

United States Federal Budget Enforcement Act


United States Federal Budget Enforcement Act
The Issue
This law would require that a procedure and timeline be adopted to force the US Congress to complete the Budget process on time, or they would be restricted to the Capitol building and lose their pay until the Budget is complete. This would also stop the continued irresponsible process of "Continuing Resolutions."
116th CONGRESS
1st Session H.R. ____ To amend the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to establish mandatory deadlines for completion of the annual Federal budget, to sequester the House and Senate Budget Committees and Appropriations Committees until passage, and to impose automatic loss of congressional pay and domestic-movement restrictions for failure to enact all appropriations Acts by the start of the fiscal year.IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES[Date]A BILLTo amend the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to establish mandatory deadlines for completion of the annual Federal budget, to sequester the House and Senate Budget Committees and Appropriations Committees until passage, and to impose automatic loss of congressional pay and domestic-movement restrictions for failure to enact all appropriations Acts by the start of the fiscal year. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the “Congressional Budget Deadline Enforcement Act of 2025”.
SECTION 2. MANDATORY BUDGET DEADLINES.Title III of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 631 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 305 the following new section:“
SEC. 305A. MANDATORY DEADLINES FOR COMPLETION OF ANNUAL APPROPRIATIONS.“(a) Budget Resolution.—The House of Representatives and the Senate shall each agree to a concurrent resolution on the budget for the upcoming fiscal year not later than April 1 of the current fiscal year.“(b) Appropriations Bills.—
“(1) The House of Representatives shall pass each of the 12 regular appropriations bills in individual form not later than July 31.
“(2) The Senate shall pass each of the 12 regular appropriations bills in individual form not later than September 15.
“(3) All differences between the House and Senate versions of each bill shall be resolved in conference (or by amendment exchange) and the final bill presented to the President not later than September 25.“(c) Final Enactment.—All 12 regular appropriations Acts shall be enacted into law on or before 11:59 p.m. on September 30 of the current fiscal year. No continuing resolution, omnibus appropriations Act, or minibus containing more than one regular appropriations bill may be used to satisfy this requirement after the first fiscal year in which this section is in effect.
”SECTION 3. SEQUESTRATION OF COMMITTEES.Section 305A (as added by section 2) is further amended by adding:“(d) Committee Sequestration.—
“(1) Upon failure to meet any deadline in subsection (a) or (b), the affected committee (House Budget, Senate Budget, House Appropriations, or Senate Appropriations, including all subcommittees) shall be physically sequestered within the United States Capitol complex.
“(2) Sequestration shall continue 24 hours per day until the missed deadline is met.
“(3) Members and staff may not leave the Capitol complex except for documented medical emergencies certified by the Attending Physician. All other travel, including constituent meetings outside the complex, is prohibited.
“(4) The Sergeant at Arms of the House and the Senate Sergeant at Arms shall enforce sequestration and provide food, water, and basic accommodations within designated committee rooms.
”SECTION 4. AUTOMATIC LOSS OF PAY FOR FAILURE TO ENACT FULL BUDGET.The Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 is further amended by inserting after section 305A the following:
“SEC. 305B. AUTOMATIC PAY FORFEITURE.“(a) Trigger.—If all 12 regular appropriations Acts are not enacted into law by 11:59 p.m. on September 30, every Member of the House and Senate shall forfeit 100 percent of their net congressional salary for each day the government operates under a continuing resolution or shutdown, beginning October 1.“(b) Mechanics.—
“(1) The Chief Administrative Officer of the House and the Secretary of the Senate shall withhold pay automatically—no vote or waiver permitted.
“(2) Forfeited pay shall be deposited into the Treasury and credited to deficit reduction.
“(3) Pay resumes only on the date the final appropriations Act is signed into law.“(c) No Retroactive Pay.—No Member may receive back pay for any period of forfeiture.
”SECTION 5. DOMESTIC-MOVEMENT RESTRICTION FOR MEMBERS.Section 305B is further amended by adding:“(d) Capitol-Only Restriction.—
“(1) Beginning at 12:01 a.m. on October 1 and continuing until the final appropriations Act is enacted, no Member of Congress may travel outside the United States Capitol complex (including the Capitol, House and Senate office buildings, and the Capitol Visitor Center).
“(2) The Capitol Police, under direction of the Sergeants at Arms, shall enforce this restriction. Members attempting to leave shall be detained and returned to the complex.
“(3) Exceptions: Documented medical emergencies or court-ordered appearances only.
“(4) Violation is punishable as contempt of Congress under 2 U.S.C. § 192.”SECTION 6. NO WAIVERS; NO JUDICIAL REVIEW.Any provision of this Act may not be waived by concurrent resolution, unanimous consent, or any other parliamentary procedure. No court shall have jurisdiction to enjoin or delay enforcement of this Act.
SECTION 7. SEVERABILITY.If any provision of this Act is held invalid, the remainder shall not be affected.SECTION 8. EFFECTIVE DATE.This Act shall take effect with respect to fiscal year 2027 and each fiscal year thereafter.END (Note: This is a complete, ready-to-introduce bill text in standard legislative format. To become law, it must be sponsored by a Member of Congress, assigned a bill number, and pass both chambers before presidential signature.)
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The Issue
This law would require that a procedure and timeline be adopted to force the US Congress to complete the Budget process on time, or they would be restricted to the Capitol building and lose their pay until the Budget is complete. This would also stop the continued irresponsible process of "Continuing Resolutions."
116th CONGRESS
1st Session H.R. ____ To amend the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to establish mandatory deadlines for completion of the annual Federal budget, to sequester the House and Senate Budget Committees and Appropriations Committees until passage, and to impose automatic loss of congressional pay and domestic-movement restrictions for failure to enact all appropriations Acts by the start of the fiscal year.IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES[Date]A BILLTo amend the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to establish mandatory deadlines for completion of the annual Federal budget, to sequester the House and Senate Budget Committees and Appropriations Committees until passage, and to impose automatic loss of congressional pay and domestic-movement restrictions for failure to enact all appropriations Acts by the start of the fiscal year. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the “Congressional Budget Deadline Enforcement Act of 2025”.
SECTION 2. MANDATORY BUDGET DEADLINES.Title III of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 631 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 305 the following new section:“
SEC. 305A. MANDATORY DEADLINES FOR COMPLETION OF ANNUAL APPROPRIATIONS.“(a) Budget Resolution.—The House of Representatives and the Senate shall each agree to a concurrent resolution on the budget for the upcoming fiscal year not later than April 1 of the current fiscal year.“(b) Appropriations Bills.—
“(1) The House of Representatives shall pass each of the 12 regular appropriations bills in individual form not later than July 31.
“(2) The Senate shall pass each of the 12 regular appropriations bills in individual form not later than September 15.
“(3) All differences between the House and Senate versions of each bill shall be resolved in conference (or by amendment exchange) and the final bill presented to the President not later than September 25.“(c) Final Enactment.—All 12 regular appropriations Acts shall be enacted into law on or before 11:59 p.m. on September 30 of the current fiscal year. No continuing resolution, omnibus appropriations Act, or minibus containing more than one regular appropriations bill may be used to satisfy this requirement after the first fiscal year in which this section is in effect.
”SECTION 3. SEQUESTRATION OF COMMITTEES.Section 305A (as added by section 2) is further amended by adding:“(d) Committee Sequestration.—
“(1) Upon failure to meet any deadline in subsection (a) or (b), the affected committee (House Budget, Senate Budget, House Appropriations, or Senate Appropriations, including all subcommittees) shall be physically sequestered within the United States Capitol complex.
“(2) Sequestration shall continue 24 hours per day until the missed deadline is met.
“(3) Members and staff may not leave the Capitol complex except for documented medical emergencies certified by the Attending Physician. All other travel, including constituent meetings outside the complex, is prohibited.
“(4) The Sergeant at Arms of the House and the Senate Sergeant at Arms shall enforce sequestration and provide food, water, and basic accommodations within designated committee rooms.
”SECTION 4. AUTOMATIC LOSS OF PAY FOR FAILURE TO ENACT FULL BUDGET.The Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 is further amended by inserting after section 305A the following:
“SEC. 305B. AUTOMATIC PAY FORFEITURE.“(a) Trigger.—If all 12 regular appropriations Acts are not enacted into law by 11:59 p.m. on September 30, every Member of the House and Senate shall forfeit 100 percent of their net congressional salary for each day the government operates under a continuing resolution or shutdown, beginning October 1.“(b) Mechanics.—
“(1) The Chief Administrative Officer of the House and the Secretary of the Senate shall withhold pay automatically—no vote or waiver permitted.
“(2) Forfeited pay shall be deposited into the Treasury and credited to deficit reduction.
“(3) Pay resumes only on the date the final appropriations Act is signed into law.“(c) No Retroactive Pay.—No Member may receive back pay for any period of forfeiture.
”SECTION 5. DOMESTIC-MOVEMENT RESTRICTION FOR MEMBERS.Section 305B is further amended by adding:“(d) Capitol-Only Restriction.—
“(1) Beginning at 12:01 a.m. on October 1 and continuing until the final appropriations Act is enacted, no Member of Congress may travel outside the United States Capitol complex (including the Capitol, House and Senate office buildings, and the Capitol Visitor Center).
“(2) The Capitol Police, under direction of the Sergeants at Arms, shall enforce this restriction. Members attempting to leave shall be detained and returned to the complex.
“(3) Exceptions: Documented medical emergencies or court-ordered appearances only.
“(4) Violation is punishable as contempt of Congress under 2 U.S.C. § 192.”SECTION 6. NO WAIVERS; NO JUDICIAL REVIEW.Any provision of this Act may not be waived by concurrent resolution, unanimous consent, or any other parliamentary procedure. No court shall have jurisdiction to enjoin or delay enforcement of this Act.
SECTION 7. SEVERABILITY.If any provision of this Act is held invalid, the remainder shall not be affected.SECTION 8. EFFECTIVE DATE.This Act shall take effect with respect to fiscal year 2027 and each fiscal year thereafter.END (Note: This is a complete, ready-to-introduce bill text in standard legislative format. To become law, it must be sponsored by a Member of Congress, assigned a bill number, and pass both chambers before presidential signature.)
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Petition created on November 1, 2025