II 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 772 

To amend the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to set responsible budget 

targets. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 9, 2023 

Mr. BRAUN introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on the Budget 

A BILL 

To amend the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to set 

responsible budget targets. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Responsible Budget 

5 Targets Act of 2023’’. 

6 SEC. 2. ESTABLISHING RESPONSIBLE BUDGET TARGETS. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—Title IV of the Congressional 

8 Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 651 et seq.) is amended 

9 by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘PART C—ESTABLISHING RESPONSIBLE BUDGET 

2 TARGETS 

3 ‘‘SEC. 441. DEFINITIONS. 

4 ‘‘In this part: 

5 ‘‘(1) PRIMARY BALANCE FACTOR.— 

6 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘primary 

7 balance factor’— 

8 ‘‘(i) with respect to the first fiscal 

9 year that begins not less than 180 days 

10 after the date of enactment of this part, 

11 means 0.0 percentage point; and 

12 ‘‘(ii) except as provided in subpara13 graph (B), with respect to each fiscal year 

14 after the fiscal year described in clause (i), 

15 means the sum obtained by adding— 

16 ‘‘(I) the primary balance factor 

17 for the previous fiscal year; and 

18 ‘‘(II)(aa) if primary budget au19 thority exceeded revenue for the fiscal 

20 year before the previous fiscal year, 

21 0.2 percentage point; and 

22 ‘‘(bb) if revenue exceeded pri23 mary budget authority for the fiscal 

24 year before the previous fiscal year, 

25 ¥0.2 percentage point. 


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1 ‘‘(B) SPECIAL RULE FOR FIRST YEAR

2 AFTER PRIMARY BALANCE.— 

3 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—For the first fiscal 

4 year that begins after the date of a deter5 mination that, for a fiscal year beginning 

6 after the date of enactment of this part, 

7 revenue exceeded primary budget author8 ity, the term ‘primary balance factor’ 

9 means 0.0 percentage point. 

10 ‘‘(ii) SUBSEQUENT ADJUSTMENT.— 

11 After the first fiscal year described in 

12 clause (i), the primary balance factor shall 

13 be adjusted in accordance with subpara14 graph (A)(ii). 

15 ‘‘(2) PRIMARY BUDGET AUTHORITY.—The term 

16 ‘primary budget authority’ means all budget author17 ity except for net interest on the debt. 

18 ‘‘(3) SPENDING CEILING.—The term ‘spending 

19 ceiling’, with respect to a fiscal year, means the 

20 maximum amount of primary budget authority for 

21 the fiscal year, as determined under section 442. 

22 ‘‘(4) SPENDING GROWTH FACTOR.—The term 

23 ‘spending growth factor’, with respect to a fiscal 

24 year, means the difference obtained by subtracting— 


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1 ‘‘(A) the primary balance factor for the fis2 cal year; from 

3 ‘‘(B) the average annual percentage 

4 growth in the gross domestic product of the 

5 United States during the 5-fiscal-year period 

6 before the beginning of the fiscal year before 

7 such fiscal year. 

8 ‘‘SEC. 442. ESTABLISHMENT OF A SPENDING CEILING. 

9 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The maximum amount of pri10 mary budget authority for a fiscal year shall be the 

11 amount of primary budget authority for the previous fiscal 

12 year as— 

13 ‘‘(1) increased by the spending growth factor; 

14 and 

15 ‘‘(2) modified by any adjustments under section 

16 444 or 445. 

17 ‘‘(b) EXCLUSION OF ADJUSTMENTS FROM BASE18 LINE.—In determining the maximum amount of primary 

19 budget authority for a fiscal year, the amount of primary 

20 budget authority for the previous fiscal year shall not in21 clude any adjustment under paragraph (1) or (3) of sec22 tion 444 or under section 445(c). 

23 ‘‘(c) DETERMINATION.— 

24 ‘‘(1) FOR CONGRESSIONAL PURPOSES.—The 

25 Director of the Congressional Budget Office shall— 


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1 ‘‘(A) include in each report under section 

2 202(e)(1) and revision of such a report an esti3 mate of the amount of the spending ceiling (in4 cluding factors necessary to produce the esti5 mate) and any adjustments under section 444 

6 for the fiscal year commencing on October 1 of 

7 the year during which the Director submits the 

8 report; and 

9 ‘‘(B) provide to the Committee on the 

10 Budget of the Senate and the Committee on the 

11 Budget of the House of Representatives up12 dates to the estimate of the spending ceiling 

13 and adjustments, as appropriate. 

14 ‘‘(2) FOR EXECUTIVE BRANCH PURPOSES.— 

15 The President shall— 

16 ‘‘(A) include in each budget of the Presi17 dent submitted under section 1105 of title 31, 

18 United States Code, an estimate by the Office 

19 of Management and Budget of the amount of 

20 the spending ceiling and any adjustments under 

21 section 444 for the fiscal year commencing on 

22 October 1 of the year during which the Presi23 dent submits the budget; and 

24 ‘‘(B) obtain from the Office of Manage25 ment and Budget updates to the estimate of the 


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1 spending ceiling and adjustments, as appro2 priate. 

3 ‘‘SEC. 443. USE OF CEILING. 

4 ‘‘(a) BY CONGRESS.—When considering legislation, 

5 the Senate and the House of Representatives shall adhere 

6 to the spending ceiling, as determined by the Director of 

7 the Congressional Budget Office under section 442(c)(1) 

8 (including any adjustments under section 444 or 445(c)). 

9 ‘‘(b) BY EXECUTIVE BRANCH.—When considering 

10 proposals with fiscal implications, the President shall ad11 here to the spending ceiling, as determined by the Director 

12 of the Office of Management and Budget under section 

13 442(c)(2) (including any adjustments under sections 444 

14 or 445(c)). 

15 ‘‘SEC. 444. ADJUSTING THE SPENDING CEILING. 

16 ‘‘When adopting a concurrent resolution on the budg17 et (including a concurrent resolution on the budget de18 scribed in section 304), Congress may adjust the spending 

19 ceiling as determined under section 442(c)(1), and when 

20 enacting a supplemental appropriations Act, Congress 

21 may adjust the spending ceiling as determined under sec22 tion 442(c)(2), commensurate with— 

23 ‘‘(1) appropriations for an emergency, as de24 fined in section 250(c) of the Balanced Budget and 


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1 Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 

2 900(c)); 

3 ‘‘(2) a revision in the estimate of the gross do4 mestic product of the United States for any year to 

5 which section 441(4)(B) applies; 

6 ‘‘(3) cyclical variations due to the difference be7 tween the actual and potential amount of the gross 

8 domestic product of the United States; 

9 ‘‘(4) timing shifts of expenditures or revenues 

10 due; or 

11 ‘‘(5) enacted laws that result in a change in 

12 revenue. 

13 ‘‘SEC. 445. EMERGENCY ACCOUNT ADJUSTMENTS. 

14 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF EMERGENCY ACCOUNT.— 

15 The Director of the Congressional Budget Office and the 

16 Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall 

17 each maintain an emergency account. 

18 ‘‘(b) COMPUTATION.— 

19 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The amount of the emer20 gency account shall be— 

21 ‘‘(A) increased by the amount of the ad22 justment made under section 444(1); and 

23 ‘‘(B) decreased by the difference obtained 

24 by subtracting the amount of primary budget 

25 authority provided for a fiscal year from the adVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:20 Mar 21, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S772.IS S772

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1 justed spending ceiling (excluding any adjust2 ment under section 444(1), and including the 

3 effect of adjustments under section 445(c)) for 

4 that fiscal year. 

5 ‘‘(2) LIMIT OF ZERO.—The amount of the 

6 emergency account may not be less than $0. 

7 ‘‘(c) ADJUSTMENT.— 

8 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—If the amount of the emer9 gency account on the last day of a fiscal year has 

10 increased, as compared to the last day of the fiscal 

11 year before such fiscal year, the amount of the 

12 spending ceiling for the second fiscal year after such 

13 fiscal year and each of the ensuing 5 fiscal years 

14 shall be reduced by the amount equal to one-sixth of 

15 the amount of the increase in the emergency ac16 count. 

17 ‘‘(2) MODIFICATION OF ADJUSTMENT.— 

18 ‘‘(A) FOR CONGRESSIONAL PURPOSES.— 

19 When adopting a concurrent resolution on the 

20 budget (including a concurrent resolution on 

21 the budget described in section 304), Congress 

22 may, for purposes of applying the spending ceil23 ing in the Senate and the House of Representa24 tives— 


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1 ‘‘(i) reduce the amount of the spend2 ing ceiling by the amount of the emergency 

3 account over a period shorter than 6 fiscal 

4 years; or 

5 ‘‘(ii) in the case of an ongoing emer6 gency, reduce the amount of the spending 

7 ceiling by the amount of the emergency ac8 count over a period longer than 6 fiscal 

9 years. 

10 ‘‘(B) FOR EXECUTIVE BRANCH PUR11 POSES.—When enacting a supplemental appro12 priations Act, Congress may, for purposes of 

13 applying the spending ceiling in the executive 

14 branch— 

15 ‘‘(i) reduce the amount of the spend16 ing ceiling by the amount of the emergency 

17 account over a period shorter than 6 fiscal 

18 years; or 

19 ‘‘(ii) in the case of an ongoing emer20 gency, reduce the amount of the spending 

21 ceiling by the amount of the emergency ac22 count over a period longer than 6 fiscal 

23 years.’’. 

24 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The table of con25 tents in section 1(b) of the Congressional Budget and ImVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:20 Mar 21, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S772.IS S772

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1 poundment Control Act of 1974 is amended by inserting 

2 after the item relating to section 428 the following: 

‘‘PART C—ESTABLISHING RESPONSIBLE BUDGET TARGETS

‘‘Sec. 441. Definitions. 

‘‘Sec. 442. Establishment of a spending ceiling. 

‘‘Sec. 443. Use of ceiling. 

‘‘Sec. 444. Adjusting the spending ceiling. 

‘‘Sec. 445. Emergency account adjustments.’’. 

Æ 


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