Joshua Gordon, policy director at the Concord Coalition, a non-partisan group that advocates responsible fiscal policy, said having Congress and the president agree up front on a budget would avoid last-minute negotiations and government-shutdown threats that have become almost routine in Washington.

"If spending amounts are agreed to ahead of time, you're not fighting it out over individual appropriations bills," he said. "You wouldn't have the same sort of appropriations standoff that we've had over the last three years."