House Budget Committee Highlights Bipartisan 2021 Budget

Feb 4, 2020

Washington, D.C. – Following the six-month anniversary of its passage, the House Budget Committee released a document highlighting the accomplishments of Congress’s Bipartisan Budget Act of 2019 (BBA19). The legislation passed with bipartisan, bicameral and executive support, enacting a two-year budget plan for 2020 and 2021.

Without Congressional action, statutory caps on discretionary funding – set by the Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA) – would have forced deep cuts to defense and nondefense spending. Congress passed laws to avoid severe cuts in 2013, 2015, and 2018, and Chairman Yarmuth introduced the BBA19 to raise the caps a final time before their expiration after 2021.

“Passing bipartisan legislation to raise the caps and enact a realistic budget has been the most important accomplishment of this Congress,” said House Budget Chairman John Yarmuth (KY-03). “With a budget in place, Congress approved all twelve 2020 spending bills for the full-year and is moving forward with the 2021 appropriations process. I look forward to drafting a 2022 budget, when the budget resolution will once again be the primary vehicle for establishing and enforcing Congress’ fiscal plans.

“The House Budget Committee will now focus on restoring Congress’ power of the purse and enacting legislation to ensure Congressional funding decisions are adhered to and respected. In the face of such a clear and present threat to our democracy from this Administration, the Committee’s top priority must be defending Congress’ constitutional authority and protecting our separation of powers.”

The BBA19 replaced the harmful, unrealistically low caps with a usable budget complete with:

  • Discretionary toplines for 2020 and 2021, making strong investments in our national and economic security possible;
  • Revenue levels and committee spending allocations consistent with current-law projections;
  • Accommodations for spending or revenue initiatives that are fully offset with other savings; and
  • A two-year suspension of the debt ceiling to avoid default.

A PDF of the document is available here.

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Issues: 
FY21 Budget Resolution