A Republican bill with no cosponsors
Last activity — Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Budget.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The Budget Reform Act of 2025 aims to overhaul the federal budget process by shifting from annual to biennial cycles. It implements zero-based budgeting requirements for federal agencies to justify all expenditures. The bill also mandates increased transparency for Congressional Budget Office models and data. Additionally, it establishes strict deadlines and penalties, including travel restrictions for officials if budgets are late. Finally, it introduces Senate rule changes regarding point of order thresholds and procedures.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Increased Transparency of Budget Data: The bill requires the Congressional Budget Office to make its fiscal models, data preparation routines, and computations publicly available on its website. This allows individuals to see the specific assumptions and data used to estimate the effects of legislation (Sec. 101).
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Greater Accountability for Agency Spending: Through zero-based budgeting, the President must submit a budget where every agency activity is described, justified by a legal basis, and includes alternative funding levels. This includes measures of cost efficiency and effectiveness for each activity (Sec. 201).
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Improved Planning through Biennial Cycles: By moving to a biennium system, the bill implements a schedule for two-year budget cycles, including biennial appropriation bills and government plans (Sec. 301, Sec. 306).
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Strict Enforcement of Budget Deadlines: The bill creates consequences for failing to meet budget deadlines, such as prohibiting federal funds for the travel of political employees and the President if the budget is late (Sec. 321, Sec. 322).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Restrictions on Official Travel: If the President's budget is submitted late, federal funds cannot be used for the official travel of political employees or the President, except for specific return trips or national security events (Sec. 321, Sec. 322).
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Travel Restrictions for Members of Congress: If either House of Congress fails to meet specified budget deadlines, federal funds may not be used for travel by Members of Congress (Sec. s 324).
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Increased Barriers to Legislative Action in the Senate: The bill raises the threshold to waive points of order and sustain appeals to a two-thirds majority, which could make it harder to pass certain budget-related measures (Sec. 401).
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Limitations on Budgetary Provisions: The bill introduces a "Surgical Strike" point of order that could result in provisions being stricken from a measure if they are not contained in a bill or joint resolution reported by the Committee on the Budget (Sec. 402).
- 6/17/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Budget.
- Introduced in Senate
2 bills Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.