PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committees on Rules, and the Budget, 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
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Aug 10, 2026
Dollar-for-Dollar Deficit Reduction Act
The bill establishes a framework to require legislation that increases or suspends the public debt limit to include spending reductions that are equal to or greater than the projected increase in debt that will occur under the legislation. The bill allows the spending reductions to be phased in over the period that includes the current and next 10 fiscal years.
Specifically, the bill requires the Department of the Treasury to notify the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee when it determines that the federal government will reach the debt limit within 60 days without the implementation of extraordinary measures. The notification must also indicate when extraordinary measures may be necessary to prolong the funding of the federal government in the absence of a debt limit increase.
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
In addition, the bill requires any formal presidential request to increase the debt limit to include (1) the amount of the proposed increase, and (2) proposed legislation to reduce spending by an amount that is equal to or greater than the amount of the requested increase.
Finally, the bill establishes budget points of order that may be raised in the House of Representatives and the Senate against legislation that increases or suspends the debt limit and does not contain net spending reductions that are equal to or greater than the increase in the debt that will occur under the legislation.
People & committees
Rep. Steube, W. Gregory [R-FL-17] · R–FL
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 Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committees on Rules, and the Budget, 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 Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committees on Rules, and the Budget, 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 Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committees on Rules, and the Budget, 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.
Source last updated: Nov 6, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2026-08-10 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.
The proposed Dollar-for-Dollar Deficit Reduction Act would link increases in the federal debt limit—the legal ceiling on federal borrowing—to proposed spending cuts. Presidential requests would need accompanying legislation with at least matching cuts, and Congress would face procedural restrictions on measures raising or temporarily suspending the limit. Savings would generally be measured over the current year and the following 10 years. The bill would also require Treasury warnings, public cost estimates, and special Senate voting thresholds to overcome the spending-cut requirements.
This Act may be cited as the Dollar-for-Dollar Deficit Reduction Act.
Any formal Presidential request to increase the debt limit under this section shall include the amount of the proposed debt limit increase and be accompanied by proposed legislation to reduce spending over the sum of the current and following 10 years by an amount equal to or greater than the amount of the requested debt limit increase.
the Secretary of the Treasury shall issue a debt limit warning to the Committee on Finance of the Senate and the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives
it shall not be in order in the Senate or the House of Representatives to consider any bill, joint resolution, amendment, motion, or conference report that increases the statutory debt limit unless the bill contains net spending reductions of an equal or greater amount over the period of the current and next 10 fiscal years.
it shall not be in order in the Senate or the House of Representatives to consider any bill, joint resolution, amendment, motion, or conference report that suspends the statutory debt limit unless the bill contains net spending reductions
unless the cost estimate of that measure prepared by the Congressional Budget Office has been publicly available on the website of the Congressional Budget Office for at least 24 hours.
In the Senate, subsection (a)(1) may be waived or suspended only by an affirmative vote of three-fifths of the Members, duly chosen and sworn.
Treasury would have to warn the Senate Finance Committee and House Ways and Means Committee when it determines that the government will reach the debt limit within 60 calendar days even with extraordinary measures. The warning must identify when those measures may become necessary. The bill defines extraordinary measures as Treasury actions to prolong government operations without a debt-limit increase.
In the event of a near breach of the public debt limit established by section 3101, the Secretary of the Treasury shall issue a debt limit warning to the Committee on Finance of the Senate and the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives that shall include a determination as to when extraordinary measures may be necessary in order to prolong the funding of the United States Government.
The term near breach means the point at which the Secretary of the Treasury determines that the United States Government will reach the statutorily prescribed debt limit within 60 calendar days notwithstanding the implementation of extraordinary measures.
The term extraordinary measures means measures that may be taken by the Secretary of the Treasury in the event of a breach of the debt limit by the United States to prolong the function of the United States Government in the absence of a debt limit increase.
A formal presidential request under the proposed section would have to state the requested debt-limit increase and include proposed legislation cutting spending by at least that amount over the current year and following 10 years. Savings on net interest could not count toward that requirement. This requires a legislative proposal; it does not itself enact the proposed cuts.
Any formal Presidential request to increase the debt limit under this section shall include the amount of the proposed debt limit increase and be accompanied by proposed legislation to reduce spending over the sum of the current and following 10 years by an amount equal to or greater than the amount of the requested debt limit increase. Net interest savings may not be counted towards spending reductions required by this paragraph.
The President's proposed savings would be compared with a budget baseline—a reference projection—consistent with section 257 of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985. That projection would exclude carrying forward spending enacted with an emergency designation.
The spending savings under paragraph (1) shall be calculated against a budget baseline consistent with section 257 of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 907). This baseline shall exclude the extrapolation of any spending that had been enacted under an emergency designation.
For a debt-limit increase, the bill would create a point of order—a procedural objection to considering a measure—in both chambers. It would cover bills, joint resolutions, amendments, motions, and conference reports, and require net spending cuts at least equal to the increase over the current and next 10 fiscal years. Net interest savings could not count, and the provision includes a Senate waiver mechanism.
316. Debt limit increase point of order (a) In general (1) Point of order Except as provided in subsection (b), it shall not be in order in the Senate or the House of Representatives to consider any bill, joint resolution, amendment, motion, or conference report that increases the statutory debt limit unless the bill contains net spending reductions of an equal or greater amount over the period of the current and next 10 fiscal years. Net interest savings may not be counted towards spending reductions required by this paragraph.
In the Senate, subsection (a)(1) may be waived or suspended only by an affirmative vote of three-fifths of the Members, duly chosen and sworn.
A separate point of order would apply to measures temporarily suspending the debt limit. Subject to the Senate waiver mechanism, such measures would need net spending cuts over the current and next 10 fiscal years at least equal to the Congressional Budget Office's projected debt increase during the suspension. Net interest savings could not count.
317. Debt limit suspension point of order (a) In general (1) Point of order Except as provided in subsection (b), it shall not be in order in the Senate or the House of Representatives to consider any bill, joint resolution, amendment, motion, or conference report that suspends the statutory debt limit unless the bill contains net spending reductions over the period of the current and next 10 fiscal years in an amount that is equal to or greater than the projected debt amount for the period of the suspension of the statutory debt limit as determined by the Congressional Budget Office in accordance with paragraph (3). Net interest savings may not be counted towards spending reductions required by this paragraph.
by calculating the difference between— (A) the amount the statutory debt is projected to be on the date on which the suspension of the statutory debt limit is to end, as determined by the debt projection of the Congressional Budget Office, and (B) the amount of statutory debt as of the date on which the suspension of the statutory debt limit is to begin.
In the Senate, subsection (a)(1) may be waived or suspended only by an affirmative vote of three-fifths of the Members, duly chosen and sworn.
For a suspension, the Congressional Budget Office would calculate the required debt amount by subtracting statutory debt at the start of the suspension from projected statutory debt at its end. The spending-cut target therefore uses the projected change during the suspension, rather than the entire debt balance.
the Congressional Budget Office shall determine the amount of projected debt for the period for which the bill, joint resolution, amendment, motion, or conference report suspends the statutory debt limit by calculating the difference between— (A) the amount the statutory debt is projected to be on the date on which the suspension of the statutory debt limit is to end, as determined by the debt projection of the Congressional Budget Office, and (B) the amount of statutory debt as of the date on which the suspension of the statutory debt limit is to begin.
Under both congressional points of order, the Congressional Budget Office would calculate spending savings against a reference projection consistent with section 257 of the 1985 budget law. As with the presidential proposal requirement, that projection would exclude carrying emergency-designated spending forward.
The savings resulting from the proposed spending reductions under paragraph (1) shall be calculated by the Congressional Budget Office against a budget baseline consistent with section 257 of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985. This baseline shall exclude the extrapolation of any spending that had been enacted under an emergency designation.
Both proposed congressional rules would disallow counting savings from provisions that move government payments or revenues from inside what the text calls the “10-year window” to outside it.
Any provision that shifts outlays or revenues from within the 10-year window to outside the window shall not count towards the budget savings target for purposes of this subsection.
Neither chamber could vote on a measure increasing the debt limit until the Congressional Budget Office's cost estimate had been publicly available on its website for at least 24 hours. The covered measures include bills, joint resolutions, amendments, motions, and conference reports.
The Senate and the House of Representatives may not vote on any bill, joint resolution, amendment, motion, or conference report that increases the public debt limit unless the cost estimate of that measure prepared by the Congressional Budget Office has been publicly available on the website of the Congressional Budget Office for at least 24 hours.
The suspension section repeats the 24-hour publication requirement using the word “increases,” rather than “suspends.” Its wording therefore does not expressly apply that requirement to a measure solely because it suspends the limit.
317. Debt limit suspension point of order
(B) Availability The Senate and the House of Representatives may not vote on any bill, joint resolution, amendment, motion, or conference report that increases the public debt limit unless the cost estimate of that measure prepared by the Congressional Budget Office has been publicly available on the website of the Congressional Budget Office for at least 24 hours.
For each point of order, the Senate could waive or suspend the spending-cut requirement only with affirmative votes from three-fifths of senators duly chosen and sworn. The same threshold would be required to sustain an appeal of the presiding officer's ruling on that point of order. These clauses expressly refer to subsection (a)(1).
(b) Senate supermajority waiver and appeal (1) Waiver In the Senate, subsection (a)(1) may be waived or suspended only by an affirmative vote of three-fifths of the Members, duly chosen and sworn. (2) Appeal An affirmative vote of three-fifths of the Members of the Senate, duly chosen and sworn, shall be required to sustain an appeal of the ruling of the Chair on a point of order raised under subsection (a)(1).
The supplied official-actions snapshot, updated November 6, 2026, records introduction in the House on August 10, 2026, and referral that day to Ways and Means and additionally to Rules and Budget for provisions within their respective jurisdictions.
Source snapshot updated 2026-11-06T20:49:38Z.
2026-08-10: Introduced in House
2026-08-10: Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committees on Rules, and the Budget, 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 · 2026-08-10. 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 attachment to appropriations was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish the contents or attachment history of 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 particular recipients or places was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version; earmark disclosures, member requests, and committee or conference materials were not supplied.
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 beneficiary-specific carve-out was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Nov 6, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI