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 Com-
mittee 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 jurisdic-
tion of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To amend the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Con-
trol Act of 1985 to eliminate the section 251A sequestra-
tions and to reduce the security and nonsecurity discre-
tionary spending limits by $320 billion from fiscal year 
2014 through fiscal year 2021, and to suspend the statu-
tory limit on the public debt until February 1, 2017. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Sequestration Relief 
Act of 2013’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) Congress must enact a comprehensive, def-
icit reduction plan to solve the country’s fiscal chal-
lenges and to promote national security, economic 
stability, and the continued growth and prosperity of 
the United States. 
(2) The keys to a comprehensive, deficit reduc-
tion solution are increased revenues and changes in 
mandatory spending. 
(3) The Budget Control Act of 2011 was en-
acted to avert a default on Federal debt obligations, 
and it reduced discretionary spending by approxi-
mately $1 trillion through fiscal year 2021. 
(4) Because the Joint Select Committee on Def-
icit Reduction failed to recommend legislation pro-
viding an additional $1.2 trillion in deficit reduction, 
Federal law mandates that the additional savings be 
sequestered. 
(5) Sequestration was designed as a forcing 
mechanism for an agreement on a comprehensive, 
deficit reduction plan. It has failed to produce the 
intended results. 
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(6) It no longer makes sense to rely on seques-
tration as a forcing mechanism for a balanced solu-
tion. The costs to our government and to the econ-
omy are too great. 
(7) Under sequestration, automatic, indiscrimi-
nate cuts would be applied, through fiscal year 
2021, to a wide variety of discretionary spending 
programs to achieve $1.2 trillion in savings, fore-
stalling the sound planning needed for prudent and 
meaningful investments in national security, the 
workforce, transportation infrastructure, education, 
health care, public safety, housing, innovation, small 
business development, and many other facets of en-
during national strength. 
(8) Even the prospect of sequestration is dis-
ruptive to regular order and to the congressional ap-
propriations process, and it fosters damaging eco-
nomic uncertainty, while short-term solutions only 
suspend the prospect and continue to undermine the 
certainty needed for economic recovery. 
(9) Therefore, Congress must eliminate the 
threat of sequestration. 
(10) Given the magnitude of the Federal deficit, 
it is likely that additional cuts to discretionary 
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