H.Res. 981 — Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States should reduce and maintain the Federal unified budget deficit at or below 3 percent of gross domestic product.

This section expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should adopt a fiscal target to reduce the federal budget deficit to 3% of gross domestic product or less as soon as possible and no later than the end of FY2030, after which Congress should pursue a balanced budget; that the President should submit budgets to meet the target, and congressional budget resolutions should set consistent allocations; that the House Committees on the Budget and Rules should each recommend, within 180 days, enforcement options and House rules changes (respectively), including points of order, a backstop mechanism, and strengthened enforcement of budget rules and the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010; that the Congressional Budget Office should include in cost estimates for major legislation statements on consistency with the target under a current-law baseline; that the Joint Committee on Taxation should provide supplemental analysis of major legislation's effects on the target; and that deficit-reduction efforts should address discretionary appropriations, direct spending, revenues, and the revenues-expenditures gap while avoiding budgetary gimmicks.