The Congressional Budget Resolution: Frequently Asked Questions (CRS Report for Congress)
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| Release Date |
Nov. 26, 2024 |
| Report Number |
R48284 |
| Report Type |
Report |
| Authors |
Tori Gorman |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
Summary:
The Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (the Budget Act) provides for the adoption of a
concurrent resolution on the budget by April 15 each year for the fiscal year beginning October 1.
By writing a budget resolution, Congress helps guide federal spending and revenue policies for
the year. It is also the only way to initiate reconciliation, a fast-track procedure for enacting those
policies into law.
A budget resolution is structured as a concurrent resolution—an agreement between the House and Senate establishing
various enforceable levels of spending and revenue. It is not submitted to the President for signature and therefore is not
considered law.
The contents of a budget resolution are influenced in two ways: indirectly, by its form as a concurrent resolution (legislation
that is not enacted into law), and directly, by provisions specified in the Budget Act—including recommended levels of
spending, revenue, surpluses/deficits, and debt. The Budget Act also provides for the inclusion of optional items such as
reconciliation directives to committees, reserve funds, scoring rules, and points of order. Spending levels that are presented in
the legislative text of a budget resolution are allocated among broad functional categories, but allocations to committees are
included in the supplemental documents that accompany the budget resolution.
In the Senate, a budget resolution enjoys certain privileges unavailable to other bills and resolutions: It is not required to lie
over one day before it can be considered, the motion to proceed is not debatable, debate time on the resolution is limited, and
cloture is not required to reach a vote on final passage. Consideration in the House is typically structured by a special rule
reported from the House Rules Committee that sets the terms for debate and permits certain amendments to be offered from
the floor.
For a budget resolution to have force and effect, the House and Senate must adopt identical language. Congress can reach
agreement one of three ways: by conference committee, via an exchange of amendments, or by one chamber adopting the
budget resolution of the other without any changes.
Although the Budget Act directs Congress to complete a budget resolution by April 15 for the fiscal year that begins October
1, consideration may be delayed beyond this date, or Congress may not adopt a budget resolution at all. When no budget
resolution is adopted or agreement is delayed, lawmakers often use alternative means to establish the allocations and
enforceable levels required under the Budget Act. Deeming resolutions and statutory spending limits are common substitutes,
but neither initiates the reconciliation process under the Budget Act.
