I 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 849 

To amend the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 

to eliminate the section 251A sequestrations and to reduce the security 

and nonsecurity discretionary spending limits by $320 billion from fiscal 

year 2014 through fiscal year 2021, and to suspend the statutory limit 

on the public debt until February 1, 2017. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 27, 2013 

Mr. SMITH of Washington (for himself, Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania, and Mr. 

GALLEGO) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Budget, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and 

Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 

each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To amend the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to eliminate the section 251A sequestrations and to reduce the security and nonsecurity discretionary spending limits by $320 billion from fiscal year 

2014 through fiscal year 2021, and to suspend the statutory limit on the public debt until February 1, 2017. 

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


smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
2 

•HR 849 IH

1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Sequestration Relief 

3 Act of 2013’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE. 

5 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 

6 (1) Congress must enact a comprehensive, def7 icit reduction plan to solve the country’s fiscal chal8 lenges and to promote national security, economic 

9 stability, and the continued growth and prosperity of 

10 the United States. 

11 (2) The keys to a comprehensive, deficit reduc12 tion solution are increased revenues and changes in 

13 mandatory spending. 

14 (3) The Budget Control Act of 2011 was en15 acted to avert a default on Federal debt obligations, 

16 and it reduced discretionary spending by approxi17 mately $1 trillion through fiscal year 2021. 

18 (4) Because the Joint Select Committee on Def19 icit Reduction failed to recommend legislation pro20 viding an additional $1.2 trillion in deficit reduction, 

21 Federal law mandates that the additional savings be 

22 sequestered. 

23 (5) Sequestration was designed as a forcing 

24 mechanism for an agreement on a comprehensive, 

25 deficit reduction plan. It has failed to produce the 

26 intended results. 


smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
3 

•HR 849 IH

1 (6) It no longer makes sense to rely on seques2 tration as a forcing mechanism for a balanced solu3 tion. The costs to our government and to the econ4 omy are too great. 

5 (7) Under sequestration, automatic, indiscrimi6 nate cuts would be applied, through fiscal year 

7 2021, to a wide variety of discretionary spending 

8 programs to achieve $1.2 trillion in savings, fore9 stalling the sound planning needed for prudent and 

10 meaningful investments in national security, the 

11 workforce, transportation infrastructure, education, 

12 health care, public safety, housing, innovation, small 

13 business development, and many other facets of en14 during national strength. 

15 (8) Even the prospect of sequestration is dis16 ruptive to regular order and to the congressional ap17 propriations process, and it fosters damaging eco18 nomic uncertainty, while short-term solutions only 

19 suspend the prospect and continue to undermine the 

20 certainty needed for economic recovery. 

21 (9) Therefore, Congress must eliminate the 

22 threat of sequestration. 

23 (10) Given the magnitude of the Federal deficit, 

24 it is likely that additional cuts to discretionary 


smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
4 

•HR 849 IH

1 spending will be necessary for a comprehensive def2 icit reduction solution. 

3 (11) Congress must establish a manageable, 

4 long-term discretionary spending plan. An additional 

5 $320 billion in targetable cuts to discretionary ap6 propriations from fiscal year 2014 through fiscal 

7 year 2021 represents one-third of the net amount 

8 that would have been indiscriminately cut by seques9 tration over fiscal years 2013 through 2021. 

10 (12) It is recognized that a reduction of $167 

11 billion to discretionary appropriations within budget 

12 function 050 from fiscal year 2014 through fiscal 

13 year 2021 will affect the National Military Strategy. 

14 The Department of Defense is highly encouraged to 

15 revisit its current strategic guidance and to work 

16 closely with Congress in building a new National 

17 Military Strategy that accounts for available re18 source levels. 

19 (b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are to— 

20 (1) eliminate the threat of sequestration to the 

21 American economy; 

22 (2) offer the Federal Government, industry, and 

23 the American people the predictability that economic 

24 recovery demands; 


smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
5 

•HR 849 IH

1 (3) enable the Congress to pass appropriations 

2 legislation in regular order with a clear discretionary 

3 spending budget and grant the legislative and execu4 tive branches of government the flexibility needed to 

5 identify and implement specific discretionary spend6 ing reductions in a responsible and deliberate man7 ner; and 

8 (4) provide a practicable, long-term discre9 tionary spending plan that will contribute to a com10 prehensive, balanced, long-term, deficit reduction so11 lution that includes affordable revisions to manda12 tory spending and new revenues. 

13 SEC. 3. REPEAL OF SECTION 251A SEQUESTRATIONS. 

14 Section 251A of the Balanced Budget and Emer15 gency Deficit Control Act of 1985 is repealed. 

16 SEC. 4. $320 BILLION REDUCTION IN DISCRETIONARY 

17 SPENDING LIMITS. 

18 The discretionary spending limits set forth in para19 graphs (3) through (10) of section 251(c) of the Balanced 

20 Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 are 

21 amended to read as follows: 

22 ‘‘(3) for fiscal year 2014— 

23 ‘‘(A) for the security category, 

24 $546,000,000,000 in budget authority; and 


smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
6 

•HR 849 IH

1 ‘‘(B) for the nonsecurity category, 

2 $501,000,000,000 in budget authority; 

3 ‘‘(4) with respect to fiscal year 2015— 

4 ‘‘(A) for the security category, 

5 $550,000,000,000 in new budget authority; and 

6 ‘‘(B) for the nonsecurity category, 

7 $505,000,000,000 in new budget authority; 

8 ‘‘(5) with respect to fiscal year 2016— 

9 ‘‘(A) for the security category, 

10 $559,000,000,000 in new budget authority; and 

11 ‘‘(B) for the nonsecurity category, 

12 $513,000,000,000 in new budget authority; 

13 ‘‘(6) with respect to fiscal year 2017— 

14 ‘‘(A) for the security category, 

15 $569,000,000,000 in new budget authority; and 

16 ‘‘(B) for the nonsecurity category, 

17 $522,000,000,000 in new budget authority; 

18 ‘‘(7) with respect to fiscal year 2018— 

19 ‘‘(A) for the security category, 

20 $579,000,000,000 in new budget authority; and 

21 ‘‘(B) for the nonsecurity category, 

22 $531,000,000,000 in new budget authority; 

23 ‘‘(8) with respect to fiscal year 2019— 

24 ‘‘(A) for the security category, 

25 $589,500,000,000 in new budget authority; and 


smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
7 

•HR 849 IH

1 ‘‘(B) for the nonsecurity category, 

2 $541,000,000,000 in new budget authority; 

3 ‘‘(9) with respect to fiscal year 2020— 

4 ‘‘(A) for the security category, 

5 $602,500,000,000 in new budget authority; and 

6 ‘‘(B) for the nonsecurity category, 

7 $553,000,000,000 in new budget authority; 

8 ‘‘(10) with respect to fiscal year 2021— 

9 ‘‘(A) for the security category, 

10 $616,000,000,000 in new budget authority; and 

11 ‘‘(B) for the nonsecurity category, 

12 $565,000,000,000 in new budget authority;’’. 

13 SEC. 5. DEFINITION OF SECURITY CATEGORY. 

14 Section 250(c)(4)(B) of the Balanced Budget and 

15 Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 is amended to 

16 read as follows: 

17 ‘‘(B)(i) For fiscal years 2012 and 2013, the 

18 term ‘security category’ means discretionary appro19 priations associated with agency budgets for the De20 partment of Defense, the Department of Homeland 

21 Security, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the 

22 National Nuclear Security Administration, the intel23 ligence community management account (95–0401– 

24 0–1–054), and all budget accounts in budget func25 tion 150 (international affairs). 


smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
8 

•HR 849 IH

1 ‘‘(ii) For fiscal years 2014 through 2021, the 

2 term ‘security category’ means discretionary appro3 priations in budget function 050 (national de4 fense).’’. 

5 SEC. 6. SUSPENSION OF STATUTORY LIMIT ON THE PUBLIC 

6 DEBT UNTIL FEBRUARY 1, 2017. 

7 Section 2 of the No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013 

8 is amended— 

9 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘May 18, 

10 2013’’ and inserting ‘‘January 31, 2017’’; and 

11 (2) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘May 19, 

12 2013’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘Feb13 ruary 1, 2017’’. 

Æ 


smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS