# Stop the Baseline Bloat Act of 2025

This bill changes how the government calculates its budget projections, specifically by excluding emergency spending and supplemental appropriations from the baseline numbers that Congress uses to measure the budget. To understand why this matters, you need to know how government budgeting works: Congress creates a "baseline"—essentially a projection of what spending will be in the future—and then uses that baseline to measure whether new spending bills are adding to or reducing the deficit. This bill says that when calculating this baseline, money spent on emergencies and supplemental appropriations (extra funding passed outside the normal budget process) should be left out of the equation.

The practical effect is that it becomes easier for Congress to spend money on emergencies and supplemental bills without those expenditures counting against deficit reduction goals. For example, if Congress passes emergency funding for disaster relief or a supplemental spending bill for an unexpected crisis, that money wouldn't be included in the baseline calculation. This means Congress could approve more emergency and supplemental spending without triggering automatic spending cuts that normally kick in when the budget gets too large. Supporters argue this prevents artificial constraints on responding to genuine emergencies, while critics worry it could be used to hide spending or make it easier to increase the deficit by simply labeling regular spending as "emergency" or "supplemental."

The bill essentially loosens the budget rules that have been in place since 1985, making it simpler for lawmakers to spend money on items they classify as emergency needs without those expenditures counting toward deficit targets. Whether this is good or bad depends largely on whether you believe Congress will use this flexibility responsibly for genuine emergencies or whether you're concerned it could become a loophole for increased spending.

Stop the Baseline Bloat Act of 2025

Grothman, Glenn

Stop the Baseline Bloat Act of 2025This bill changes the assumptions that the Congressional Budget Office uses to calculate the baseline for discretionary spending. (A baseline is a projection of federal spending and receipts during a fiscal year under current law.) Specifically, the bill changes the assumptions used for the discretionary spending baseline to exclude (1) resources designated as an emergency requirement, and (2) resources provided in supplemental appropriations laws.&nbsp;