Budget & Taxes (Government Spending)

in committee · United States · Senate Mar 20, 2026

SRES 654: A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that the United States should reduce and maintain the Federal unified budget deficit at or below 3 percent of gross domestic product.

This resolution expresses the sense of the Senate that (1) 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; and (2) after the target is achieved, Congress should continue to pursue further deficit reduction with the goal of achieving a balanced federal budget.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill promotes fiscal responsibility by setting deficit reduction targets and pursuing balanced budget, which aligns with prudent fiscal management.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Government Spending State Budget

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in committee · United States · Senate Feb 26, 2026

S 3951: Balanced Budget Responsibility Act of 2026

This bill, titled the Balanced Budget Responsibility Act of 2026, would give the President the authority to reduce government spending to eliminate a projected budget deficit. It allows the President to decline to spend certain discretionary funds, excluding Medicare and Social Security benefits, if a deficit is anticipated for a fiscal year. The decision to withhold these funds would be made in consultation with the Treasury Secretary and the Office of Management and Budget. This provision would operate outside the usual rules governing how the President handles unspent government funds.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill promotes fiscal responsibility by authorizing deficit reduction through discretionary spending cuts, aligning with balanced budget goals.90% confidence ✗ HealthcareOpposes HealthcareBill allows President to cut discretionary funds excluding Medicare/Social Security, creating potential budget pressure on healthcare programs despite explicit exemptions.65% confidence

Sub-Topics Appropriations Government Spending State Budget Medicare

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in committee · United States · Senate Mar 18, 2026

S 4059: End-of-Year Fiscal Responsibility Act

This bill, titled the End-of-Year Fiscal Responsibility Act, would limit how much money federal executive agencies can spend near the end of each fiscal year. It directly affects federal agencies that receive discretionary funding, restricting their spending in the two months before a fiscal year ends to no more than their average monthly spending over the previous 10 months. The law requires agencies to submit detailed reports to Congress and publish them online within 60 days after each fiscal year concludes. Certain spending for national security and disaster relief would be exempt from these limits.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill promotes fiscal responsibility by limiting end-of-year spending, preventing waste and improving budget management.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Appropriations Government Spending

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in committee · United States · House Feb 27, 2025

HR 1654: CUTS Act

HR 1654, the CUTS Act, redirects unobligated pandemic relief and infrastructure funds to other federal spending priorities. It rescinds leftover money from COVID-19 relief acts (including the CARES Act and American Rescue Plan) and specific infrastructure programs like the Education Stabilization Fund and transportation initiatives. The rescinded funds are limited to the total amount allocated for Israel, Ukraine, and Indo-Pacific security supplements. This bill reallocates existing unspent federal funds without creating new programs or affecting current beneficiaries.

Topics ✗ Budget & TaxesOpposes Budget & TaxesRescinds unobligated pandemic relief funds from education/infrastructure programs, redirecting to security priorities, thus defunding essential initiatives.90% confidence ✗ TransportationOpposes TransportationRescinds unspent transportation program funds to redirect to other priorities, explicitly defunding transportation initiatives.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Appropriations Government Spending

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in committee · United States · House Dec 2, 2025

HR 143: Unauthorized Spending Accountability Act

Unauthorized Spending Accountability Act This bill reduces budgetary levels for certain federal programs that are funded through the annual appropriations process and do not have an authorization of appropriations. Under the bill, budgetary levels are spending allocations provided to the congressional appropriations committees by a congressional budget resolution or a deeming resolution. The allocations are provided under the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 and are often referred to as 302(a) allocations. The bill applies to programs included in the Congressional Budget Office's (CBO's) annual report listing programs that are funded through the appropriations process and have an authorization of appropriations that has either expired or will expire during the year.  If a program is listed in the CBO report, the bill requires specified reductions to be implemented over a three-year period and terminates the unauthorized programs at the end of the third unauthorized year.

Topics ✗ Budget & TaxesOpposes Budget & TaxesBill explicitly reduces budgetary levels for programs without authorization, defunding certain federal programs under appropriations process.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Appropriations Government Spending

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passed · United States · House Jun 9, 2026

HR 428: Bonuses for Cost-Cutters and Fraud Preventers Act of 2026

The Bonuses for Cost-Cutters Act of 2025 allows federal employees to receive cash awards of up to $20,000 for identifying spending their agency's Chief Financial Officer determines is not required for its intended purpose. Employees report potential wasteful expenses to their agency's Chief Financial Officer, who verifies if the spending qualifies under the new definition (funds not needed for their original purpose). If approved, the agency head can award the employee, and agencies must publicly report on these disclosures and awards. The Office of Personnel Management will monitor compliance, and the Comptroller General will report on the program's operation every three years.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesPromotes fiscal responsibility by rewarding employees for identifying unnecessary spending, reducing government waste per bill's focus on cost-cutting.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Audits & Accountability Government Spending

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in committee · United States · House Jan 31, 2025

HR 869: Keep Our PACT Act

HR 869, the Keep Our PACT Act, mandates specific annual funding levels for two key education programs: Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). For Title I, it requires funding in fiscal years 2026-2035 that equals the difference between the 2025 funding level and set annual dollar targets (e.g., $20.5 billion for 2026). For IDEA, it sets mandatory annual funding levels that gradually increase to reach 40% of the national average per-pupil expenditure for students with disabilities by 2035. The bill directly affects public school districts and students, particularly those with disabilities, by guaranteeing these funding levels rather than relying on annual appropriations.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesMandates increased annual funding for Title I and IDEA education programs, directly advancing public education spending as required by law.95% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates increased annual funding for Title I and IDEA programs with specific dollar targets, including gradual increases to reach 40% IDEA funding, directly advancing education funding.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Government Spending School Funding Special Education

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in committee · United States · House Jan 28, 2025

HR 824: GORAC Act of 2025

The GORAC Act of 2025 requires the government's watchdog office (Comptroller General) to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of federal agencies and programs every 10 years, starting within one year of the bill's enactment. A non-Federal auditor will identify duplicative, wasteful, or outdated programs - recommending consolidation of agencies with identical functions or elimination of those that wasted funds, completed their purpose, or failed to meet goals. Any savings from these changes must be used to reduce the national debt, and affected federal employees must be offered relocation assistance within government positions. The bill applies broadly to most federal agencies and programs (excluding military installations and pure entitlement programs), with Congress required to consider implementation bills based on the auditor's recommendations within 15 days of submission.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill promotes fiscal responsibility by requiring elimination of wasteful programs to save funds, aligning with Budget & Taxes policies on government spending efficiency.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Audits & Accountability Government Spending

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in committee · United States · House Jan 28, 2025

HR 757: SWAG Act

The SWAG Act prohibits federal agencies from using taxpayer funds to purchase or distribute promotional items ("swag"), such as free hats, keychains, or candy, unless the spending directly supports the agency's mission with a measurable positive return on investment, aids military or federal job recruitment, or is used by the Census Bureau. It also bans agencies from using costumed characters (mascots) to promote programs, except for mascots declared U.S. property, used in military recruitment, or for military academy sports teams. Agencies must report their public relations and advertising spending - including estimated return on investment - to Congress annually as part of their budget requests. The bill aims to eliminate wasteful government spending on non-essential promotional materials by requiring justification for such expenditures.

Topics ✗ Budget & TaxesOpposes Budget & TaxesProhibits federal spending on non-essential promotional items, restricting discretionary budget use per fiscal responsibility language.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Government Spending

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in committee · United States · House Feb 12, 2025

HR 1233: To prohibit the obligation or expenditure of Federal funds for disinformation research grants, and for other purposes.

HR 1233 prohibits federal agencies from using taxpayer money to fund specific research programs. It bans spending on disinformation research grants, Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace grants, and the National Science Foundation's Track F program focused on "Trust and Authenticity in Communications Systems." This directly affects federal departments and agencies that would otherwise allocate funds for these research areas, as well as researchers or institutions seeking such grants. The bill makes a concrete change by blocking federal funding for these particular research initiatives, without altering broader disinformation policies or creating new regulations.

Topics ✗ Budget & TaxesOpposes Budget & TaxesBill explicitly prohibits federal spending on specific research grants, defunding programs like disinformation research and NSF Track F, directly restricting government expenditure.95% confidence ✗ TechnologyOpposes TechnologyDefunds cybersecurity (Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace) and disinformation research grants, directly restricting tech policy advancement in trust systems.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Government Spending Cybersecurity

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