal Government. The Increasing Baseline Updates Act is a commonsense reform solidifying a total of three baseline updates per year to provide Congress with a better and more up-to-date sense of fiscal and economic developments, while paving the way for a return to regular order.

I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I include in the Record letters and statements of support from various organizations and individuals as part of H.R. 9716. These include the Economic Policy Innovation Center and National Taxpayers Union Foundation.

Economic Policy Innovation Center,

December 10, 2024.

Hon. Jodey Arrington,

Chairman, Committee on the Budget,

House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Hon. Brendan Boyle,

Ranking Member, Committee on the Budget,

House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Chairman Arrington and Ranking Member Boyle: The

Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the Joint Committee on

Taxation (JCT) serve Congress by providing non-partisan

analysis. To accomplish this mission, it is essential that

Congress and the public have faith in the methodology by

which the CBO and the JCT produce their estimates and

reports. An important way to improve trust in the

Congressional scorekeepers is by increasing transparency

through more frequent updates to the baseline and regular

releases of economic data.

H.R. 9716, the Increasing Baseline Updates Act, introduced

by Congressman Blake Moore (R-UT-01) would improve the CBO's

ability to access data from the Executive Branch. It would

also ensure Congress has updated information to use when

legislating.

The bill requires the CBO to submit to Congress at least

two updates to the budget and economic baseline each year.

The bill further stipulates that the President must submit

technical data necessary for the CBO's estimates to Congress

``on or before February 1 of each calendar year.''

The federal budget process must evolve to confront the

serious fiscal challenges of today and tomorrow. The proposed

bill ensures access to the accurate and timely information

necessary for lawmakers to do their work for the American

people.

We at EPIC applaud your work in improving the federal

budget process to enable Congress and the public to be better

informed about the true impact of legislation under

consideration.

Sincerely,

Paul Winfree, Ph.D,

President and CEO.

Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers at this time, and I am prepared to close. I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close.

As we close this debate, even if it might have been a little more abrupt, it doesn't take away from the impact of something like this. That is what happens in this place when we can strike a balance and find an opportunity to recognize both the ranking member and the chairman of the Budget Committee. That is where a lot of this work on budget reform has been done. It has taken countless discussions and getting to the right spot, and

that is the product that we have here today--sensible, reasonable reforms that are needed.

We are going to get an opportunity to hear from CBO more frequently as we try to continue to navigate this incredibly difficult fiscal situation that we are in. We are in a tough spot.

The Budget Committee held another hearing just this morning on this very subject. We have a responsibility to our constituents and our kids' generation to get our finances in check.

This bill will help Congress get back to regular order and ensure we have updated information and the most relevant budget data and economic figures as we continue to craft policy.

I once again thank the Committee for its unanimous support on this bill. In order to get to that unanimous support, Ranking Member Boyle has been a significant leader in doing that. I thank him and Mr. Suozzi for their efforts on this bill.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support its passage, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise today as the author of H.R. 7032, the Congressional Budget Office Data Sharing Act.

Mr. Speaker, 50 years ago, almost to the day, Congress passed the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, which created the modern Congressional budget process as well as the Senate and House Budget Committees, and finally, the Congressional Budget Office.

With 270 dedicated, nonpartisan staff led by Director Dr. Phillip Swagel, CBO is critical to our work on behalf of the American people.

CBO issues hundreds of cost estimates on proposed legislation annually, provides technical assistance in crafting legislation, and keeps the public informed about the costs and impacts of legislation, as well as the overall fiscal health of our Nation.

The Budget Committee has direct oversight of CBO, and as the ranking member, helping CBO to do a better job of serving our institution is one of my top priorities.

Just a few months ago, the CBO director testified before our committee on the issues that CBO faces when requesting data from executive branch agencies.

In many cases, even when agencies want to cooperate with the CBO, they sometimes have concerns about their legal authority to provide data that creates delays.

In just one example that Dr. Swagel gave, CBO faced delays receiving data from FEMA regarding important analysis on flood insurance because FEMA was unsure of their legal authority to provide the data that was requested.

In cases like this, CBO is often forced to rely on less detailed, publicly available information in order to complete their reports on time.

My bill remedies this by clarifying CBO's authority to request data from executive agencies and grant CBO better and timely information so CBO can provide this analysis to Congress.

It accomplishes that while maintaining that CBO protects data to the same standards as the Federal agency providing it.

The security of sensitive data is important to agencies, CBO, and Congress, and this legislation ensures that CBO will continue to follow the procedures of the providing agency when it comes to protecting that data.

Mr. Speaker, as you heard just a few moments ago, this bill is a commonsense solution to an issue that has plagued CBO both through Republican and Democratic administrations, and I am proud that it had unanimous bipartisan support in the Budget Committee.

I thank the lead cosponsor of this legislation, Chairman Jodey Arrington, who has been a crucial partner in advancing this bill.

I thank my friend as well from the South Bend, Indiana, area who has spoken so positively about this bipartisan legislation.

Mr. Speaker, 50 years ago after the enactment of the Budget Act, Congress clearly still has work to do when it comes to improving our budget and appropriations process and ensuring we deliver for the American people on time. This bill is the first step to improving our budget process.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a letter from the Congressional Budget Office on how this bill would clarify and strengthen the agency's general authority for accessing data from executive branch agencies, as well as a letter from the Bipartisan Policy Center in support of this bill.

Congressional Budget Office,

Washington, DC, April 12, 2024.

Hon. Jodey Arrington,

Chairman, Committee on the Budget,

House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Hon. Brendan F. Boyle,

Ranking Member, Committee on the Budget,

House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Re H.R. 7032, Congressional Budget Office Data Sharing Act

Dear Chairman Arrington and Ranking Member Boyle: You have

asked how enacting H.R. 7032, the Congressional Budget Office

Data Sharing Act, would improve CBO's access to data. The

bill would amend the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to

clarify and strengthen the agency's general authority for

accessing data from executive branch agencies.

The Congressional Budget Act provides CBO general authority

to access data from a variety of sources. CBO works

collaboratively with the executive branch to obtain data

through formal and informal means. CBO also accesses data by

using specific authority and by collaborating with other

agencies.

CBO currently has more than 20 active data-use agreements

with federal agencies. However, the shifting legal and

regulatory frameworks at federal agencies can delay,

weaken, or block access to information. The time necessary to

negotiate and renew agreements can be unpredictable and is

widely variable, taking from a couple of weeks to more than a

year.

H.R. 7032 would amend section 201(d) of the Congressional

Budget Act, which governs CBO's access to executive branch

data, by striking a parenthetical statement in that section,

``(other than material the disclosure of which would be a

violation of law).'' That condition is unnecessary when

another statute more specifically governs CBO's access to

certain data. It also can hamper access to data by requiring

CBO to enter into additional discussions with agencies, thus

impairing the timeliness of CBO's work.

Enacting the bill would remove the caveat and, instead,

provide CBO access to executive branch data unless that

access is specifically disallowed by a future law. H.R. 7032

also includes a reference to section 203(e) of the

Congressional Budget Act to highlight CBO's obligation to

protect the restricted information it receives.

Better and more timely access to data enhances the

precision of CBO's work, and it gives the Congress better--

and more timely--information to make informed decisions about

policy. Such access also helps to ensure equal footing with

the executive branch.

I hope this information is useful to you. Please contact me

if you have further questions.

Sincerely,

Phillip L. Swagel,

Director.

Mr. Speaker, this is a commonsense bipartisan bill that gives CBO the tools it needs to do its job to serve this institution better.

This is really about strengthening the institution of Congress, in addition to ensuring CBO is better able to deliver a product.

Helping CBO provide more timely and accurate information to Congress will help us as a body make better and more informed decisions on behalf of the people who sent us here.

I urge all of my colleagues to support the CBO Data Sharing Act, and I once again thank Director Swagel and all the dedicated staff at CBO for their hard work.

I, again, thank Chairman Arrington for his friendship and his support, as well as all of my colleagues on the Budget Committee, including the gentleman from Indiana, who unanimously supported this legislation.

As always, a heartfelt thank you to the staff in my office, as well as both the Democratic and Republican staffs of the Budget Committee for their hard work to make this legislation possible.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 9716, the Increasing Baseline Updates Act, a bipartisan measure to ensure Congress has the accurate and timely information we need to govern responsibly.

This bill is fairly straightforward. It requires that the Congressional Budget

Office, or CBO, to provide at least two updates to its annual budget baseline each year, with one update including the underlying economic data. It also ensures the President submits technical budget data to Congress by February 1, giving the CBO the tools it needs to fulfill its critical role.

CBO's baseline projections are the foundation for evaluating proposed policies. They are the measuring stick for determining how legislation will impact our budget and economy. Regular updates ensure we aren't working with outdated information.

Let me emphasize something else. The CBO is nonpartisan. Its mission is not Democratic nor Republican. It is simply to provide Congress with unbiased, fact-based analysis. For decades--indeed, 50 years, to be exact--it has done an outstanding job, consistently delivering reliable and transparent baseline updates. However, we cannot ignore the fact that some on the other side of the aisle are working to undermine this institution.

Madam Speaker, the numbers don't lie. We may not like CBO reports from time to time, but the numbers are the numbers. Instead of facing these facts, some, instead, would rather attack the messenger. That is wrong, and we can't let that happen. CBO's credibility and independence are essential. It must be able to continue to operate free from political interference.

Now, this bill highlights what we can achieve when we work together. On the Budget Committee this year, working alongside my friend, Chairman Arrington, we have had unprecedented support from the minority party to make sure we could achieve bipartisan reforms. This bill is further evidence of that. Through real bipartisan collaboration, we found a solution. That is why every single member of the Budget Committee, all 32 of us, voted to advance the gentleman from Utah's bill.

I thank my colleague, Mr. Moore, for introducing this bill. I, again, thank my Republican colleagues. Especially Messrs. Arrington, Estes, and Norman, for working with us, and I thank my Democrat colleague, Congressman Tom Suozzi, for his contributions to this effort.

I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 9716, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close.

I was waiting for one other speaker, but seeing that he is not here, I will conclude this brief discussion.

I, again, thank everyone who worked tirelessly to make this bill a reality. Once again, I extend my gratitude to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Moore), and I urge all of my colleagues to support this important legislation.

Again, let this be a lesson to all of us, that through bipartisan work we can achieve meaningful reforms. I hope that in the new year we will continue to build upon the bills that we passed through this committee and through this House on a bipartisan basis.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 1549) to provide the Congressional Budget Office with necessary authorities to expedite the sharing of data from executive branch agencies, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, the Congressional Budget Office, or CBO, is the legislative branch agency responsible for helping Congress accurately analyze the budgetary impact of proposed legislation.

The Congressional Budget Act of 1974 authorized CBO to collect information and data directly from agencies. Timely access to agency data is necessary for CBO to produce accurate cost estimates for legislation and prepare other congressional reports. However, agencies often delay or restrict CBO's access to data. One of the most common reasons agencies restrict CBO's access to Federal agency data is because of perceived Privacy Act obstacles.

This bill, the Congressional Budget Office Data Access Act, solves this problem by granting CBO the same Privacy Act exemption afforded to the Government Accountability Office and Congress.

Under existing law, CBO must meet the confidentiality standards required of the agency that is providing the data, and this bill maintains that standard of confidentiality while expanding CBO's data access authority, such access that GAO and Congress already possess.

CBO access to agency data is critical for the legislative branch agency's ability to fulfill its mission.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my House Oversight Committee colleagues, Representative Grothman and Representative Mfume, for their work on the House companion of this legislation, H.R. 7184. I also thank House Budget Committee Chairman Arrington and Ranking Member Boyle and their staff for coordinating with the Oversight Committee on this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my House colleagues to support this commonsense bill to support CBO in carrying out its mission, and I yield back the balance of my time.