What are Caps on Discretionary Spending and Do They Work?

Some lawmakers argue that capping such spending will help rein in deficits and stabilize the nation's fiscal outlook.

The Budget Control Act of 2011 placed limits on discretionary spending for fiscal years 2012 to 2021.

What are the FRA Discretionary Spending Caps and Potential ...

The caps place separate limits on both defense and non-defense discretionary budget authority. While the overall topline discretionary spending ...

What is discretionary spending in the federal budget?

Discretionary spending is federal spending that must be appropriated by Congress every year. In 2022, it represented a little over a quarter of all federal ...

Discretionary Spending Options | Congressional Budget Office

Discretionary spending—the part of federal spending that lawmakers control through annual appropriation acts—totaled about $1.2 trillion in 2013 ...

How Do New Government Spending Caps Compare to Historical ...

The FRA will be responsible for a minimum of two years of spending caps (FY2024-25), with the potential for four more years of spending limits (FY2026-29).

Discretionary Spending Caps in the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023

If discretionary appropriations are enacted that exceed these statutory limits for the fiscal year, a sequester would be triggered making across ...

Breaking Down the FRA Discretionary Spending Caps and Potential ...

The caps place separate limits on both defense and non-defense discretionary budget authority. While the overall topline discretionary spending ...

Program Integrity Discretionary Cap Adjustments Explained

In 2011, Congress put limits on annual discretionary spending through the Budget Control Act (BCA). However, there have been special carve outs ...

Discretionary Spending Caps - Appropriations

It gave Congress tools to evaluate and make changes to fiscal policy—Budget Committees, budget resolutions, and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The ...

A Blueprint for Sustainable Discretionary Spending Caps

In short, caps can enforce Congress's will to constrain spending, but they cannot impose discipline on a Congress that lacks any such will.

The Fiscal Responsibility Act - COMMITMENT

discretionary spending will temporarily operate ... Clarifies the treatment of emergency spending enacted during the years discretionary caps were not in place.

015d. (CB) Discretionary Spending Limits - Budget Counsel

Though these discretionary spending limits are set in law, and any amounts spent above them would cause a sequester, they have been routinely ignored and simply ...

Budget Caps Are Budget Cuts - Center for American Progress

Despite the rhetoric that the proposed caps would simply slow the growth in spending, they would slash the purchasing power of affected programs ...

The Economic and Budgetary Effects of Discretionary Funding Caps ...

CBO estimates that, under the caps, the reduction in federal spending for postsecondary education would slightly reduce aggregate productivity ...

The FRA's Discretionary Spending Caps Under a CR - CRS Reports

Updated November 8, 2023. What is the FRA and how does it limit discretionary spending? The Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA, P.L. 118-5), enacted in June ...

The Case for Restoring Discretionary Spending Caps

On February 18, 2022, the current continuing resolution will expire, and legislation will be needed to continue funding the federal ...

The Federal Budget: Understanding the Terms and the Players

discretionary spending caps: Caps are spending limits, which, if exceeded, may trigger across-the-board funding cuts. Congress may choose to increase spending ...

CBPP Says Discretionary Spending Caps Would Hinder Deficit Cutting

Discretionary spending caps, as proposed by Sens. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., and Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., would reduce the impact of a broad deficit cut ...

Policy Basics: Introduction to the Federal Budget Process

The spending totals in the budget resolution do not apply to ... Similarly, appropriations that exceed the discretionary funding caps would ...