“A bill to improve the budget process.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section amends Section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 653), which requires the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to provide cost estimates, comparisons, and descriptions of federal financial commitments for most reported bills and resolutions (except those from Appropriations Committees) for inclusion in committee reports. It designates the existing requirements as subsections (a) "In general" and (b) "Inclusion in reports," and adds subsection (c) requiring CBO to make available to Members of Congress and publicly post on its website— (1) each fiscal model, policy model, and data preparation routine used in estimating costs and other fiscal, social, or economic effects of legislation, including any updates; (2) subject to paragraph (4), for each such estimate, the data, programs, models, assumptions, and other computational details sufficient to permit replication by non-CBO personnel; and (3) for non-disclosable data, a complete list of variables, descriptive statistics (e.g., averages, standard deviations, observations, correlations) to the extent allowable, the prohibiting statute, and contact information for the data holder. The amendments apply 6 months after enactment.
This section establishes zero-based budgeting requirements in presidential budget submissions under 31 U.S.C. 1105 by adding a new subsection (j), excluding the old-age, survivors, and disability insurance program under Social Security Act title II, Medicare under title XVIII, and Medicaid under title XIX. **(a) Interim period.** Beginning with budgets submitted on or after enactment, the President must include for each department and agency, with respect to each appropriated activity in the current fiscal year or requested for the budget year: (1) a description and legal basis; (2) an examination of objectives, operations, and costs; (3) three alternative funding levels for the budget year, at least two below the current fiscal year level, with priority summaries and added value increments for higher levels; and (4) measures of cost efficiency and effectiveness. (Thus, the Office of Management and Budget Director must promptly issue guidelines requiring a zero baseline, with all expenditures justified as new.) **(b) Biennial zero-based budgeting.** Effective January 1, 2027, for budgets submitted on or after December 31, 2026 (applicable to the biennium beginning FY2028 and each biennium thereafter), this requirement shifts to biennial cycles, covering activities appropriated or requested for either fiscal year of the current biennium or next biennium, with three alternative funding levels for each fiscal year in the next biennium, at least two below the average of the current biennium's fiscal years.
This section revises the timetable in Section 300 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 for the congressional budget process to a biennial cycle (from annual). (As background, the timetable governs deadlines for presidential budget submissions, Congressional Budget Office reports to the Budget Committees, committee views and estimates, adoption of a concurrent budget resolution, consideration of appropriations bills, and the start of the biennium on October 1.) In the first session, it requires the President to submit budget recommendations on the first day of session (or first Monday in February under a special rule for sessions after a leap year with a new President), CBO to report to the Budget Committees one week later (or by February 15 under the special rule), committees to submit views and estimates by February 1 (or March 15 under the special rule), the Senate Budget Committee to report a concurrent resolution on the biennial budget by February 15 (or April 1 under the special rule), and Congress to complete action on the resolution by March 15 (or April 15 under the special rule), biennial appropriations bills, and related deadlines through October 1; in the second session, it requires the President to submit a budget review on the first day of session, CBO to report one week later, and Congress to complete action on bills authorizing new budget authority for the succeeding biennium by June 1. It also amends Section 202(e)(1) to require CBO to submit its report to the Budget Committees not later than January 15 (or February 15 under the special rule in new Section 300(b)) (from on or before February 15).
This section revises the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to establish a biennial congressional budget process (i.e., covering a "biennium" defined as two consecutive fiscal years beginning October 1 of odd-numbered years) in place of the annual process. (As background, the Act requires Congress to adopt an annual concurrent budget resolution by April 15 each year to set binding levels for revenues, spending, deficits, and debt limits, along with related allocations, points of order, and revision procedures.) It makes conforming changes throughout, including (1) changing the declaration of purpose to congressional determination "biennially" of Federal revenues and expenditures (from "each year"); (2) renaming and retiming section 301 to require a biennial budget resolution by March 15 (or, if applicable under section 300(b), April 15) of each odd-numbered year (from April 15 each year), with contents covering "each fiscal year in such [biennium]" (from a single fiscal year); (3) adjusting committee allocations under section 302, points of order under section 303, and permissible revisions under section 304 to apply to biennia (from fiscal years), with related deadlines shifted to odd-numbered years (e.g., to March 16 from May 15); and (4) updating the table of contents. (Thus, budget resolutions will be adopted and enforced every two years, potentially reducing frequency while extending coverage.)
This section establishes a biennial federal budget process by amending 31 U.S.C. §§1101 and 1105 and related laws. It (1) adds a definition of "biennium" in §1101 cross-referencing 2 U.S.C. §622(12); (2) requires the President to submit the budget, on or before the first day Congress convenes (or the first Monday in February if applicable under 2 U.S.C. §300(b)) in each odd-numbered year, for the biennium (two fiscal years) beginning October 1 of that year (from annual submission for a single fiscal year); (3) revises budget contents in §1105(a), including expenditures, receipts, balance statements, functions, allowances, tax expenditures, and other estimates, to cover each fiscal year in the biennium and adjusted succeeding periods (from the submitted fiscal year and succeeding four fiscal years) and the two most recent fiscal years for prior outlays and receipts (from one prior fiscal year); (4) limits estimates of legislative and judicial branch expenditures to even-numbered years (from each year); and (5) updates related provisions on deficiencies, capital investments, budget preparation, justifications, and Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act reporting to biennial terms (from annual or fiscal-year terms).
This section revises the title and style requirements for appropriations acts to cover each fiscal year in a biennium (from a single year ending September 30 of a calendar year). It requires all regular appropriations acts for the support of the government to be enacted for a biennium and to specify the amount provided for each fiscal year in that period. It defines biennium as in section 3(12) of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 (i.e., a two-year period consisting of two consecutive fiscal years).
This section establishes points of order in the House and Senate against (1) any bill, joint resolution, amendment, motion, amendment between the Houses, or conference report authorizing appropriations for a period of less than two fiscal years, unless the program, project, or activity requires no further appropriations and will be completed or terminated after the appropriations are expended; and (2) in any odd-numbered year, any authorization or revenue bill or joint resolution until Congress completes action on the biennial budget resolution, all regular biennial appropriations bills, and all reconciliation bills. (In the Senate, these points of order do not apply to privileged measures pursuant to a rule or statute, matters considered in Executive Session, or appropriations measures or reconciliation bills.)
This section modifies managerial flexibility waivers in agency performance plans under 31 U.S.C. 9703—which allow the Office of Management and Budget to approve waivers of administrative requirements (e.g., staffing levels, compensation limits, and certain funding transfer restrictions) in exchange for accountability to meet performance goals—to align with biennial budgets by (1) removing the reference to annual budgets, (2) updating a cross-reference from section 1105(a)(29) to section 1105(a)(28), and (3) revising waiver durations to two years (from one or two years), with renewals for subsequent two-year periods (from subsequent years) and eligibility for permanence after four consecutive years (from three years), excluding compensation waivers. The section also revises U.S. Postal Service performance plan requirements under 39 U.S.C. 2803 to be biennial by requiring plans to cover program activities for each fiscal year in the biennial period and the full two-year budget cycle. The amendments take effect on March 1, 2026, with agencies required to prepare accordingly upon enactment.
This section establishes a point of order in the House of Representatives and Senate, in any odd-numbered year, against considering a regular bill providing new budget authority or obligation limitations under the jurisdiction of any Appropriations subcommittee for only the first fiscal year of a biennium, unless the program, project, or activity requires no additional authority beyond one year and will be completed or terminated after the amount provided is expended.
This section prohibits the obligation or expenditure of federal funds for official travel by political employees—defined as individuals in Executive Schedule positions (5 U.S.C. 5312-5316), noncareer Senior Executive Service appointees, or Schedule C positions—during a covered period if the President's budget for the next biennium is submitted late. The covered period begins the day after the first day Congress is in session during an odd-numbered year (or, if applicable under 2 U.S.C. 631(b), the day after the first Monday in February 2029 or any odd-numbered year thereafter) and ends upon budget submission. It provides exceptions allowing such funding for (1) a single return trip to the seat of Government if the employee is already away on the first day of the covered period; (2) travel between locations within the National Capital Region; and (3) travel related to responding to a national security event triggering continuity of operations or continuity of Government protocols.
This section establishes limitations on the obligation or expenditure of federal funds—including the President's expense allowance (3 USC §102), travel expenses (3 USC §103), entertainment expenses (3 USC §105(d)(3)), and subsistence expenses related to presidential travel (3 USC §105(d)(4))—for presidential travel during a covered period (i.e., as defined in 31 USC §1105(k)(1), when the President's annual budget is submitted late). Exceptions permit (1) a single return trip to the seat of government if the President is away on the first day of the period; (2) official travel within the National Capital Region; and (3) official travel related to responding to a national security event triggering continuity of operations or continuity of government protocols.
This section defines, for purposes of the provision, the terms "biennium" (as defined in existing law), "National Security Strategy" (i.e., the report required under section 108 of the National Security Act of 1947), and "President’s Budget Request" (i.e., the materials required under 31 U.S.C. 1105, due on the first day Congress is in session in odd-numbered years or the first Monday in February). It prohibits the Senate and House leadership from inviting the President to address a joint session of Congress until the President transmits, and Congress receives, the National Security Strategy and President’s Budget Request for the next biennium (with an exception for national security events triggering continuity of operations or government protocols). It also makes conforming amendments to the timetable table in section 300 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to specify that the President must submit budget recommendations prior to addressing a joint session of Congress.
This section establishes a prohibition on obligating or expending federal funds for travel by Members of Congress (i.e., Senators, House members, Delegates, or the Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico) if the applicable House of Congress—or Congress as a whole—fails to meet any deadline specified in the congressional budget process timetable. (Thus, the prohibition is in effect from the day after the deadline until the required action is completed.)
This section establishes January 1, 2027, as the effective date for this title and its amendments (except as provided in section 306), with applicability to budget recommendations, budget resolutions, and appropriations for the biennium beginning in FY2028 and each biennium thereafter.
This section revises Section 904 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to require an affirmative vote of two-thirds of Senators, duly chosen and sworn, to waive or suspend points of order under specified provisions (previously three-fifths), including those concerning congressional budget resolutions (secs. 301(i), 302(c), 302(f)), conference reports (sec. 305(b)(2), (c)(4)), amendments between Houses (sec. 306), reconciliation bills (secs. 310(d)(2), (g)), extraneous provisions (secs. 311(a), 312(b), (c)), Byrd rule violations (sec. 313), and adjustments (secs. 314(e), (f), 316, 317); and under specified provisions of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (secs. 258(a)(4)(C), 258A(b)(3)(C)(i), 258B(f)(1), (h)(1), (h)(3), 258C(a)(5), (b)(1)). (Thus, appeals of the Chair's rulings on such points of order also require a two-thirds vote to sustain, with debate limited to one hour equally divided between the mover and manager.) This section further increases to two-thirds (from three-fifths) the waiver threshold under (1) the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010; (2) Senate Concurrent Resolution 70 (110th Congress) concerning changes in mandatory programs (CHIMPs) with net costs; (3) Senate Concurrent Resolution 13 (111th Congress) concerning short-term deficits; (4) Senate Concurrent Resolution 11 (114th Congress) concerning long-term deficits; (5) House Concurrent Resolution 71 (115th Congress) concerning Senate Pay-As-You-Go rules; and (6) the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 concerning advance appropriations.
This section revises Senate rules under the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to establish a point of order (i.e., "surgical strike") against any provision in a bill, joint resolution, motion, amendment, amendment between the Houses, or conference report containing matters within the jurisdiction of the Senate Committee on the Budget—such as budget resolutions and reconciliation bills—unless the provision is included in a measure reported by that committee (or discharged from it) or is an amendment, motion, conference report, or amendment between the Houses related to such a measure. (1) If the point of order, raised under section 313(e) procedures, is sustained by the chair, the provision is stricken from the measure and may not be offered as a floor amendment; (2) for conference reports or amendments between the Houses, sustained points of order strike the offending material, after which the Senate considers only motions to recede and concur with a further amendment limited to non-stricken portions, with debate thereon limited to one hour and no further amendments permitted. (Thus, the revision replaces a general prohibition on considering unreported Budget Committee matters with an enforceable mechanism to excise specific provisions.)
This section revises the baseline definition in Section 257 of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (BBEDCA, 2 U.S.C. 907)—used by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to project current-law levels of new budget authority, outlays, revenues, surpluses or deficits, and to trigger sequestration if statutory limits are breached—for biennial projections beginning with the FY2028 biennium (effective January 1, 2027). Specifically, it (1) redefines the baseline as a projection of current-year levels (excluding emergency-designated and supplemental appropriations) into the biennium years and outyears, assuming continuation of current discretionary appropriation levels and operation of direct spending and receipts laws as specified; (2) eliminates prior adjustments for inflation, pay-as-you-go effects, program integrity savings, and other factors; and (3) makes conforming amendments to the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 602) and Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 603) to remove cross-references to the prior baseline. (Thus, the revised baseline prevents growth in projected discretionary spending from inflation or other factors, potentially reducing projected deficits and altering sequestration calculations.)