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Budget Control Act of 2011 Summary

Core Content

The Budget Control Act of 2011 is a U.S. federal law enacted during the 112th Congress to address federal budget deficits and implement spending caps. It was signed into law on February 13, 2011, and is structured into five main titles, each addressing different aspects of budget control, spending limits, and procedural changes.

Main Views and Key Information

Title I: Ten-Year Discretionary Caps with Sequester

• Discretionary Spending Limits: The Act establishes annual discretionary spending limits for the federal government for fiscal years 2012 through 2021, divided into security and nonsecurity categories.

  • Fiscal Year 2012: Security - $684 billion; Nonsecurity - $359 billion.
  • Fiscal Year 2013: Security - $686 billion; Nonsecurity - $361 billion.
  • Fiscal Years 2014–2021: Limits increase gradually, with nonsecurity category reaching $1.234 trillion in FY2021.

• Sequestration Mechanism: If the spending limit is breached, automatic cuts (sequestration) are triggered. These cuts apply to non-exempt accounts within a category and are calculated based on a uniform percentage necessary to eliminate the breach.

• Military Personnel Exemption: If the President uses the authority to exempt military personnel accounts from sequestration, those accounts are excluded from the cuts, and the remaining accounts are adjusted accordingly.

• Part-Year Appropriations: If part-year appropriations are enacted, the sequestration amount is subtracted from the annualized amount or the full-year appropriation, depending on the timing.

• Look-Back Provision: If an appropriation causes a breach after June 30, the next fiscal year’s discretionary spending limit is reduced by the amount of the breach.

• Adjustments to Spending Limits: The Act allows for adjustments to the discretionary spending limits based on changes in program definitions, emergency funding, disaster relief, and health care fraud control. These adjustments are capped for each fiscal year.

Title II: Vote on the Balanced Budget Amendment

• Amendment Proposal: The Act requires the House of Representatives and the Senate to vote on a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
  • The joint resolution must be passed by December 31, 2011.
  • The resolution is to be considered in both chambers with specific procedural rules, including waivers of points of order and limited debate.

Title III: Debt Ceiling Disapproval Process

• Disapproval Mechanism: If the debt ceiling is reached and not raised, the President may disapprove certain appropriations, leading to a reduction in spending.
• Enforcement of Budget Goal: The Act mandates that the budget goal be enforced, and any spending that exceeds the limit is subject to disapproval.

Title IV: Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction

• Establishment: A Joint Select Committee is formed to reduce the federal deficit by at least $1.2 trillion over 10 years.
• Expedited Consideration: Recommendations from the committee must be considered by Congress with expedited procedures.
• Funding and Rulemaking: The committee is provided with funding and authority to develop recommendations through rulemaking.

Title V: Pell Grant and Student Loan Program Changes

• Federal Pell Grants: The Act modifies the eligibility and funding of Pell Grants.
• Graduate Student Loans: Subsidized interest loans for graduate and professional students are terminated.
• Direct Loan Repayment Incentives: These are also terminated.
• Negotiated Rulemaking: Certain negotiated rulemaking and master calendar exceptions are made inapplicable for these programs.

Key Provisions

• Severability Clause: If any part of the Act is found unconstitutional, the rest remains valid.
• Budgetary Adjustments: The Act introduces adjustments to spending limits based on various factors, including emergency and disaster relief programs.
• Definitions: New definitions are added to clarify terms such as "emergency" and "unanticipated" in the context of budgetary controls.
• Expiration: Certain provisions expire if a concurrent resolution on the budget is passed by both chambers.

Structural and Procedural Changes

• Amendments to Existing Laws: The Act amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 and the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974.
• Budget Enforcement in the Senate: The Senate Committee on the Budget is given specific allocations, aggregates, and levels for enforcing budgetary controls, including the pay-as-you-go scorecard.
• Expedited Consideration: The joint committee’s recommendations are subject to expedited consideration in Congress.
• Oversight and Reporting: The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) are required to provide estimates and reports on budgetary adjustments and sequestration.

Summary of Spending Caps (Discretionary)

The law emphasizes fiscal responsibility, automatic spending cuts, and procedural reforms to ensure adherence to budgetary goals. It also includes provisions for constitutional amendment and oversight mechanisms to enforce spending caps and control deficits.