IV 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 71 
Providing for a plan to alleviate the effects of sequestration. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 31, 2015 
Mr. RIGELL submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred 
to the Committee on the Budget, and in addition to the Committees on 
Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce, and Armed Services, for a pe-
riod to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for con-
sideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the com-
mittee concerned 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Providing for a plan to alleviate the effects of sequestration. 
Whereas there is strong bipartisan agreement that the Fed-
eral spending mechanism known as ‘‘sequestration’’ is se-
verely impeding Congress’ ability to properly budget; 
Whereas there is strong bipartisan agreement that the cuts 
now in effect as a result of sequestration are severe, and 
will cause even greater harm if allowed to continue into 
fiscal year 2016; 
Whereas there is strong bipartisan agreement that the harm 
sequestration is doing to national defense, in particular, 
is grave and unacceptable, especially given that external 
threats are increasing worldwide; 
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•HCON 71 IH 
Whereas sequestration is a result of the failure of the Joint 
Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, established by 
the Budget Control Act, to reach a principled com-
promise; 
Whereas sequestration will continue to distort the budget 
process into fiscal year 2016 unless legislation is passed 
by Congress and signed into law by President Obama 
that would restore allocation levels; 
Whereas the Budget Control Act was signed into law on Au-
gust 2, 2011, and sequestration went into effect on 
March 1, 2013; 
Whereas the Ryan-Murray agreement provided a short-term 
increase of the budget caps through September 30, 2015; 
Whereas only 12 legislative days for the House of Represent-
atives and 15 legislative days for the Senate are ten-
tatively scheduled in September, prior to the end of fiscal 
year 2015; 
Whereas Congress has not considered any proposals during 
the 114th Congress that would alter or replace the statu-
tory caps required by sequestration; and 
Whereas our system of governance does not function without 
a willingness of a majority of Members of the House of 
Representatives and Senators to vote for a principled 
compromise based on sound policy, empirical data, and 
fact-driven projections: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That Congress— 
(1) must meet its constitutional obligation to 
provide for the common defense of the United States 
by restoring cuts mandated by sequestration; 
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•HCON 71 IH 
(2) acknowledges and reaffirms that providing 
for the common defense of the United States is a 
shared duty, which eclipses partisanship and party 
affiliation; 
(3) will have as its first legislative priority the 
enactment of legislation which restores no less than 
75 percent of the pre-sequester levels established by 
the Budget Control Act of 2011; 
(4) will, simultaneously with the reversal of the 
cuts, enact legislation which fully offsets the in-
creases in discretionary spending through a com-
bination of reductions to mandatory spending and 
increases in revenue; 
(5) will reform mandatory spending by includ-
ing in the legislation a Chained Consumer Price 
Index for Social Security and further means testing 
for Medicare; and 
(6) will increase revenues by including in the 
legislation the closure of tax loopholes and a cap on 
deductions for high-income households. 
Æ 
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