Budget Enforcement Act of 1990 (CongressionalGlossary.com)

From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms

Budget Enforcement Act of 1990

P.O. Arnäs

The Budget Enforcement Act of 1990, Pub. L. No. 101-508, title XIII, 104 Stat. 1388, 1388-573 (Nov. 5, 1990), was adopted to replace the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act of 1987, as a response to the budget crisis that persisted through the 80’s. The Budget Enforcement Act concentrated on devising a new deficit control process that would contain the deficit by controlling the amount of revenue raised and money spent. In line with this reasoning, the Budget Enforcement Act established three sets of rules for controlling the deficit: adjustable deficit targets, caps on discretionary spending, and pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) rules for revenue and direct spending.

From the Bill Summary of P.L. 101-508:

Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act) to provide for the enforcement of the deficit reduction assumed in House Concurrent Resolution 310 (101st Congress) and the deficit targets for FY 1991 through 1995. Requires enforcement to be implemented through sequestration applied in the following order: (1) discretionary spending levels assumed in such resolution; (2) the requirement that legislation increasing spending or decreasing revenues be on a pay-as-you-go basis; and (3) the deficit targets specially set forth in the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974.

Authorizes the President to invoke sequestration within 15 calendar days after the Congress ends a session to eliminate a budget-year breach within any category. Establishes a procedure for within-session sequestration. Sets forth the methods of adjusting discretionary spending limits.

Sets forth sequestration procedures to enforce pay-as-you-go requirements and deficit targets.

Rescinds the FY 1991 sequester and restores the sequestered amounts.

Revises the timetable for sequestration reports and orders.

Suspends sequestration procedures in the event of war or low growth.

Also see Sequestration.

More

• Budget Enforcement Act of 1990 – Wikipedia
• “Slaying the Dragon of Debt” – from The Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley
• Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 – Wikipedia
• “Budget Reconciliation Legislation: Development and Consideration,” CRS Report 98-814 (5-page PDF)
• “Deficit Impact of Reconciliation Legislation Enacted in 1990, 1993, 1997, and 2006,” CRS Report RS22098 (8-page PDF)
• “Savings in Mandatory Outlays in Selected Reconciliation Acts,” CRS Report RS22277 (8-page PDF)
• “The Budget Control Act: Frequently Asked Questions,” CRS Report R44874 (21-page PDF)
• “Points of Order in the Congressional Budget Process,” CRS Report 97-865 (21-page PDF)
• “The Budget Enforcement Act of 1997: A Fact Sheet,” CRS Report 97-930 (4-page PDF)
• “Expiration of the Discretionary Spending Limits: Frequently Asked Questions,” CRS Report R46752 (15-page PDF)
• “A National Disgrace: The federal budget process threatens America’s future.” By John Steele Gordon, City Journal, February 19, 2021

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