The agency providing Congress with cost estimates—including projections for the GOP’s major reconciliation bill—has a long history of inaccuracy and bias, according to some policy experts and lawmakers.
Established in 1975, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) was created to “provide objective, nonpartisan information to support the Congressional budget process and to help the Congress make effective budget and economic policy.” While it plays a key role in shaping legislative debates, including on the GOP’s sweeping reconciliation package designed to advance Trump’s agenda, some CBO critics argue that its projections often fall short of the office’s mission.
Each year, the CBO produces roughly 600 to 800 cost estimates, including for major legislation such as the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the current GOP…
