H.R. 1970: To direct the Secretary of the Treasury to ensure that social security benefits are paid, to prioritize payments when the United States is not able to issue new obligations due to the statutory debt limit, and to address a lapse in appropriations to fund the Armed Forces.

H.R. 1970: To direct the Secretary of the Treasury to ensure that social security benefits are paid, to prioritize payments when the United States is not able to issue new obligations due to the statutory debt limit, and to address a lapse in appropriations to fund the Armed Forces.

113th Congress · introduced 2013-05-14 · Economics and Public Finance · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Social Security.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2013-05-14 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Gohmert, Louie [R-TX-1] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Social Security. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

To direct the Secretary of the Treasury to ensure that social security benefits are paid, to prioritize payments when the United States is not able to issue new obligations due to the statutory debt limit, and to address a lapse in appropriations to fund the Armed Forces.

Plain summary

Amends title XI (General Provisions) of the Social Security Act with respect to the payment of cash benefits or administrative expenses from the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund, the Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund, the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund, and the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund (applicable federal funds) during any debt limit default period. Requires that during a debt limit default period public debt obligations held by the applicable federal fund be sold or redeemed in an amount not to exceed the sum of: (1) the face amount of obligations held by the fund which mature during the month in question; plus (2) the amount necessary only to pay such benefits or administrative expenses, and only to the extent cash assets of the fund are not available during that period to make such payments. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury, in order to undertake the sale or redemption of public debt obligations held by the applicable federal fund, to issue corresponding public debt obligations to the public in order to obtain the amounts necessary to make such payments, notwithstanding the public debt limit. Declares that, in the event that the Secretary is not able to issue obligations to make all authorized payments because the public debt limit has been reached, the Secretary shall give equal priority to the following: (1) payments of principal and interest on public debt; (2) payments of amounts that the Secretary of Defense (DOD) (and the Secretary of Homeland Security [DHS] in the case of the Coast Guard) determines to be necessary to continue pay and allowances (without interruption) to the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard, including their reserve components, who perform active service; (3) payments determined by the President (and reported to the Congress) to be necessary to continue U.S. priorities of its vital national security interests; and (4) payments for items and services under SSA title XVIII (Medicare). Makes appropriations, for any period of lapsed appropriations, out of any moneys in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, to the Secretary of Defense (and the Secretary of Homeland Security in the case of the Coast Guard) to continue to provide pay and allowances (without interruption) to members of the U.S. armed forces.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

To direct the Secretary of the Treasury to ensure that social security benefits are paid, to prioritize payments when the United States is not able to issue new obligations due to the statutory debt limit, and to address a lapse in appropriations to fund the Armed Forces.

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Gohmert, Louie [R-TX-1] · 0 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (5)

Appropriation: Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
Authorization: A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.
Obligation: A binding promise by a government agency to pay money, for example by signing a contract or awarding a grant. Spending data such as USAspending.gov counts money when it is obligated, which can be before it is actually paid out.
Securities: Financial investments that can be bought and sold, such as stocks and bonds.
Statute: A written law passed by a legislature. A statute can be changed by a later law; changing a constitution needs an amendment.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-113hr1970.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/113/hr>

Record fed-us-cong113-hr1970 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong113 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong113