Hoyer: Don’t politicize CBO

Conservative lawmakers want to change the way the CBO calculates the costs of government, and they’re pushing to replace agency Director Douglas Elmendorf with someone who will introduce “dynamic scoring,” a GOP-favored way to measure the impact of tax cuts and other policy changes by taking into account the larger economic effects that would be caused by the changes.

But House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said that while it’s within the Republican-controlled Congress’ right to not re-appoint Elmendorf, whose term runs out this month, it’s also vital the CBO remain fully independent of partisan influences.

“CBO needs to be a non-partisan analytical body that gives us the most honest answers based upon its economic analysis of our policies that are proposed,” Hoyer said. “That means, in my opinion, we’ll be able to pass the best legislation and know its consequences.”

Hoyer said Elmendorf, an economist who as served as CBO director since early 2009, has been a “very professional leader” of the agency.

“That doesn’t mean there aren’t other professional [CBO] leaders,” Hoyer said. “I’ve served with Republican-appointed CBO directors for whom I had a great deal of respect. So we’ll see what they do.

“The critical question is not who the person is, it is the expectation of the Congress that [CBO] will give us honest, non-political, economically well-grounded answers and will not be asked to speculate — i.e., dynamic scoring — on what might happen [with policies].”

Incoming House Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., has called dynamic scoring “reality-based.” Democrats counter that it’s nothing more than a way for Republicans to justify tax cuts by assuming they will produce a positive economic trickle-down effect.

“If it doesn’t work out, you’re deeper in debt,” Hoyer said. “The downside [of dynamic scoring] does not justify the projection.”