RESCUE Act
Bill: H.R.1955 | Sponsor: Rep. Donalds, Byron (R-FL)
Policy area: Economics and Public Finance

Summary:
Responsible and Effective Spending Cuts of Undesirable Expenditures Act or the RESCUE Act
This bill temporarily modifies the requirements for the sequestration process (i.e., automatic spending reductions) that is used to enforce the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 (Statutory PAYGO Act), which generally prohibits revenue or direct spending legislation from increasing the deficit.
With respect to the first sequestration order issued under the Statutory PAYGO Act after the enactment of this bill, the bill modifies the requirements to (1) require additional reductions to certain programs that were funded in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, including programs that are unrelated to the direct health care treatment and prevention of COVID-19 in the United States; and (2) exempt Medicare from the process.

To temporarily modify the application of the sequester under the 
      Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Responsible and Effective Spending 
Cuts of Undesirable Expenditures Act'' or the ``RESCUE Act''.

SEC. 2. APPLICATION OF PAYGO ACT SEQUESTRATION.

    (a) Application.--
            (1) In general.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
        law, with respect to carrying out the first sequestration order 
        under the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 issued after the 
        date of enactment of this Act, before any other direct spending 
        program (including Medicare programs described in section 
        256(d) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act 
        of 1985) is reduced under such order, the budgetary resources 
        of the direct spending programs described in subsection (b)--
                    (A) shall be reduced, in the order such provisions 
                are listed in such subsection, in an amount equal to 
                the amount of any reduction required, but for this 
                section, for Medicare programs under section 6 of the 
                Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010; and
                    (B) after the reduction required under subparagraph 
                (A), shall be further reduced, in the order such 
                provisions are listed in such subsection, by the amount 
                (if any) of the remaining budget-year debit as 
                determined under such section 6.
            (2) Regular procedure.--After the reductions required by 
        paragraph (1), such sequestration order shall be carried out 
        with respect to direct spending programs (excluding such 
        Medicare programs) consistent with the requirements of the 
        Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010.
    (b) Wasteful Spending Programs.--The direct spending programs 
described in this subsection are as follows:
            (1) Section 9704 of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 
        (Public Law 117-2) and the amendments made by such section 
        (relating to special financial assistance program for 
        financially troubled multiemployer plans).
            (2) Section 9901 of such Act and the amendments made by 
        such section (relating to coronavirus State and local fiscal 
        recovery funds).
            (3) Title X of such Act (relating to foreign relations).
            (4) Any other provision of such Act or any amendment made 
        by such provision (if applicable) that is not related to the 
        direct health care treatment and prevention of COVID-19 in the 
        United States.
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