119th (2025–2027)
S. 3951
This bill would give the President broad power to cut federal spending to balance the budget without going through Congress. If the President determines there will be a deficit in any fiscal year, the bill allows the President to withhold (not spend) federal funds in whatever amount necessary to eliminate that deficit. The only spending programs exempted from potential cuts are Medicare and Social Security. The bill essentially overrides the 1974 Impoundment Control Act, which currently prevents presidents from unilaterally refusing to spend money that Congress has already appropriated. This legislation would dramatically expand presidential authority over the federal budget, bypassing the traditional congressional appropriations process and affecting all federal agencies and programs except Medicare and Social Security.