Passed before Richard Nixon resigned in the summer of 1974, a new budget law boosted Congress’s arsenal in the arms race against The Imperial Presidency. Among his other power grabs, Nixon had impounded congressionally approved funds to thwart Democrats who controlled both chambers. The Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 gave Congress its budget committees, its Congressional Budget Office to pair off against the Executive Branch’s Office of Management and Budget.
It put Congress in the driver’s seat or at least let it be a co-pilot instead of a presidential serf when it comes to spending. It also gave Congress reconciliation which allows bills germane to the budget to be approved by the Senate without a filibuster.
