[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3951 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3951

  To provide authority and discretion to the President over budgetary 
                resources to achieve a balanced budget.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 26, 2026

  Mr. Scott of Florida introduced the following bill; which was read 
           twice and referred to the Committee on the Budget

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To provide authority and discretion to the President over budgetary 
                resources to achieve a balanced budget.

    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 ``Balanced Budget Responsibility Act 
of 2026''.

SEC. 2. AUTHORITY AND DISCRETION OF THE PRESIDENT OVER BUDGETARY 
              RESOURCES TO ACHIEVE A BALANCED BUDGET.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section--
            (1) the term ``budgetary resources''--
                    (A) has the meaning given that term in section 
                250(c) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit 
                Control Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 900(c)); and
                    (B) includes any discretionary appropriations or 
                direct spending, as defined in such section, available 
                for the applicable fiscal year;
            (2) the term ``covered budgetary resources'' means any 
        budgetary resources, except for budgetary resources to carry 
        out--
                    (A) the Medicare program under title XVIII of the 
                Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.); or
                    (B) the old-age, survivors, and disability 
                insurance program established under title II of the 
                Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 401 et seq.); and
            (3) the term ``deficit'' has the meaning given that term 
        under section 3 of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment 
        Control Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 622).
    (b) Budgetary Discretion.--Notwithstanding the Impoundment Control 
Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 681 et seq.), if the President determines, in 
consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury and the Office of 
Management and Budget, that there will be a deficit for a fiscal year, 
the President may exercise budgetary discretion and decline to obligate 
covered budgetary resources available for that fiscal year, as the 
President determines appropriate, in an amount that is not more than 
the amount required to eliminate the deficit.
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