Jonathan Bydlak of R Street - Federal Government Budgeting Process

Описание: #Congress #Reform #nonpartisan #interview #Sunwater #federalbudget #governmentspending

About Jonathan Bydak:
Jonathan Bydlak is interim director of the Governance Program at the R Street Institute (https://rstreet.org), director of the Fiscal and Budget Policy Project, and a member of the Legislative Branch Capacity Working Group.

Previously, Jonathan was the founder and president of the Institute for Spending Reform and the Coalition to Reduce Spending, which advocated for spending and budget reform. He is the creator of https://SpendingTracker.org, the first ever real-time spending site that tracks the fiscal records of Members of Congress.

Timestamps:
0:00​ - Start
0:20​ - Introduction
2:06​ - Aspects of the budget
4:16​ - Discussing the budget process
10:10​ - How did the budget process work prior to the 1970s?
17:11 - On the utilization of authorization and appropriation acts
18:59​ - What different types of frameworks could be used to build a budget?
25:19​ - How much of an influence does the national debt (or the ability for the federal government to borrow) play in the creation of a new budget?
32:28​ - On the potential for existing ideas or models that could be used as tools to develop better budgets
36:06​ - What should Congress's budget be?
41:14​ - How to cultivate a culture of accountability within Congress?
[Lightning Round]
47:29​ - What do you think "congressional representation" should mean?
52:04​ - How would your ideal Congress allocate its time?
54:53​ - How should debate, deliberation, or dialogue occur or be structured in Congress?
57:01​ - What fundamental institutional improvements should Congress make within 50 years?
58:54 - What book or article most shaped your thinking with respect to congressional reform?
1:01:10​ - What plans do you have for your research over the long term?

The Sunwater Institute is a nonprofit, non-partisan think tank with a mission to strengthen the foundations of democracy through interdisciplinary science, technology, and open dialogue. Sunwater’s vision is a society, founded on the principles of individual liberty, striving toward its maximum potential. For more information, visit https://www.sunwater.org​​.