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S. 181: A bill to require agencies submit zero-based budgets.

119th Congress · introduced 2025-01-22 · Economics and Public Finance · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

federal

What does this mean?

Official title

A bill to require agencies submit zero-based budgets.

Plain summary

This bill requires federal agencies to submit zero-based budgets to the Office of Management and Budget and the congressional budget committees . Under the bill, a zero-based budget is a systematic budget analysis in which managers (1) examine current objectives, operations, and costs; (2) consider alternative ways of carrying out programs or activities; and (3) rank different programs or activities by order of importance. The bill also requires federal agencies to submit recommendations to reduce spending by at least 2% from the previous year's levels. The Department of Defense and the National Nuclear Security Administration are exempt from this requirement.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), 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

A bill to require agencies submit zero-based budgets.

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Risch, James E. [R-ID] · 7 cosponsors

Money: No cost estimate published yet. No linked contracts or vendors yet.

Words on this page, explained (3)
Bill
A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Exemption
A rule that removes certain people, property or activities from a tax or requirement.
Securities
Financial investments that can be bought and sold, such as stocks and bonds.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong119-s181 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong119 · updated 2026-11-03 by psicol fed-bills