October 20, 2016

How powerful is the Budget Committee?

We know that Bernie will chair the Budget Committee, so I was wondering how much power that role actually has. So I looked up the Budget Committee on Wikipedia and found this

...responsible for drafting Congress's annual budget plan and monitoring action on the budget.... has jurisdiction over the Congressional Budget Office.

The Finance Committee.... has legislative jurisdiction in the areas of taxes, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and some other entitlements. The Appropriations Committee has legislative jurisdiction over appropriations bills, which provide funding for government programs.

While the budget resolution prepared by the Budget Committee sets out a broad blueprint for the Congress.... these other Committees prepare the legislation that actually enacts specific tax and spending policies

This sounds like the Budget Committee makes recommendations and maintains records, but lacks the power to actually make decisions. Is the Budget Committee merely a bookkeeper, or is there more to it?