H.R. 3296: Pay America First Act

113th Congress · introduced 2013-10-16 · Economics and Public Finance · Latest: Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2013-10-16 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Gallego, Pete P. [D-TX-23] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means. 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

Pay America First Act

Plain summary

Pay America First Act - Makes this Act effective if the federal government defaults on its legal obligations for the first time in its history, as evidenced by one or more of certain actions taken by the Secretary of the Treasury. Counts among such actions withholding from making payments of debt obligations to foreign bond holders, including those in China, Iran, and the Cayman Islands, before: making a payment of a debt obligation to the Social Security and Medicare trust funds or redeeming a debt obligation held by those trust funds; redeeming a debt obligation held by a trust fund providing veterans benefits, including the Veterans Special Life Insurance Fund, the Veterans Reopened Insurance Fund, the Armed Forces Retirement Home Fund, and the Court of Veteran Appeals Retirement Fund; redeeming a debt obligation held by an intragovernmental fund to assist Americans during a natural disaster, including reserves for the National Flood Insurance Program and other disaster relief funds appropriated to the President; or making a payment of debt obligations to the Department of Defense (DOD), including civilian and uniformed personnel (Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force), military active pay and military retirement benefits, and military benefits to their families. Requires the Secretary, after exercising such authority, to report each week to Congress on the payments issued and amount of revenues incoming and remaining reserves for upcoming payments issued.

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

Pay America First Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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Alternatives

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

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Gallego, Pete P. [D-TX-23] · 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 (4)

Appropriation: Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
Bond: A way to borrow money. A government sells bonds to raise money now and promises to pay it back with interest over time. Bonds repaid from taxes often need voter approval.
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.

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-113hr3296.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/113/hr>

Record fed-us-cong113-hr3296 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong113 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong113