Congress demands CBO show its math on every budget estimate
H.R. 724 — CBO Show Your Work Act · Filed by Warren Davidson (R-OH) · 35 cosponsors · Introduced Jan 24, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill requires the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to publish the mathematical models, data, assumptions, and computational details behind its cost estimates for legislation—so that Members of Congress and the public can see how the CBO reached its numbers and verify them independently. For data the CBO is legally barred from releasing, it must publish descriptive statistics, variable lists, and contact information for accessing the full data.
Why we flagged it
The bill's sole operative mechanism is a transparency requirement—it mandates public disclosure of CBO models and computational data. It does not change CBO's scoring methodology, budget authority, or substantive powers; it only requires the CBO to show its work.
What the text implies
- CBO may face resource constraints in preparing and maintaining public-facing models and documentation, potentially delaying estimate production during the 6-month implementation window.
- Disclosure of proprietary or sensitive data-preparation routines could expose CBO methodologies to external criticism or political pressure, though the bill includes a carve-out for legally protected data.
The full analysis lists 3 implications of this text.
Who it affects
Transparency into how the CBO scores legislation strengthens democratic accountability by allowing citizens, legislators, and independent analysts to verify the reasoning behind cost estimates that drive budget decisions. This reduces the risk of opaque or unexamined assumptions driving major fiscal policy.