WASHINGTON, DC -- The House and Senate will soon consider a $410 billion omnibus spending bill that combines the nine annual appropriation bills that were left over from last year. 

"Certainly it is good that Congress is finally getting around to considering the remaining appropriations bills," said Maya MacGuineas, President of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.  "That said, if ever there were a reminder that our budget system needs a complete overhaul, this is it.  Nine bills lumped into an omnibus and passed four months late is not the way we should be passing budgets."

Along with the Peter G. Peterson Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget has launched the Peterson-Pew Commission on Budget Reform. The commission, which will operate over the next two years, will focus on increasing the transparency, accountability, and long-term focus of the federal budget process.

"This commission is long overdue," said MacGuineas. "We need a process that helps Congress and the President get the job done, not one that allows them to skirt their responsibilities."

The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget is a bipartisan organization committed to educating policy makers and the public about issues related to fiscal policy. The Committee is located at the New America Foundation. Please visit www.crfb.org.