Agencies will have to disclose information to the CBO unless a law is enacted that specifically disallows CBO access to the material. Image: Amy Lutz/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffThe Senate has joined the House in passing HR-7032, to require federal agencies to be more responsive to information requests from the Congressional Budget Office, which at times has faced delays or denials.
The CBO “plays a key role in the budget and legislative process, by providing objective, nonpartisan information to lawmakers through cost estimates and analytic reports” but it “is not always able to access information needed” for them,” says the report on the bill. “This may inhibit Congress’s ability to legislate as they may not always have all the information regarding the fiscal impact of legislation in a timely manner.”
“This bill would help expedite the information retrieval process for CBO so it can timely provide the proper information to lawmakers regarding the budgetary impact of legislation and other reports,” it says.
The measure among other things addresses a provision in current law barring agencies from publicly releasing various forms of confidential government information that sometimes has acted as a barrier to access by the CBO; under the revision, agencies will have to disclose information to the CBO unless a law is enacted that specifically disallows CBO access to the material. The CBO would have to maintain any required confidentiality.
To monitor compliance, the CBO would issue a report to Congress after one year on any requests for information that CBO made to agencies and any challenges it faced in accessing that information.
Senate Eyes Vote to Pay Federal Employees Working Unpaid
Series of Bills Offered to Address Shutdown’s Impact on Employees
Public Starting to Feel Impact of Shutdown, Survey Shows
OPM Details Coverage Changes, Plan Dropouts for FEHB/PSHB in 2026
Does My FEHB/PSHB Plan Stack Up? Here’s How to Tell
2025 TSP Rollercoaster and the G Fund Merry-go-Round
See also,
TSP Takes Step toward Upcoming In-Plan Roth Conversions
5 Steps to Protect Your Federal Job During the Shutdown
Over 30K TSP Accounts Have Crossed the Million Mark in 2025
