Jul 21, 2017 · 1 min read
The CBO needs to answer some questions for the public.
- Why has it consistently overestimated the cost of so many efforts to bring universal coverage to the US? https://balkin.blogspot.com/2009/07/politicized-prognostication-at-cbo.html
- Why does it continually push for Fair Value Accounting?: https://balkin.blogspot.com/2016/03/fair-value-accounting-debunked-again.html
- You state “To meet the standard of nonpartisan objectivity, CBO makes no recommendations about policy, regularly consults with researchers and practitioners with a wide range of views.” Have you consulted with anyone who made points similar to the ones in the posts at 1 and 2 above? Have you, for example, discussed with Tim Westmoreland his powerful critique of CBO’s scoring of health legislation?
- Let me be clear: I do not think the AHCA or the BCRA are good policy. However, I don’t need the CBO’s politicized prognostication to make that clear. I agree with Jeff Spross: It is time to demote the CBO (http://theweek.com/articles/712148/demote-cbo), unless it opens itself up to a wider range of perspectives on the value of public programs and proper methods of public accounting.
