is the CBO really nonpartisan and if so how in the hell is that achieved? sorry, v ignorant about CBO beyond very surface level of what it does and that's from Congress which makes me supah skeptical but you guise seem v confident in it's findings
Edit: just read the wiki. seems to be legit, independently done. This is from the Reception section of it on wiki for anybody else lurking who was also like wot
Quote:
Whereas politicians on both sides of the aisle have criticized the CBO when its estimates have been politically inconvenient,[11][5] economists and other academics overwhelmingly reject that the CBO is partisan or that it fails to produce credible forecasts.
A March 2017 survey of leading economists shows a consensus behind the notion that "adjusting for legal restrictions on what the CBO can assume about future legislation and events, the CBO has historically issued credible forecasts of the effects of both Democratic and Republican legislative proposals."[2] According to MIT economist David Autor, the "CBO has a good track record with a very difficult assignment. It errs, but not systematically or with partisan intent."[2] According to Yale economist Christopher Udry, "There is no credible evidence of partisan bias."[2] Economist Walter E. Williams wrote in 1998 that the CBO was well-regarded for its "honest numbers" on fiscal and economic matters.[4] According to the Los Angeles Times, "the CBO’s analyses and forecasting are regarded as good or better than others doing similar work... economists say that the CBO’s economic projections generally compare favorably against other outfits, and its long-term budget estimates have been fairly accurate."[11]
According to George Washington University political scientist Sarah Binder, the CBO "has emerged over its history as a neutral analyst of congressional budgets and cost estimates for proposed legislation."[5] The agency has "a nonpartisan staff culture".[5]
Historically, the House Budget Committee and Senate Budget Committee have insulated the CBO from external pressures and attempts to politicize or weaken the office.[4]
I'm v happy this exists. Kind of surprised Congress would have enacted a strong nonpartisan entity for budgetary analysis - makes too much sense for those hacks!