Prioritize Spending Act of 2013

Bill: 113-hr-149
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Webster, Daniel [R-FL-8]
Introduced: 2013-01-03
Policy area: Economics and Public Finance
Subjects: Appropriations

Budget deficits and national debt

Coast guard

Congressional oversight

Defense spending

Department of Defense

Department of Homeland Security

Executive agency funding and structure

Medicare

Military personnel and dependents

Social security and elderly assistance
Latest action: action_date: 2013-01-03
text: Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.

Summaries:
action_date: 2013-01-03
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p>Prioritize Spending Act of 2013 - Requires amounts necessary for incurred federal obligations, in the event that the public debt reaches the statutory limit, to be made available to certain obligations, in prioritized order, before all other obligations. </p> <p>Prioritizes such obligations in the following descending order: (1) amounts necessary to carry out the authority of the Department of the Treasury to pay with legal tender the principal and interest on public debt; (2) amounts determined by the Secretary of Defense (DOD) (and the Secretary of Homeland Security [DHS] in the case of the Coast Guard) to be necessary to continue to provide pay and allowances (without interruption) to members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard, including their reserve components, who perform active service; (3) amounts certified to Congress by the President as necessary to carry out vital national security priorities; (4) amounts necessary to carry out the authority of the Commissioner of Social Security to pay monthly old-age, survivors', and disability insurance benefits under title II of the Social Security Act (SSA); and (5) amounts necessary to make payments under the Medicare program under SSA title XVIII.</p>

tv_txt: I 113th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 149 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES January 3, 2013 Mr. Webster of Florida introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means A BILL To specify the priority of the obligations of the United States Government if the debt ceiling is reached.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Prioritize Spending Act of 2013 . 2. Priority of payments if the debt ceiling is reached In the event that the debt of the United States Government, as defined in section 3101 of title 31, United States Code, reaches the statutory limit, amounts necessary for obligations incurred by the Government of the United States shall be made available to the following obligations before all other obligations and shall be made available as prioritized in the following order (with items listed in descending order of prioritization): (1) Amounts necessary to carry out the authority of the Department of the Treasury provided in section 3123 of title 31, United States Code, to pay with legal tender the principal and interest on debt held by the public. (2) Such amounts as the Secretary of Defense (and the Secretary of Homeland Security in the case of the Coast Guard) determines to be necessary to continue to provide pay and allowances (without interruption) to members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard, including reserve components thereof, who perform active service. (3) Such amounts as the President certifies to the Congress are necessary to carry out vital national security priorities. (4) Amounts necessary to carry out the authority of the Commissioner of Social Security to pay monthly old-age, survivors', and disability insurance benefits under title II of the Social Security Act. (5) Amounts necessary to make payments under the Medicare program under title XVIII of the Social Security Act.