PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the Committee on the Budget, and in addition to the Committee on Rules, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Congressional Research Service
No official summary is available in the imported record yet.
People & committees
Rep. Beyer, Donald S. [D-VA-8] · D–VA
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
Referred to the Committee on the Budget, and in addition to the Committee on Rules, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on the Budget, and in addition to the Committee on Rules, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Sep 8, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2026-08-03 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
This bill would allow those harmed by unlawful withholding of federal spending authority to seek court orders making that authority available. Spending authority means permission for an agency to commit federal funds. It would also establish a process for the House of Representatives to authorize lawsuits over withheld funds, including expedited votes and deadlines for action. These are proposed changes; the supplied record does not establish enactment.
Any person aggrieved by a violation of this title with respect to the withholding of budget authority that is required to be made available under such title may institute a civil action in a United States district court
the House of Representatives shall initiate civil actions if the resolution described in this section is adopted by the House.
The Speaker shall, in coordination with the Office of the General Counsel of the House of Representatives, initiate or intervene in one or more civil actions as directed by a resolution not later than 20 calendar days after passage of such resolution.
2026-08-03: Introduced in House
Section 1 would name the legislation the Restoring Accountability in Appropriations Act.
This Act may be cited as the Restoring Accountability in Appropriations Act.
Section 2 would add language to the existing Act’s application section addressing private rights to sue over withheld funds under other laws. The surrounding existing statutory language is not reproduced.
Application Section 1001 of the Impoundment Control Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 681) is amended—
(4) affecting or precluding in any way private rights of action concerning any impoundment established by provision of law other than this Act; or
Proposed section 1018 would let a party harmed by a violation involving spending authority required to be available sue the United States and any federal employee in federal district court. Available preventive remedies would include temporary or permanent court orders stopping or correcting the withholding.
Any person aggrieved by a violation of this title with respect to the withholding of budget authority that is required to be made available under such title may institute a civil action in a United States district court against the United States and any Federal employee for preventive relief, including an application in a United States district court for a permanent or temporary injunction, restraining order, or other order.
Courts would be expressly authorized to issue orders against federal departments, agencies, officers, or employees as necessary or appropriate to make the withheld authority available for agencies to commit funds.
Such court is hereby expressly empowered to enter in such civil action, against any department, agency, officer, or employee of the United States, any decree, judgment, or order, which may be necessary or appropriate to make such budget authority available for obligation.
Under proposed section 1019, a Comptroller General report to both chambers under existing section 1015(a), followed by House adoption of the specified resolution, would require the House to initiate litigation.
If the Comptroller General makes a report available to both Houses of Congress under section 1015(a) of this Act, the House of Representatives shall initiate civil actions if the resolution described in this section is adopted by the House.
Specified House leaders could request a report if they believe the President failed to send a special message about funds being withheld or delayed. The written request would have to describe the spending authority, explain why a report is needed, and set a report deadline at least 90 calendar days after submission. Eligible officials would be the Speaker, majority and minority leaders, and the chairs and ranking members of the Budget and Oversight and Government Reform committees.
If a covered individual believes that the President has failed to transmit a special message with respect to a reserve or a deferral of budget authority, such individual may submit a request (in writing) to the Comptroller General for a report to be issued under section 1015(a) with respect to such reserve or deferral.
Such request shall include— (i) a description of the budget authority so reserved or deferred and the reasons why such a report is necessary; and (ii) the date by which such report shall be issued by the Comptroller General, which shall be no earlier than 90 calendar days after the submission of the request.
the term covered individual means the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the majority or minority leader of the House, the chair or ranking member of the Committee on the Budget of the House, or the chair or ranking member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform of the House.
If the requested report were not issued by the specified deadline, the requesting official could introduce a litigation resolution identifying the unanswered request instead of a completed report.
If such a report is not issued by the date described in clause (ii), the covered individual who submitted the request under paragraph (A) may introduce a resolution as described in this section
which is the subject of a request made to the Comptroller General by ___ on ___, but for which no report has been made available by the Comptroller General to both Houses of Congress under section 1015(a) of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974.
For the route using a completed report, the resolution would have to be introduced within 45 calendar days after the report became available. It would have to omit a preamble and use the prescribed title and operative text.
the term resolution means a resolution that is introduced in the House of Representatives not later than 45 calendar days after the date on which the Comptroller General makes such a report available and— (1) which does not have a preamble; (2) the title of which is Providing for authority to initiate litigation for actions inconsistent with the Impoundment Control Act.; and (3) the matter after the resolving clause is as follows:
The prescribed resolution would direct the Speaker to bring or join lawsuits in the federal district court for the District of Columbia. It would cover spending authority that must be available but remains unavailable when the resolution is introduced, with the required report or unanswered-request reference.
The Speaker is directed to initiate or intervene in one or more civil actions on behalf of the House of Representatives in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia to require that budget authority described in subsection (c) to be made available for obligation.
Budget authority described in this subsection is any budget authority that— (1) is required to be made available for obligation; (2) is not made available for obligation on or before the date on which this resolution is introduced; and (3) which is the subject of a report made available on __ by the Comptroller General to both Houses of Congress under section 1015(a) of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974.
except that the following shall be substituted for section 1(c)(3) of the matter described in subsection (b)(3) of this section: (3) which is the subject of a request made to the Comptroller General by ___ on ___, but for which no report has been made available
The House’s Office of the General Counsel would represent the House at the Speaker’s direction and could hire outside lawyers and other experts. The Speaker would have to bring or join the authorized litigation within 20 calendar days after the resolution passed.
The Office of the General Counsel of the House of Representatives, at the direction of the Speaker, shall represent the House in any civil action initiated, or in which the House intervenes, pursuant to this resolution, and may employ the services of outside counsel and other experts for this purpose.
The Speaker shall, in coordination with the Office of the General Counsel of the House of Representatives, initiate or intervene in one or more civil actions as directed by a resolution not later than 20 calendar days after passage of such resolution.
A committee receiving the resolution would have two legislative days after introduction to report it without amendment. If it missed that deadline, the resolution would automatically leave that committee and go to the appropriate House calendar. Legislative days are units of House proceedings, distinct from the calendar-day deadlines elsewhere in the bill.
Any committee of the House of Representatives to which a resolution is referred under this section shall report it to the House of Representatives without amendment not later than 2 legislative days after the date of introduction of the resolution. If a committee fails to report the resolution within that period, the committee shall be discharged from further consideration of the resolution and the resolution shall be referred to the appropriate calendar.
After committee action or automatic discharge, a motion to take up the resolution would be allowed without debate or procedural objections. Another such motion would not be allowed after the House disposed of one, and the resulting vote could not be reconsidered.
After each committee authorized to consider the resolution reports it to the House of Representatives or has been discharged from its consideration under paragraph (1), it shall be in order to move to proceed to consider the resolution in the House. All points of order against the motion are waived. Such a motion shall not be in order after the House has disposed of a motion to proceed on the resolution.
The motion shall not be debatable. A motion to reconsider the vote by which the motion is disposed of shall not be in order.
Debate on the resolution itself would be limited to two hours, split equally between a supporter and an opponent. The resolution would be treated as already read, procedural objections would be waived, and intervening motions and reconsideration of the passage vote would be barred.
The resolution shall be considered as read. All points of order against the resolution and against its consideration are waived. The previous question shall be considered as ordered on the resolution to its passage without intervening motion except two hours of debate equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent. A motion to reconsider the vote on passage of the resolution shall not be in order.
The proposal would preserve the Government Accountability Office’s authority to begin its own reporting process and other members of Congress’s authority to request that process. The special role given to designated House leaders would not eliminate those existing avenues.
Nothing contained in this section shall be construed as to limit the authority of the Government Accountability Office to initiate its own process for issuing a report under section 1015(a), or to limit the authority of Members of Congress other than covered individuals to submit requests to the Comptroller General to initiate such process.
The House procedures would operate as House rules, superseding other rules only where inconsistent. The bill expressly recognizes the House’s constitutional authority to change its procedural rules later.
as an exercise of the rulemaking power of the House of Representatives and as such it is deemed a part of the rules of the House but applicable only with respect to the procedure to be followed in that House in the case of a resolution, and it supersedes other rules only to the extent that it is inconsistent with such rules
with full recognition of the constitutional right of the House to change the rules (so far as relating to the procedure of the House) at any time, in the same manner, and to the same extent as in the case of any other rule of the House.
The supplied official-actions snapshot, updated September 8, 2026, records introduction in the House on August 3, 2026, and referral that day to the Budget Committee and additionally to the Rules Committee for provisions within their respective jurisdictions. It supplies no later legislative action.
Source snapshot updated 2026-09-08T19:31:27Z.
2026-08-03: Introduced in House
2026-08-03: Referred to the Committee on the Budget, and in addition to the Committee on Rules, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2026-08-03. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision or policy rider was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for a particular recipient or place was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish formal earmark status in absent accompanying materials.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No materially narrow preferential benefit, special exemption, or carve-out was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. Generally available remedies and legislative administration do not alone qualify. This conclusion does not extend to other versions or accompanying materials.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Sep 8, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI