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H.R.1370 / 119th Congress

USA FIRST Act

Referred to the House Committee on Appropriations.

Official summary

Version 00 · Introduced in House · Feb 14, 2025

Unobligated Spending Adjustment to Focus Investment on Relief and Support for Taxpayers Act or the USA FIRST Act

This bill transfers unobligated funds previously appropriated to the U.S. Agency for International Development to the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) for general disaster relief for major disasters declared by the President. The DRF is managed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the activities it funds pursuant to major disaster declarations include domestic disaster response, recovery, and mitigation.

Read the summary on Congress.gov

Who introduced it

Rep. Brecheen, Josh [R-OK-2] · R–OK

Committees

  • Appropriations Committee
2 cosponsorship records, including any withdrawals

Actions

A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.

  1. Referred to the House Committee on Appropriations.

  2. Introduced in House

  3. Introduced in House

Bill text & related measures

Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.

Related bills identified by Congress.gov

No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.

Source last updated: Jun 24, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.

Explore the bill from different angles

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Neutral evidence review

Objective

Analyze H.R.1370 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.

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Fairness and public impact

Progressive lens

Examine H.R.1370 through a progressive lens, focusing on fairness, access, economic inequality, and effects on vulnerable communities. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and distinguish stated goals from demonstrated outcomes.

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Institutions and government scope

Conservative lens

Examine H.R.1370 through a conservative lens, focusing on fiscal responsibility, institutional stability, federalism, and the scope of government. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and any provisions that challenge this perspective.

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Individual rights and government power

Liberty lens

Examine H.R.1370 through a civil-liberties and limited-government lens. Consider individual rights, privacy, voluntary choice, accountability, and government power. Explain tradeoffs, possible safeguards, and the strongest counterarguments without assuming the proposal is beneficial or harmful.

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Read the proposal in plain language

AI-generated · Source-checked by AI · Oct 31, 2026

Based on the full Introduced in House · 2025-02-14 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.

What it would do

The proposed USA FIRST Act would redirect money previously appropriated to the United States Agency for International Development that remains unobligated—meaning not yet legally committed for spending—when the bill becomes law. It would require transferring that money to the Disaster Relief Fund for assistance concerning major disasters declared under the federal Stafford disaster relief law.

Check the sources
This Act may be cited as the Unobligated Spending Adjustment to Focus Investment on Relief and Support for Taxpayers Act or the USA FIRST Act.
Official bill text · Introduced in House · 2025-02-14
Any unobligated covered funds shall be transferred to the Disaster Relief Fund to carry out the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.) with respect to major disasters declared under section 401 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170).
Official bill text · Introduced in House · 2025-02-14
the term “covered funds” means any unobligated funds previously appropriated to the United States Agency for International Development, as of the date of enactment of this Act.
Official bill text · Introduced in House · 2025-02-14

How it would work

The proposal would cover all previously appropriated agency funds that remain unobligated as of enactment. That date would determine which funds are covered; the provision does not give a separate deadline for completing the transfer.

Check the source
(a) In general Any unobligated covered funds shall be transferred to the Disaster Relief Fund to carry out the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.) with respect to major disasters declared under section 401 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170). (b) Covered funds defined In this section, the term “covered funds” means any unobligated funds previously appropriated to the United States Agency for International Development, as of the date of enactment of this Act.
Official bill text · Introduced in House · 2025-02-14

The transfer would be mandatory. The money would support activities under the Stafford Act concerning major disasters declared under section 401 of that law.

Check the source
Any unobligated covered funds shall be transferred to the Disaster Relief Fund to carry out the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.) with respect to major disasters declared under section 401 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170).
Official bill text · Introduced in House · 2025-02-14

What the record shows

Riders & Targeted Benefits

Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2025-02-14. 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.

Riders

Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.

None identified in the reviewed text

No unrelated rider 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.

Earmarks

Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.

None identified in the reviewed text

No earmark was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version; member requests, disclosures, and committee or conference materials were not supplied.

Other targeted benefits

Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.

None identified in the reviewed text

No materially narrow carve-out, exemption, or preferential treatment 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.

What this analysis cannot establish

  • The supplied text is the introduced proposal, not evidence of enacted law. The dated actions snapshot does not establish whether the bill advanced or became law afterward.
  • The bundle does not state how much money would qualify for transfer or which international development activities would be affected.
  • The referenced Stafford Act provisions are not reproduced, so the bundle does not establish detailed disaster declaration requirements, assistance eligibility, or allocation rules.
  • The proposal does not specify a transfer administrator, additional enforcement procedures, or a termination date.

Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Jun 24, 2025. How PlainBill uses AI