| The Congressional Budget Office is a small, nonpartisan agency that produces policy analyses, cost estimates, and budget and economic projections that serve as a basis for the Congress's decisions about spending and taxes. Every piece of legislation affecting the use of the nation's resources undergoes CBO's scrutiny. The agency is a public-sector "think tank" that employs an elite, multidisciplinary staff of professional analysts—public-policy experts, economists, budgeteers, and other critical thinkers who enjoy challenges—at levels ranging from undergraduate and graduate interns to seasoned researchers with doctorates and substantial experience.
CBO is often in the eye of the annual budget storm. At stake is a federal budget of almost $2 trillion that affects the lives of everyone in the United States and many people around the world. The Congress depends on CBO to help it find its way each year through the intricate maze of programs competing for funds and to serve as a much-needed "reality check" for partisan advocacy.
CBO is an agency of more than 230 employees located in the Ford House
Office Building at the foot of Capitol Hill. Well over half of its staff
have advanced degrees in economics, public administration, or a wide variety
of other disciplines.
As an office of the Congress, the agency enjoys greater flexibility than
other government employers in hiring staff, setting salaries, assigning
responsibilities, and recognizing and rewarding achievement. The relatively
flat organizational structure fosters a collegial environment and encourages
a team spirit.
The staff are organized into six divisions: Budget Analysis, Macroeconomic Analysis, Tax Analysis, Health and Human Resources, National Security,
and Microeconomic and Financial Studies. A seventh division—Management, Budget, and Information Services—provides personnel, financial, editorial, and computer support. In addition, CBO recently formed a Long-Term Modeling Group to examine the most critical budgetary challenge facing the nation--the coming retirement of the baby-boom generation and its effects on programs such as Social Security and Medicare. |
