(a) Reductions beyond amount specified in Presidential order

Subject to subsections (b), (c), and (d), new budget authority and unobligated balances for any programs, projects, or activities within major functional category 050 (other than a military personnel account) may be further reduced beyond the amount specified in an order issued by the President under section 904 of this title for such fiscal year. To the extent such additional reductions are made and result in additional outlay reductions, the President may provide for lesser reductions in new budget authority and unobligated balances for other programs, projects, or activities within major functional category 050 for such fiscal year, but only to the extent that the resulting outlay increases do not exceed the additional outlay reductions, and no such program, project, or activity may be increased above the level actually made available by law in appropriation Acts (before taking sequestration into account). In making calculations under this subsection, the President shall use account outlay rates that are identical to those used in the report by the Director of OMB under section 904 of this title.

(b) Base closures prohibited

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Terms Used In 2 USC 907c

  • account: means an item for which appropriations are made in any appropriation Act and, for items not provided for in appropriation Acts, such term means an item for which there is a designated budget account identification code number in the President's budget. See 2 USC 900
  • Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
  • Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
  • Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
  • Balanced budget: A budget in which receipts equal outlays.
  • Budget authority: Authority provided by law to enter into obligations that will result in outlays of Federal funds. Budget authority may be classified by the period of availability (one-year, multiyear, no-year), by the timing of congressional action (current or permanent), or by the manner of determining the amount available (definite or indefinite).
  • category: means the subsets of discretionary appropriations in section 901(c) of this title. See 2 USC 900
  • Conference report: The compromise product negotiated by the conference committee. The "conference report" is submitted to each chamber for its consideration, such as approval or disapproval.
  • emergency: means a situation that&mdash. See 2 USC 900
  • Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
  • Germane: On the subject of the pending bill or other business; a strict standard of relevance.
  • Joint resolution: A legislative measure which requires the approval of both chambers.
  • Majority leader: see Floor Leaders
  • Minority leader: See Floor Leaders
  • OMB: means the Director of the Office of Management and Budget. See 2 USC 900
  • Outlays: Outlays are payments made (generally through the issuance of checks or disbursement of cash) to liquidate obligations. Outlays during a fiscal year may be for payment of obligations incurred in prior years or in the same year.
  • Precedent: A court decision in an earlier case with facts and law similar to a dispute currently before a court. Precedent will ordinarily govern the decision of a later similar case, unless a party can show that it was wrongly decided or that it differed in some significant way.
  • Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.
  • sequestration: refer to or mean the cancellation of budgetary resources provided by discretionary appropriations or direct spending law. See 2 USC 900

No actions taken by the President under subsection (a) for a fiscal year may result in a domestic base closure or realignment that would otherwise be subject to section 2687 of title 10.

(c) Report and joint resolution required

The President may not exercise the authority provided by this paragraph 1 for a fiscal year unless—

(1) the President submits a single report to Congress specifying, for each account, the detailed changes proposed to be made for such fiscal year pursuant to this section;

(2) that report is submitted within 5 calendar days of the start of the next session of Congress; and

(3) a joint resolution affirming or modifying the changes proposed by the President pursuant to this paragraph 1 becomes law.

(d) Introduction of joint resolution

Within 5 calendar days of session after the President submits a report to Congress under subsection (c)(1) for a fiscal year, the majority leader of each House of Congress shall (by request) introduce a joint resolution which contains provisions affirming the changes proposed by the President pursuant to this paragraph.1

(e) Form and title of joint resolution

(1) The matter after the resolving clause in any joint resolution introduced pursuant to subsection (d) shall be as follows: “That the report of the President as submitted on [Insert Date] under section 258B is hereby approved.”

(2) The title of the joint resolution shall be “Joint resolution approving the report of the President submitted under section 258B of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985.”

(3) Such joint resolution shall not contain any preamble.

(f) Calendaring and consideration of joint resolution in Senate

(1) A joint resolution introduced in the Senate under subsection (d) shall be referred to the Committee on Appropriations, and if not reported within 5 calendar days (excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays) from the date of introduction shall be considered as having been discharged therefrom and shall be placed on the appropriate calendar pending disposition of such joint resolution in accordance with this subsection. In the Senate, no amendment proposed in the Committee on Appropriations shall be in order other than an amendment (in the nature of a substitute) that is germane or relevant to the provisions of the joint resolution or to the order issued under section 904 of this title. For purposes of this paragraph, an amendment shall be considered to be relevant if it relates to function 050 (national defense).

(2) On or after the third calendar day (excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays) beginning after a joint resolution is placed on the Senate calendar, notwithstanding any rule or precedent of the Senate, including Rule XXII of the Standing Rules of the Senate, it is in order (even though a previous motion to the same effect has been disagreed to) for any Member of the Senate to move to proceed to the consideration of the joint resolution. The motion is not in order after the eighth calendar day (excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays) beginning after such joint resolution is placed on the appropriate calendar. The motion is not debatable. The joint resolution is privileged in the Senate. A motion to reconsider the vote by which the motion is agreed to or disagreed to shall not be in order. If a motion to proceed to the consideration of the joint resolution is agreed to, the Senate shall immediately proceed to consideration of the joint resolution without intervening motion, order, or other business, and the joint resolution shall remain the unfinished business of the Senate until disposed of.

(g) Debate of joint resolution; motions

(1) In the Senate, debate on a joint resolution introduced under subsection (d), amendments thereto, and all debatable motions and appeals in connection therewith shall be limited to not more than 10 hours, which shall be divided equally between the majority leader and the minority leader (or their designees).

(2) A motion to postpone, or a motion to proceed to the consideration of other business is not in order. A motion to reconsider the vote by which the joint resolution is agreed to or disagreed to is not in order. In the Senate, a motion to recommit the joint resolution is not in order.

(h) Amendment of joint resolution

(1) No amendment that is not germane or relevant to the provisions of the joint resolution or to the order issued under section 904 of this title shall be in order in the Senate. For purposes of this paragraph, an amendment shall be considered to be relevant if it relates to function 050 (national defense). In the Senate, an amendment, any amendment to an amendment, or any debatable motion or appeal is debatable for not to exceed 30 minutes to be equally divided between, and controlled by, the mover and the majority leader (or their designees), except that in the event that the majority leader favors the amendment, motion, or appeal, the minority leader (or the minority leader’s designee) shall control the time in opposition to the amendment, motion, or appeal.

(2) In the Senate, an amendment that is otherwise in order shall be in order notwithstanding the fact that it amends the joint resolution in more than one place or amends language previously amended, so long as the amendment makes or maintains mathematical consistency. It shall not be in order in the Senate to vote on the question of agreeing to such a joint resolution or any amendment thereto unless the figures then contained in such joint resolution or amendment are mathematically consistent.

(3) It shall not be in order in the Senate to consider any amendment to any joint resolution introduced under subsection (d) or any conference report thereon if such amendment or conference report would have the effect of decreasing any specific budget outlay reductions below the level of such outlay reductions provided in such joint resolution unless such amendment or conference report makes a reduction in other specific budget outlays at least equivalent to any increase in outlays provided by such amendment or conference report.

(4) For purposes of the application of paragraph (3), the level of outlays and specific budget outlay reductions provided in an amendment shall be determined on the basis of estimates made by the Committee on the Budget of the Senate.

(i) Vote on final passage of joint resolution

Immediately following the conclusion of the debate on a joint resolution introduced under subsection (d), a single quorum call at the conclusion of the debate if requested in accordance with the rules of the Senate, and the disposition of any pending amendments under subsection (h), the vote on final passage of the joint resolution shall occur.

(j) Appeal from decision of Chair

Appeals from the decisions of the Chair relating to the application of the rules of the Senate to the procedure relating to a joint resolution described in subsection (d) shall be decided without debate.

(k) Conference reports

In the Senate, points of order under titles III and IV of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 [2 U.S.C. 631 et seq., 651 et seq.] (including points of order under sections 302(c), 303(a), 306, and 401(b)(1) [2 U.S.C. 633(c), 634(a), 637, 651(b)(1)]) are applicable to a conference report on the joint resolution or any amendments in disagreement thereto.

(l) Resolution from other House

If, before the passage by the Senate of a joint resolution of the Senate introduced under subsection (d), the Senate receives from the House of Representatives a joint resolution introduced under subsection (d), then the following procedures shall apply:

(1) The joint resolution of the House of Representatives shall not be referred to a committee.

(2) With respect to a joint resolution introduced under subsection (d) in the Senate—

(A) the procedure in the Senate shall be the same as if no joint resolution had been received from the House; but

(B)(i) the vote on final passage shall be on the joint resolution of the House if it is identical to the joint resolution then pending for passage in the Senate; or

(ii) if the joint resolution from the House is not identical to the joint resolution then pending for passage in the Senate and the Senate then passes the Senate joint resolution, the Senate shall be considered to have passed the House joint resolution as amended by the text of the Senate joint resolution.


(3) Upon disposition of the joint resolution received from the House, it shall no longer be in order to consider the joint resolution originated in the Senate.

(m) Senate action on House resolution

If the Senate receives from the House of Representatives a joint resolution introduced under subsection (d) after the Senate has disposed of a Senate originated joint resolution which is identical to the House passed joint resolution, the action of the Senate with regard to the disposition of the Senate originated joint resolution shall be deemed to be the action of the Senate with regard to the House originated joint resolution. If it is not identical to the House passed joint resolution, then the Senate shall be considered to have passed the joint resolution of the House as amended by the text of the Senate joint resolution.

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