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Article: Empty Budgets.(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- The American Enterprise
- Article date:
- April 1, 2000
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2000 The American Enterprise, a national magazine of politics, business and culture (TEAmag.com). This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Empty Budgets Eric M. Patashnik, "Budgeting More, Deciding Less," in The Public Interest (Winter 2000), 1112 16th Street N.W. #530, Washington, D.C. 20036.
Yale political scientist Patashnik believes the federal budget debate is noisier--and less important--than it used to be. "While the budget involves high political stakes, the policy importance of budget-making has declined over time."
Until 1974, Congress did not formally debate the budget, but instead focused on the 13 appropriations bills which determined how much money the government would spend. But President Richard Nixon, in an effort to check congressional spending, tried to "impound" or ...