This page contains a categorized breakdown of provisions within [H.R. 3746] Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023. For a high-level summary and broader context, please visit the overview page here.
Economy and Commerce
Temporary suspension of the public debt limit
Suspends the statutory limit on public debt until January 1, 2025. The limit will be increased on January 2, 2025, to accommodate borrowing during the suspension period.
| Amount | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| $200,000,000 | Rescinding unobligated balances from the Economic Stabilization Fund. | |
| $295,000,000 | Rescinding unobligated balances for air carrier worker support. | |
| $1,000,000,000 | Rescinding unobligated balances from the State Small Business Credit Initiative. |
Education and Research
Termination of federal student loan payment suspension
Ends the suspension of payments, interest accrual, and collections on federal student loans 60 days after June 30, 2023, and prohibits further extensions without new congressional authorization.
Energy and Environment
Reform of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review process
Amends NEPA to streamline environmental reviews by setting deadlines (2 years for impact statements, 1 year for assessments), imposing page limits, and clarifying requirements for analyzing alternatives.
Study of interregional electricity transfer capability
Directs the Electric Reliability Organization to study and recommend improvements for the transfer capability of electricity between transmission planning regions to enhance grid reliability.
Permitting streamlining for energy storage
Amends the FAST Act to include energy storage projects as a category of infrastructure eligible for streamlined permitting processes.
Government Operations
Discretionary spending limits for FY2024 and FY2025
Establishes specific spending limits for defense and non-defense discretionary spending for fiscal years 2024 and 2025.
Spending cap enforcement mechanism
Mandates a 1% reduction in discretionary spending caps if Congress fails to pass all full-year appropriations bills by January 1 of 2024 or 2025.
Budgetary treatment of prior emergency spending
Ensures that emergency funds previously designated in laws like the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act do not count against the new spending caps.
Budget enforcement in the House of Representatives
Provides the House Budget Committee Chair with the authority to set budget allocations for FY2024, serving as a substitute for a formal budget resolution to enforce spending rules.
Limitation on advance appropriations
Restricts the use of advance appropriations in the House and Senate, with specific exceptions for certain accounts like Veterans and Indian Health, and a capped amount for other programs.
Budget enforcement in the Senate
Grants the Senate Budget Committee Chairman authority to set budget allocations for FY2024 and FY2025, acting in place of a formal budget resolution to enforce spending rules.
Rescission of unobligated funds
Initiates the process of rescinding, or taking back, previously appropriated funds that have not yet been legally committed or spent by federal agencies.
Rescission of unobligated COVID-19 and other emergency funds
Permanently cancels a wide range of unobligated funds previously appropriated for COVID-19 response, relief, and other programs across numerous federal agencies.
Administrative Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2023
Establishes a temporary "pay-as-you-go" rule for executive agencies, requiring them to offset any new discretionary rule that increases direct spending with equal or greater spending cuts elsewhere.
| Amount | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| $703,651,000,000 | Setting the revised nonsecurity category spending limit for fiscal year 2024. | |
| $710,688,000,000 | Setting the revised nonsecurity category spending limit for fiscal year 2025. | |
| $11,000,000,000 | Appropriating funds to the Department of Commerce for government efficiencies in fiscal year 2024. | |
| $11,000,000,000 | Appropriating funds to the Department of Commerce for government efficiencies in fiscal year 2025. | |
| $1,621,959,000,000 | Setting the discretionary spending limit for fiscal year 2026. | |
| $1,638,179,000,000 | Setting the discretionary spending limit for fiscal year 2027. | |
| $1,654,560,000,000 | Setting the discretionary spending limit for fiscal year 2028. | |
| $1,671,106,000,000 | Setting the discretionary spending limit for fiscal year 2029. | |
| $28,852,000,000 | Limiting advance appropriations for certain accounts in fiscal year 2025. | |
| $1,389,525,000 | Rescinding unobligated balances made available to the Internal Revenue Service. | |
| $500,000 | Authorizing funds for the Council on Environmental Quality to study a unified online permitting portal. |
Health
| Amount | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| $604,000,000 | Providing additional budget authority for health care fraud and abuse control for fiscal year 2024. | |
| $630,000,000 | Providing additional budget authority for health care fraud and abuse control for fiscal year 2025. |
Infrastructure
Expedited approval for the Mountain Valley Pipeline
Ratifies all federal permits for the Mountain Valley Pipeline, directs agencies to issue any remaining approvals within 21 days, and limits judicial review of these actions.
National defense
| Amount | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| $886,349,000,000 | Setting the revised security category spending limit for fiscal year 2024. | |
| $895,212,000,000 | Setting the revised security category spending limit for fiscal year 2025. | |
| $61,381,230 | Rescinding unobligated balances from Defense Production Act Purchases. |
Social services
Recalibration of TANF caseload reduction credit
Updates the base year for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) caseload reduction credit from 2005 to 2015, effectively increasing work participation requirements for states.
TANF work outcomes pilot program
Authorizes a pilot program for up to 5 states to measure TANF success based on work and family outcomes, such as employment and earnings after exiting the program, instead of work participation rates.
Modification of SNAP work requirement age and exemptions
Gradually increases the age of individuals subject to SNAP work requirements from 49 to 54, while also adding new exemptions for veterans, homeless individuals, and youth aging out of foster care.
Reduction in state-level SNAP work requirement exemptions
Reduces the percentage of a state's SNAP caseload that can be exempted from work requirements at the state's discretion from 12 percent to 8 percent starting in fiscal year 2024.
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) waiver transparency
Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to make public all State waiver requests and agency approvals related to the Food and Nutrition Act within 30 days of this Act's enactment.
| Amount | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| $1,578,000,000 | Providing additional budget authority for continuing disability reviews for fiscal year 2024. | |
| $1,630,000,000 | Providing additional budget authority for continuing disability reviews for fiscal year 2025. | |
| $265,000,000 | Providing additional budget authority for reemployment services and eligibility assessments for fiscal year 2024. | |
| $271,000,000 | Providing additional budget authority for reemployment services and eligibility assessments for fiscal year 2025. | |
| $150,000,000 | Rescinding unobligated balances from the COVID-19 Homeowner Assistance Fund. |
Veteran affairs
| Amount | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| $20,268,000,000 | Appropriating funds for veterans' health care related to environmental hazard exposure, available October 1, 2023. | |
| $24,455,000,000 | Appropriating funds for veterans' health care related to environmental hazard exposure, available October 1, 2024. |