H.R. 7295 — Comprehensive Congressional Budget Act of 2026

This section sets forth 16 congressional findings concerning growing federal deficits and debt; the increase in federal spending accounts to 1,970 (from 1,734 in March 2009); the decline of annual appropriations to 26 percent of federal spending (from 50 percent in 1974); failures to enact all appropriations bills on time since FY1997; limited opportunities for amendments; projected growth in non-appropriated spending; $500 billion in FY2025 appropriations lacking updated authorizations; looming trust fund depletions (e.g., Social Security OASI, Medicare HI, Highway Trust Fund); and the benefits of a comprehensive congressional budget process.

This section amends section 3 of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 by inserting after paragraph (5) a new definition of "annual budget Act" as an Act itemizing all federal budget authority and revenue through contributions of the appropriations committees and each other committee receiving allocations under section 302(a); and redesignates paragraphs (6) through (11) as paragraphs (7) through (12). This section makes conforming amendments to (1) section 314(g)(1)(A) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, replacing reference to an appropriation measure reported by the Committee on Appropriations with an annual budget Act reported by the Committee on the Budget (thus, shifting specified reporting responsibilities); (2) section 401(a) of such Act, replacing "appropriation Acts" with "an annual budget Act"; (3) section 3(15)(A)(ii) of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995, updating the cross-reference from "section 3(8)" to "section 3" of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974; and (4) 39 U.S.C. 2009a(3), updating the cross-reference to the deficit definition in such section 3.

This section revises the timetable for the congressional budget process for any fiscal year to require the following actions on or before the specified dates: (1) First Monday in February, President submits budget request to Congress; (2) February 15, Congressional Budget Office submits report to Budget Committees; (3) not later than 6 weeks after President submits budget, committees submit views and estimates to Budget Committees; (4) April 1, Senate Budget Committee reports concurrent resolution on the budget; (5) April 15, Congress completes action on concurrent resolution on the budget; (6) May 15, committees submit spending and revenue line items and any recommendations to Committees on the Budget; (7) June 10, House Budget Committee reports annual budget Act; (8) June 15, Congress completes action on reconciliation legislation; (9) June 30, House completes action on annual budget Act; and (10) October 1, fiscal year begins.

This section amends Section 301 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 632) concerning the content and procedures for the annual concurrent resolution on the budget as follows: (1) revises the matter following subsection (a)(7) to require, rather than prohibit, inclusion of old-age, survivors, and disability insurance (OASDI, i.e., Social Security) outlays and revenues in the resolution's surplus or deficit totals (previously excluded) and, if no resolution is adopted by April 15, directs the chair of each chamber's Budget Committee to report baseline levels for all required amounts within 3 legislative days for enforcement in that chamber as if in a resolution; (2) in subsection (b)(3), expands authorized procedures to cover bills or resolutions providing new budget or entitlement authority "on the annual budget Act or" on any reconciliation bill or resolution; (3) in subsection (d), requires authorizing committees' views and estimates to include baseline spending projections by budget account and descriptions of expected changes for the annual budget Act, and requires the Senate Finance and House Ways and Means Committees to submit revenue statements, tax expenditure budgets, and descriptions of expected changes for the annual budget Act; and (4) in subsection (e)(2), adds a requirement for a line-item budget compiling baseline spending and revenue projections for the budget year. The section also makes a conforming amendment to Section 302(a)(5)(A) (2 U.S.C. 633) to reference the new baseline levels under Section 301(a).

This section requires each congressional committee other than Appropriations to compile and submit to its chamber's Budget Committee (1) direct spending and revenue projections for budget accounts within its jurisdiction, including effects of recommended policy changes, and (2) legislation to effect such changes, for inclusion in the annual budget resolution; directs the Budget Committee to return any inconsistent submissions; and makes conforming redesignations and cross-reference updates in Section 302 and Section 904 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974.

This section revises points of order under Section 303 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 that prohibit consideration of budget-related legislation until adoption of a concurrent budget resolution (with chamber-specific scopes for new budget authority, revenue changes, debt limit changes, entitlements, and outlays). (As background, these points of order enforce timely completion of the annual budget resolution, which sets spending and revenue targets; the House applies them only to the first fiscal year covered, while the Senate applies them to all covered years.) Specifically, the section (1) modifies subsection (a) by striking "or the Senate" and inserting "and the Senate"; (2) in the House exceptions under subsection (b)(2), replaces the post-May 15 exception for any general appropriation bill with an exception for the annual budget Act (thus, narrowing the exception); and (3) under Senate subsection (c)(1), limits the point of order on appropriations—until budget resolution adoption and Appropriations Committee allocation—to the annual budget Act, any amendment or motion thereto, or conference report thereon (from any appropriation bill or joint resolution; thus, permitting earlier Senate consideration of regular appropriations bills).

This section revises section 307 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to require the House Committee on the Budget, rather than the Committee on Appropriations, to report by June 10 of each year an annual budget act that includes, without substantive revision, (1) new budget authority under the jurisdiction of all House Appropriations subcommittees for the fiscal year beginning October 1 of that year and (2) all line items and recommended changes submitted by other House committees with jurisdiction over spending or revenue policies. If one or more such committees fail to submit materials, the Budget Committee must include baseline line items for matters within those committees' jurisdictions.

This section revises the House point of order prohibiting consideration of resolutions for adjournment periods of more than three calendar days in July (previously requiring approval of annual appropriation bills providing new budget authority for all Appropriations subcommittees for the upcoming fiscal year). Under the revised rule—retitled "House approval of annual budget Act"—such consideration is not in order until the House approves an annual budget Act that (1) provides new budget authority under the jurisdiction of all Appropriations subcommittees for the fiscal year beginning October 1 of that year and (2) includes all line-item levels, recommended changes submitted by House committees with jurisdiction over direct spending or revenue policies, and any further changes agreed to on the House floor. (Thus, the rule now requires a single comprehensive budget measure addressing discretionary, mandatory, and revenue matters before July recesses exceeding three days.)

This section expands the requirement for Congressional Budget Office (CBO) cost estimates, cost comparisons, and descriptions of federal financial commitments under section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to include (1) bills and resolutions of a public character reported by the House and Senate Appropriations Committees (previously excepted) and (2) submissions by committees of a House of Congress to that House's Budget Committee of recommended direct spending or revenue changes under section 302(d) for inclusion in an annual budget resolution.

This section revises the treatment of off-budget federal activities under the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 by striking the limitation to activities off-budget immediately prior to December 12, 1985, and the exclusion for the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance and Federal Disability Insurance Trust Funds (i.e., Social Security trust funds). (Thus, all off-budget activities, including Social Security, must now be included as budget authority, outlays, and receipts in the President's budget submission and congressional budget resolutions.)