CBO head Elmendorf reappointed

The head of the Congressional Budget Office, Doug Elmendorf, was reappointed Wednesday after Democrats and Republicans both backed his bid for a new term.

Elmendorf’s term ended Jan. 3; his new one will run through Jan. 3, 2015.

The CBO came under fire from Republicans for its spending estimates for the healthcare reform law and for the 2009 stimulus package. In recent weeks, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) has instead blamed Democrats for feeding CBO faulty assumptions.

At the beginning of this month, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) astonished an audience at the Fiscy Awards by publicly endorsing another term for Elmendorf, whom he described as a fair budget referee.

The news of Elmendorf’s reappointment emerged on the day the CBO released a new report showing the annual budget deficit would reach a record $1.5 trillion this year.

“His joint reappointment by a Democratically-controlled Senate and Republican-controlled House speaks volumes to the trust and respect he has earned on both sides of the aisle.  He is exactly the kind of leader we need at CBO,” Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) said in a statement.

The appointment of the CBO director is made jointly by the Senate president pro tempore and the House Speaker, based on the recommendations of the chairmen of the Senate and House Budget Committees.