Passed
216 Yea214 Nay1 Not voting1/2 required
HCONRES-113-119
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 468.
Sponsored by Jodey Arrington (R-TX)
What it does
This concurrent resolution would establish the congressional budget for fiscal year 2027 and set target spending and revenue levels for fiscal years 2028 through 2036. It would authorize approximately $6.1 trillion in total outlays for FY2027 against $4.5 trillion in projected revenues, producing a projected on-budget deficit of roughly $1.6 trillion. It also instructs four House committees to submit legislative changes through the reconciliation process by September 11, 2026, allowing up to $95 billion in additional deficit increases over the 10-year window.
Who benefits
Defense contractors and the military, as national defense receives the largest single discretionary allocation (~$955 billion in FY2027). Veterans, who receive ~$450 billion in FY2027. Medicare beneficiaries (primarily seniors), whose program is funded at ~$1.15 trillion in FY2027. Medicaid and health program recipients (~$991 billion in outlays). Income security program recipients (food assistance, housing, disability). Transportation infrastructure users and construction industries. State and local governments receiving federal grants. Holders of U.S. Treasury debt, whose interest payments (~$1.15 trillion) are fully funded. Committees gaining reconciliation authority (Agriculture, Armed Services, Intelligence, House Administration).
Who is hurt
Future taxpayers who would bear the cost of projected deficits ranging from ~$1.3 to ~$1.6 trillion annually through 2036, with public debt rising from ~$33.9 trillion to ~$48.5 trillion. Holders of existing Treasury bonds, who may face higher interest rates as debt grows. Programs subject to the "Government-Wide Savings" category, which shows negative budget authority growing to -$594 billion by 2036, indicating assumed but unspecified spending reductions. Agencies or programs whose funding may be constrained by the reconciliation instructions. Taxpayers in future years who may face higher taxes or reduced services to service the growing debt. Younger generations who inherit the long-term fiscal obligations.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue that this budget resolution provides essential fiscal structure that allows the government to function and plan across a 10-year horizon, while the reconciliation instructions create a disciplined legislative pathway to enact policy changes through a simple majority. They contend that the defense and veterans allocations reflect necessary investments in national security, and that sustained funding for Medicare, Medicaid, and income security programs protects tens of millions of vulnerable Americans who depend on these programs for basic needs.
Opponents argue
Opponents argue that the resolution locks in structural deficits of $1.3–$1.6 trillion every single year through 2036, adding roughly $14.5 trillion to the public debt — a trajectory that the Congressional Budget Office has warned is fiscally unsustainable. They contend that the "Government-Wide Savings" category, which grows to -$594 billion annually by 2036, represents unspecified and unaccounted-for cuts that obscure the true cost of the plan, making the budget's arithmetic dependent on savings that have no identified legislative vehicle.
Constitutional context
The Constitution grants Congress the exclusive power of the purse under Article I, Section 9 (the Appropriations Clause) and Article I, Section 8 (taxing and spending powers). A concurrent resolution on the budget is an internal congressional mechanism and does not carry the force of law or require presidential signature; it sets enforceable targets within Congress under the Congressional Budget Act of 1974. No active Supreme Court doctrine directly constrains this type of resolution, though the reconciliation instructions it triggers could produce legislation subject to Commerce Clause, Necessary and Proper Clause, or Tenth Amendment scrutiny depending on the specific policy changes enacted.
Checks and balances
Congress retains the power of the purse through this resolution; the Budget Committees gain enforcement authority over spending allocations, while the President retains veto power over any subsequent appropriations or reconciliation legislation that implements these targets.
Historical precedent
Congress has passed annual concurrent budget resolutions under the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 since 1976; recent examples include the FY2023 and FY2025 budget resolutions, which similarly set 10-year spending and revenue targets and included reconciliation instructions.
Passed