What They Are Saying: Leaders Stress Need for Womack’s Budgeting for a Better America Act as National Debt Hits $40 Trillion

WASHINGTON, D.C.-August 19, 2026…Representatives Steve Womack (AR-3), Ed Case (HI-1), Bill Huizenga (MI-4), and Scott Peters (CA-50) recently introduced the Budgeting for a Better America Act. This bill would require Congress to adopt a biennial budget framework, establish a bipartisan fiscal commission, and implement other good governance reforms.

The time for reform is now as the national debt surpassed $40 trillion this week.

In response to this grim milestone, Congressman Womack said, "This is yet another sobering realization for lawmakers that we can no longer delay addressing the fiscal state of our nation. Our record level of debt threatens our national security, strains our vital safety net programs, and creates a cascade of negative consequences for Americans from Main Street to Wall Street. Congress must come together expeditiously to pursue bipartisan solutions that responsibly rein in runaway spending before it is too late-the future prosperity of our nation depends on it."

In 2018 as House Budget Committee Chairman, Congressman Womack led the Joint Select Committee on Budget and Appropriations Process Reform tasked with addressing Congress' broken budget process. Building on the Committee's recommendations, the Budgeting for a Better America Act incorporates additional reforms to improve transparency and develop policies to address the long-term debt.

Here's what leading experts across the country are saying:

Maya MacGuineas, President of Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, said, "Representatives Womack, Case, Huizenga, and Peters, along with other supporters, deserve real credit for putting forward a serious bipartisan bill to help Congress budget more responsibly. It is especially encouraging to see leaders in the Bipartisan Fiscal Forum continue advancing constructive, bipartisan ideas to improve the budget process and confront our fiscal challenges. Getting back to a responsible budget will not be easy, and tough choices still lie ahead, but improving the budget process and creating a credible commission are important steps in the right direction."

Leon Panetta, former Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and former Chairman of the House Budget Committee, said, "In our democracy, we govern either by leadership or by crisis. For too long, Washington has governed by crisis, delaying the hard fiscal decisions until the last minute while our debt climbs to record levels and the current budget process has stopped working. This is not sustainable and threatens the future of our economy, our national security, and the promise that our children can have a better, more prosperous life. I commend Representatives Womack, Peters, Huizenga, and Case for their courage to lead. Their Budgeting for a Better America Act would create a bipartisan path to stabilize the debt, improve our budget process, and empower Congress with the tools and foresight needed to confront our long-term challenges before they become a crisis."

Rob Portman, former Director of OMB and former senator from Ohio, said, "As a former Director of OMB and a former member of the House and Senate Budget Committees, I know firsthand the difficulties Congress faces in getting our fiscal house in order. It is clear we need creative solutions addressing the shortfalls in our current budget and appropriations process, and this legislation provides that path forward. The Budgeting for a Better America Act is an all of the above approach. It addresses the delays that plague our current budgeting process, asks more of our budget resolutions to ensure Congress has the full fiscal picture, and shines light on the nation's long-term fiscal outlook-making members accountable for our untenable fiscal state. I thank Representatives Womack, Case, Huizenga, and Peters for their work on this legislation."

John Yarmuth, former Chairman of the House Budget Committee, said, "I strongly support the Budgeting for a Better America Act by Representatives Womack, Peters, Huizenga, and Case. Congressman Womack and I worked together on this legislation in the 117th Congress in order to promote a more thoughtful and farsighted perspective on our national finances. Annual budgeting has failed to be a sensible and effective process, and it is time to try a new approach."

Asa Hutchinson, former Governor of Arkansas and former member of Congress, said, "The challenge of deficit federal spending has been neglected for over 25 years. Our budget was last balanced at the turn of the century when our country was debating the threat of Y2K. The deficit crisis is a fixable problem, and the Budgeting for a Better America Act is a bold bipartisan strategy that will work. The legislation gives Congress a biennium budget, specific deficit reduction targets, and a Fiscal Commission to provide longer term solutions to our debt crisis. I fully support Representatives Womack, Peters, Huizenga, and Case for their work and thank them for their courage to lead this effort."

Michele Stockwell, President of Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) Action, said, "Congress needs a budget process that clearly presents the nation's fiscal challenges and adequately focuses on long-term planning. The Budgeting for a Better America Act advances practical reforms to strengthen fiscal transparency, improve budget planning, and create a bipartisan process for addressing the nation's growing debt. BPC Action supports this thoughtful bill by Representatives Womack, Case, Huizenga, and Peters."

Matthew Dickerson, President of Baseline Policy, said, "The 50-year-old federal budget process is outdated and clearly broken. Our national debt is growing unsustainably and putting America's prosperity at risk. The Budgeting for a Better America Act, led by Representatives Steve Womack, Scott Peters, Ed Case, and Bill Huizenga, is important bipartisan legislation that would help bring transparency to the budget process and a much-needed focus on addressing today's fiscal challenges."

Kent Conrad, former Senate Budget Committee Chairman, said, "A well-functioning budget process is necessary for a functioning federal government. However, the current federal budget process is little more than a charade, and America is denied the opportunity to have a fiscal blueprint for the country. I know these problems firsthand from my years as Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, and I know they can be fixed. I commend Representatives Womack, Peters, Huizenga, and Case for proposing their bipartisan Budgeting for a Better America Act. It advances practical reforms, such as a move to biennial budgeting, and would establish a bipartisan fiscal commission to stabilize the debt. These reforms will not solve every fiscal challenge we face, but they give Congress the tools to finally address them."

Dr. Douglas Holtz-Eakin, former Director of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and President of American Action Forum, said, "Three truths are unavoidable. First, the U.S. has a dangerous federal debt problem. Second, the current budget process has failed to prevent the emergence of this threat. Third, it is hard to imagine dramatically improving the outlook without wholesale changes to the budget process. The bipartisan Budgeting for a Better America Act is a valuable set of tools- biennial budgeting, fiscal targets, a commission of experts-to address this great challenge. Congress should waste no time in reforming the budget process and getting to work on reducing the danger posed by the federal debt."

Dr. Carolyn Bourdeaux, Executive Director of Concord Action, said, "The Budgeting for a Better America Act is a serious, bipartisan step toward restoring fiscal responsibility. Key provisions include moving to a biennial budget and establishing a credible fiscal commission focused on reducing the deficit to 3 percent of GDP. Concord Action supports this effort to bring greater transparency, accountability, and long-range planning back into the federal budget process."

Allan B. Hubbard, former Director of the National Economic Council, said, "I commend Congressman Steve Womack for tackling our budget deficit through the Budgeting for a Better America Act. Our current budget trajectory is guaranteed to bankrupt our country and diminish the standard of living for all Americans. A responsible Congress and a responsible President would support his effort."

Ben Ritz, Vice President of Policy Development at the Progressive Policy Institute, said, "It's no secret that the current budget process isn't working for a Congress that refuses to follow it. Instead of carefully deliberating fiscal tradeoffs, today's lawmakers routinely dither past deadlines and pile on debt. The Budgeting for a Better America Act offers one possible vision for reform that is long overdue."

Brett Loper, Executive Director of Peterson Solutions Fund, said, "Right now, the United States is adding trillion after trillion to our national debt with seemingly no plan in place for the future. The Budgeting for a Better America Act is common sense, bipartisan legislation that would help fix our broken budget process. In particular, a bipartisan fiscal commission dedicated to reforms that would bring our deficit-to-GDP down to 3 percent would be a meaningful step forward for our fiscal and economic future."

Tom Kahn, former Staff Director of the House Budget Committee from 1997-2016, said, "Our national debt is on an unsustainable trajectory which is detrimental to the economic future of our country. The time is long overdue for Congress and the President to act. I commend the authors of this measure for their leadership in advancing a serious and credible legislative effort to address the problem."

Will McBride, Chief Economist at the Tax Foundation, said, "The weaknesses of the budget process have become increasingly apparent over the last 50 years, as the major drivers of federal spending and debt have been left to grow on autopilot. A bipartisan fiscal commission provides an opportunity to break through the impasse and find real solutions that would put the debt on a sustainable course."

William A. Galston, Senior Fellow at The Brookings Institution*, said, "The Budgeting for a Better America Act would move the United States toward a sustainable long-term fiscal course and help renew confidence, at home and abroad, in our ability to govern ourselves."

Demian Brady, Vice President of Research at the National Taxpayers Union Foundation, said, "The Budgeting for a Better America Act clearly addresses the fundamental weakness that have undermined congressional budgeting for decades. While any meaningful fiscal reforms will ultimately depend on congressional action, this legislation provides a framework that encourages earlier and more accountable budget decisions. At a time of trillion-dollar deficits, rising interest costs, and the approaching insolvency of the Medicare and Social Security trust funds, Congress cannot afford to continue budgeting from one deadline to the next. This bipartisan legislation would provide Congress with a more transparent, accountable, and forward-looking framework for confronting the nation's fiscal challenges."

*Institutional affiliation for identification purposes only.

A one-pager is available HERE.

A section-by-section bill summary is available HERE.

The bill text is available HERE.

Congressman Steve Womack (AR-3) has represented Arkansas's Third Congressional District since 2011. He is a member of the House Appropriations Committee.

womack.house.gov

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