January 18, 2024, will go down as a historic day for the House Budget Committee. It was the day that the committee held a four-hour markup and passed three bills out of committee with bipartisan support. As a longstanding advocate for fiscal responsibility, I was pleased to have a front-row seat and witness it.

The Fiscal State of the Nation Act (H.R. 6952) was passed with strong bipartisan support on a voice vote and without amendments. That bill will require the Comptroller General of the United States, a position I held from 1998-2008, to provide an in-person annual report on the country's financial condition and fiscal outlook of the country to a joint session of Congress.

The Debt to GDP Transparency and Stabilization Act (HR 6957) passed without amendment with a 22-12 bipartisan vote. That bill will require the President’s annual budget submission to provide information on the current state and projected outlook of federal debt/GDP based on the President’s proposed budget.

The Fiscal Commission Act (H.R. 5779) was the most important piece of legislation and was the subject of a vast majority of the markup session. It would establish a sixteen-person statutory commission that would, among other things, educate and engage the American people on our nation’s........

© Townhall