diff --git a/xds/internal/xdsclient/authority.go b/xds/internal/xdsclient/authority.go
index eb1110ecc4c..cfe6fc865af 100644
--- a/xds/internal/xdsclient/authority.go
+++ b/xds/internal/xdsclient/authority.go
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ func (c *clientImpl) newAuthority(config *bootstrap.ServerConfig) (_ *authority,
 			ret.close()
 		}
 	}()
-	ctr, err := newController(config, ret.pubsub, c.updateValidator, c.logger)
+	ctr, err := newController(config, ret.pubsub, c.updateValidator, c.logger, nil)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
diff --git a/xds/internal/xdsclient/client_test.go b/xds/internal/xdsclient/client_test.go
index 31f6d466fbe..d496aa59adc 100644
--- a/xds/internal/xdsclient/client_test.go
+++ b/xds/internal/xdsclient/client_test.go
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ type testController struct {
 func overrideNewController(t *testing.T) *testutils.Channel {
 	origNewController := newController
 	ch := testutils.NewChannel()
-	newController = func(config *bootstrap.ServerConfig, pubsub *pubsub.Pubsub, validator xdsresource.UpdateValidatorFunc, logger *grpclog.PrefixLogger) (controllerInterface, error) {
+	newController = func(config *bootstrap.ServerConfig, pubsub *pubsub.Pubsub, validator xdsresource.UpdateValidatorFunc, logger *grpclog.PrefixLogger, _ func(int) time.Duration) (controllerInterface, error) {
 		ret := newTestController(config)
 		ch.Send(ret)
 		return ret, nil
diff --git a/xds/internal/xdsclient/controller.go b/xds/internal/xdsclient/controller.go
index 431a14498e1..a99f4b16494 100644
--- a/xds/internal/xdsclient/controller.go
+++ b/xds/internal/xdsclient/controller.go
@@ -18,6 +18,8 @@
 package xdsclient
 
 import (
+	"time"
+
 	"google.golang.org/grpc/internal/grpclog"
 	"google.golang.org/grpc/xds/internal/xdsclient/bootstrap"
 	"google.golang.org/grpc/xds/internal/xdsclient/controller"
@@ -33,6 +35,6 @@ type controllerInterface interface {
 	Close()
 }
 
-var newController = func(config *bootstrap.ServerConfig, pubsub *pubsub.Pubsub, validator xdsresource.UpdateValidatorFunc, logger *grpclog.PrefixLogger) (controllerInterface, error) {
-	return controller.New(config, pubsub, validator, logger)
+var newController = func(config *bootstrap.ServerConfig, pubsub *pubsub.Pubsub, validator xdsresource.UpdateValidatorFunc, logger *grpclog.PrefixLogger, boff func(int) time.Duration) (controllerInterface, error) {
+	return controller.New(config, pubsub, validator, logger, boff)
 }
diff --git a/xds/internal/xdsclient/controller/controller.go b/xds/internal/xdsclient/controller/controller.go
index 3f7371ae63c..d4829714547 100644
--- a/xds/internal/xdsclient/controller/controller.go
+++ b/xds/internal/xdsclient/controller/controller.go
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ func SetGRPCDial(dialer func(target string, opts ...grpc.DialOption) (*grpc.Clie
 }
 
 // New creates a new controller.
-func New(config *bootstrap.ServerConfig, updateHandler pubsub.UpdateHandler, validator xdsresource.UpdateValidatorFunc, logger *grpclog.PrefixLogger) (_ *Controller, retErr error) {
+func New(config *bootstrap.ServerConfig, updateHandler pubsub.UpdateHandler, validator xdsresource.UpdateValidatorFunc, logger *grpclog.PrefixLogger, boff func(int) time.Duration) (_ *Controller, retErr error) {
 	switch {
 	case config == nil:
 		return nil, errors.New("xds: no xds_server provided")
@@ -120,12 +120,15 @@ func New(config *bootstrap.ServerConfig, updateHandler pubsub.UpdateHandler, val
 		}),
 	}
 
+	if boff == nil {
+		boff = backoff.DefaultExponential.Backoff
+	}
 	ret := &Controller{
 		config:          config,
 		updateValidator: validator,
 		updateHandler:   updateHandler,
 
-		backoff:    backoff.DefaultExponential.Backoff, // TODO: should this be configurable?
+		backoff:    boff,
 		streamCh:   make(chan grpc.ClientStream, 1),
 		sendCh:     buffer.NewUnbounded(),
 		watchMap:   make(map[xdsresource.ResourceType]map[string]bool),
diff --git a/xds/internal/xdsclient/controller/controller_test.go b/xds/internal/xdsclient/controller/controller_test.go
index 644698cc26f..599afb3a3e9 100644
--- a/xds/internal/xdsclient/controller/controller_test.go
+++ b/xds/internal/xdsclient/controller/controller_test.go
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ func (s) TestNew(t *testing.T) {
 
 	for _, test := range tests {
 		t.Run(test.name, func(t *testing.T) {
-			c, err := New(test.config, noopUpdateHandler, nil, nil) // Only testing the config, other inputs are left as nil.
+			c, err := New(test.config, noopUpdateHandler, nil, nil, nil) // Only testing the config, other inputs are left as nil.
 			defer func() {
 				if c != nil {
 					c.Close()
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ func (s) TestNewWithGRPCDial(t *testing.T) {
 
 	// Set the dialer and make sure it is called.
 	SetGRPCDial(customDialer)
-	c, err := New(config, noopUpdateHandler, nil, nil)
+	c, err := New(config, noopUpdateHandler, nil, nil, nil)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("New(%+v) = %v, want no error", config, err)
 	}
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ func (s) TestNewWithGRPCDial(t *testing.T) {
 
 	// Reset the dialer and make sure it is not called.
 	SetGRPCDial(grpc.Dial)
-	c, err = New(config, noopUpdateHandler, nil, nil)
+	c, err = New(config, noopUpdateHandler, nil, nil, nil)
 	defer func() {
 		if c != nil {
 			c.Close()
diff --git a/xds/internal/xdsclient/controller/transport.go b/xds/internal/xdsclient/controller/transport.go
index e97717d974c..9e983651272 100644
--- a/xds/internal/xdsclient/controller/transport.go
+++ b/xds/internal/xdsclient/controller/transport.go
@@ -59,26 +59,21 @@ func (t *Controller) run(ctx context.Context) {
 	// report error (and log) when stats is transient failure.
 
 	retries := 0
-	for {
-		select {
-		case <-ctx.Done():
-			return
-		default:
-		}
-
-		if retries != 0 {
-			timer := time.NewTimer(t.backoff(retries))
+	lastStreamStartTime := time.Time{}
+	for ctx.Err() == nil {
+		dur := time.Until(lastStreamStartTime.Add(t.backoff(retries)))
+		if dur > 0 {
+			timer := time.NewTimer(dur)
 			select {
 			case <-timer.C:
 			case <-ctx.Done():
-				if !timer.Stop() {
-					<-timer.C
-				}
+				timer.Stop()
 				return
 			}
 		}
 
 		retries++
+		lastStreamStartTime = time.Now()
 		stream, err := t.vClient.NewStream(ctx, t.cc)
 		if err != nil {
 			t.updateHandler.NewConnectionError(err)
@@ -370,24 +365,21 @@ func (t *Controller) processAckInfo(ack *ackAction, stream grpc.ClientStream) (t
 // It blocks until the context is cancelled.
 func (t *Controller) reportLoad(ctx context.Context, cc *grpc.ClientConn, opts controllerversion.LoadReportingOptions) {
 	retries := 0
-	for {
-		if ctx.Err() != nil {
-			return
-		}
-
-		if retries != 0 {
-			timer := time.NewTimer(t.backoff(retries))
+	lastStreamStartTime := time.Time{}
+	for ctx.Err() == nil {
+		dur := time.Until(lastStreamStartTime.Add(t.backoff(retries)))
+		if dur > 0 {
+			timer := time.NewTimer(dur)
 			select {
 			case <-timer.C:
 			case <-ctx.Done():
-				if !timer.Stop() {
-					<-timer.C
-				}
+				timer.Stop()
 				return
 			}
 		}
 
 		retries++
+		lastStreamStartTime = time.Now()
 		stream, err := t.vClient.NewLoadStatsStream(ctx, cc)
 		if err != nil {
 			t.logger.Warningf("lrs: failed to create stream: %v", err)
diff --git a/xds/internal/xdsclient/controller/v2_testutils_test.go b/xds/internal/xdsclient/controller/v2_testutils_test.go
index dfd195827d4..de147d480e5 100644
--- a/xds/internal/xdsclient/controller/v2_testutils_test.go
+++ b/xds/internal/xdsclient/controller/v2_testutils_test.go
@@ -458,13 +458,10 @@ func newTestController(p pubsub.UpdateHandler, controlPlanAddr string, n *basepb
 		Creds:        grpc.WithTransportCredentials(insecure.NewCredentials()),
 		TransportAPI: version.TransportV2,
 		NodeProto:    n,
-	}, p, nil, l)
+	}, p, nil, l, b)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
-	// This direct setting backoff seems a bit hacky, but should be OK for the
-	// tests. Or we need to make it configurable in New().
-	c.backoff = b
 	return c, nil
 }