Roadmap to the Budget Process

Monday, July 27, 2026

On Thursday, July 16, the Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL) co-hosted a panel discussion on Capitol Hill with American University’s Program on Legislative Negotiation (PLN) and the Partnership for a Secure America (PSA) entitled “Roadmap to the Budget Process.” Panelists highlighted core budget issues and their role in the authorization and appropriation processes. The importance of negotiation in budgetary matters was also a focus of the discussion. Over 60 Hill staffers participated in the session. The panel featured the following moderators/speakers:

• (Moderator) Craig Volden, Co-Director of the CEL and Professor of Public Policy and Politics at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia.
• (Moderator) Alan Wiseman, Co-Director of the CEL and Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Political Economy and a Professor of Political Science and Law at Vanderbilt University.
• Chad Chirico, Director of Budget Analysis at the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).
• Tom Kahn, Distinguished Faculty Fellow and Director of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies at American University.
• Bettina Poirier, Director of the PLN at American University.
• Chris Bertram, Fellow of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies and a Co-founder of the PLN.
• Johnnie Kaberle, Senior Vice President at WestExec Advisors and former senior staffer on the House Appropriations Committee.

At the start, PSA Executive Director John Sullivan introduced CEL Co-Directors Volden and Wiseman – who noted the recent passing of U.S. Senator and Budget Committee Chair Lindsey Graham. The panelists followed, sharing insights based on their long experience with the congressional budget process. The discussion included the role of the CBO and how to tap into CBO resources, the responsibilities of the Budget Committees; the reconciliation process in both chambers; and an overview of the key players and terminology central to fiscal matters on Capitol Hill. Insights were also shared on how to best prepare for and manage challenges in the budget process, including the central role of negotiation in moving bills forward. Anticipating budgetary matters as early as possible was emphasized. 

The last part of the program was set aside for a Question and Answer session from the congressional staff. Issues included: mandatory versus discretionary spending in the budget, the best way to approach issues with appropriations staff, key players involved in projections and analysis in addition to CBO, including the Joint Committee on Taxation, procedural challenges working within the budget process, and potential trends in the budget process to consider going forward. 

The CEL is grateful to the PLN and PSA staff for helping to put together this very informative event, as well as all those who participated, and we look forward to collaborating again in the future.

CEL Interns Eli Bardash and Daniel Green contributed to this post.