About the CBO

The Congressional Budget Office in the United States was established in 1974. Here are some interesting things from its factsheet.

• Funding of USD 44.1 million in Fiscal Year 2009.
• Staffed by 235 people.
• Mission to provide "Objective, nonpartisan, and timely analyses to aid in economic and budgetary decisions on the wide array of programs covered by the federal budget"

In contrast, Canada's OPBO has only a handful of employees and funding of just over $2million per year.

There are surely important differences between the needs of a congressional and parliamentary system, so direct comparisons might not be appropriate. However, the need remains for independent analyses of budget proposals from either the Government or the Opposition side of the House and the OPBO is a great way to do so effectively.