12 Consensus Principles to Reduce Spending

1. Budgets with the Force of Law. The Concurrent Budget Resolution (which is not signed into law by the President) should be reformed into a Joint Budget Resolution that is signed into law by the President.
   
   

2. Automatic Spending Reductions. Spending that exceeds the amount set in the Congressional Budget Resolution shall be designated as an "Uncontrolled Debt" by the OMB. The designation of a projected Uncontrolled Debt in excess of the budget shall trigger an across-the-board percentage reduction in federal spending by the OMB for all mandatory and discretionary accounts, except Social Security and Medicare.
   
   

3. Enforce the Numbers that Count. The current budget, which identifies 20 separate budget functions that are not enforced, should be replaced with an enforceable, one-page budget. It should establish spending levels by law for four broad spending categories: 1) mandatory spending, 2) spending for defense and homeland security, 3) non-defense discretionary spending, and 4) emergency spending.
   
   

4. Budget for Emergency Spending. Emergency spending requests should be included in the budget in a "rainy day" account.
   
   

5. Protect Earned Benefits. Earned entitlements, such as Social Security and Medicare, are exempt from sequestration.
   
   

6. Show Spending Increases Clearly. Current “baseline” budgeting, which automatically includes inflation adjustments, should be replaced by straight forward comparisons of the prior year's actual spending with proposed new spending.
   
   

7. Block Spending Outside the Budget. Update PAYGO rules allowing points of order against proposals that were not included in the budget, limit advance appropriations, and impose program sunsets.
   
   

8. Review Government Programs. Set up a bipartisan commission to review and submit recommendations to eliminate wasteful or duplicative spending.
   
   

9. Enhanced Rescission. The President should have enhanced rescission authority to eliminate wasteful spending, provided the Congress votes to support the President's eliminations.
   
   

10. Clear Presentation of the Government’s Full Debts and Liabilities. The federal government must account for its full share of the accruing costs of pensions, retired pay, and retiree health benefits, as they are earned by all federal civilian and military employees.
    
    

11. Clear Presentation of Debt Owed to Public. Intragovernmental debt should be separated from overall public debt in debt disclosures.
    
    

12. Enforce the Rules of Congress. Points of order raised against proposals intended to prevent an "uncontrolled debt" should be protected from rules that are reported to waive them.