What This Bill Does
This bill requires that budget plans approved by Congress show zero deficit (a budget plan where the government does not spend more money than it collects) by the 9th year after the budget year. The bill also limits when the Senate can waive, or skip over, certain budget rules. It prevents Congress from spending more money on government programs than the law allows.
Who It Affects
The Senate directly. Government programs, projects and activities that have spending limits set in law.
Key Provisions
- The Senate cannot consider a budget resolution (a plan for how the government will spend money) unless it reduces the deficit to zero by the end of the 9th fiscal year after the budget year. Waiving this rule requires a two-thirds vote of all Senators (Sec. 2).
- The Senate cannot waive more than one budget point of order (a formal objection to a spending bill) as part of a single motion on any bill, resolution, amendment or report (Sec. 3).
- The Senate cannot waive a budget point of order before a Senator has formally raised it (Sec. 3).
- The Senate cannot approve spending for a program that exceeds the amount the law says can be spent for that program in that fiscal year. If no spending limit exists in law, the limit is zero dollars (Sec. 4).
- If a Senator objects to spending that exceeds the legal limit, that spending language must be removed from the bill (Sec. 4).
What Changes
If this bill becomes law, the Senate will have stricter rules about what budget plans it can consider. Senators will have less ability to skip over budget rules. Congress will face harder limits on how much it can spend on government programs compared to what current law allows for those programs.
Important Definitions
"Budget point of order" means a formal objection allowed under four different existing federal budget laws or this Act (Sec. 3).
II
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
S. 575
To require balanced budgets in concurrent resolutions on the budget, to
establish limits on the waiver of budget points of order, and to prevent
appropriations in excess of the amount authorized to be appropriated.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
MARCH 1, 2023
Mr. BRAUN (for himself, Mr. CRUZ, Mrs. BLACKBURN, and Mr. SCOTT of
Florida) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred
to the Committee on the Budget
A BILL
To require balanced budgets in concurrent resolutions on
the budget, to establish limits on the waiver of budget
points of order, and to prevent appropriations in excess
of the amount authorized to be appropriated.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
1
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
2
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
3
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Fight Inflation
4
Through Balanced Budgets Act’’.
5
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SEC. 2. POINT OF ORDER AGAINST BUDGET RESOLUTIONS
1
THAT DO NOT INCLUDE A BALANCED BUDG-
2
ET.
3
(a) POINT OF ORDER.—It shall not be in order in
4
the Senate to consider a concurrent resolution on the
5
budget that does not reduce the deficit to zero on or before
6
the end of the 9th fiscal year after the budget year.
7
(b) WAIVER AND APPEAL.—Subsection (a) may be
8
waived or suspended in the Senate only by an affirmative
9
vote of two-thirds of the Members, duly chosen and sworn.
10
An affirmative vote of two-thirds of the Members of the
11
Senate, duly chosen and sworn, shall be required to sus-
12
tain an appeal of the ruling of the Chair on a point of
13
order raised under subsection (a).
14
SEC. 3. LIMITS ON WAIVER OF BUDGET POINTS OF ORDER.
15
(a) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘budget
16
point of order’’ means a point of order under the Congres-
17
sional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 (2
18
U.S.C. 621 et seq.), the Balanced Budget and Emergency
19
Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 900 et seq.), the
20
Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 (2 U.S.C. 931 et
21
seq.), a concurrent resolution on the budget, or this Act.
22
(b) PROHIBITION ON WAIVING MULTIPLE POINTS OF
23
ORDER.—In the Senate, it shall not be in order to move
24
to waive more than 1 budget point of order with respect
25
to a bill, joint resolution, motion, amendment, amendment
26
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between the Houses, or conference report as part of a sin-
1
gle motion, including a motion to waive all applicable
2
budget points of order.
3
(c) PROHIBITION ON PREEMPTIVE WAIVERS.—In the
4
Senate, it shall not be in order to move to waive or sus-
5
pend a budget point of order with respect to a bill, joint
6
resolution, motion, amendment, amendment between the
7
Houses, or conference report unless the budget point of
8
order has been specifically raised by a Senator.
9
(d) NO WAIVER.—It shall not be in order to move
10
to waive or suspend this section.
11
SEC. 4. POINT OF ORDER AGAINST APPROPRIATIONS IN EX-
12
CESS OF THE AMOUNT AUTHORIZED TO BE
13
APPROPRIATED.
14
(a) POINT OF ORDER.—
15
(1) IN GENERAL.—In the Senate, it shall not be
16
in order to consider a provision in a bill, joint resolu-
17
tion, motion, amendment, amendment between the
18
Houses, or conference report that would cause the
19
total amount of funds appropriated for a program,
20
project, or activity to exceed the amount authorized
21
to be appropriated in statute for the program,
22
project, or activity for the fiscal year. For purposes
23
of this paragraph, if there is not an authorization of
24
appropriations in statute for a program, project, or
25
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activity for a fiscal year, the amount authorized to
1
be appropriated shall be $0.
2
(2) POINT OF ORDER SUSTAINED.—If a point
3
of order is made by a Senator against a provision
4
described in paragraph (1), and the point of order
5
is sustained by the Chair, that provision shall be
6
stricken from the measure and may not be offered
7
as an amendment from the floor.
8
(b) FORM OF THE POINT OF ORDER.—A point of
9
order under subsection (a)(1) may be raised by a Senator
10
as provided in section 313(e) of the Congressional Budget
11
Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 644(e)).
12
(c) CONFERENCE REPORTS.—When the Senate is
13
considering a conference report on, or an amendment be-
14
tween the Houses in relation to, a bill or joint resolution,
15
upon a point of order being made by any Senator pursuant
16
to subsection (a)(1), and such point of order being sus-
17
tained, such material contained in such conference report
18
or House amendment shall be stricken, and the Senate
19
shall proceed to consider the question of whether the Sen-
20
ate shall recede from its amendment and concur with a
21
further amendment, or concur in the House amendment
22
with a further amendment, as the case may be, which fur-
23
ther amendment shall consist of only that portion of the
24
conference report or House amendment, as the case may
25
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be, not so stricken. Any such motion in the Senate shall
1
be debatable. In any case in which such point of order
2
is sustained against a conference report (or Senate amend-
3
ment derived from such conference report by operation of
4
this subsection), no further amendment shall be in order.
5
(d) SUPERMAJORITY WAIVER AND APPEAL.—In the
6
Senate, this section may be waived or suspended only by
7
an affirmative vote of three-fifths of the Members, duly
8
chose and sworn. An affirmative vote of three-fifths of
9
Members of the Senate, duly chosen and sworn shall be
10
required to sustain an appeal of the ruling of the Chair
11
on a point of order raised under this section.
12
Æ
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