Bill · S. 4173· Senate(119-S-4173)
Dollar-for-Dollar Deficit Reduction Act
- Introduced
- 3/24/2026
- Last activity
- 3/24/2026 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Budget. (text: CR S1582-1583)
- Sponsored by
- John Barrasso
- Cosponsors
- - 2 - 0
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The ``Dollar-for-Dollar Deficit Reduction Act'' aims to ensure that any increase or suspension of the debt limit is matched by spending cuts. Under this bill, if the debt limit is nearly breached, the Secretary of the Treasury must issue a warning to specific congressional committees. Any Presidential request to raise the debt limit must include proposed legislation to reduce spending over 10 years by an amount equal to or greater than the increase. Furthermore, a point of order would be raised in both the House and Senate to prevent considering debt limit actions that do not include these net spending reductions. To bypass these restrictions in the Senate, a three-fifths supermajority vote is required.
Yes· 3 of 9
Does this make the government pay for what it commits to?+7
The bill enforces strict fiscal discipline by tying debt limit increases directly to spending reductions.
Does this reduce what the federal government spends?+6
The bill requires net spending reductions over a 10-year period as a prerequisite for raising the debt limit.
Does this reduce what the federal government owes?+5
The bill mandates that any debt limit increase must be accompanied by spending cuts equal to or greater than the increase.
The opposite· 3 of 34
Would households on low incomes be better off under this?-4
Reductions in government spending often disproportionately impact low-income households relying on public assistance.
Would Native Americans be better off under this?-4
Spending cuts could negatively impact federal trust obligations and services for Native American tribes.
Would people with disabilities be better off under this?-4
The mandate for spending reductions could negatively impact programs like SSI and Medicaid for people with disabilities.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Increased Financial Oversight: The bill requires the Secretary of the Treasury to issue a debt limit warning to the Committee on Finance and the Committee on Ways and Means when a ``near breach'' is determined (Sec. 2(a)(1)). This includes a determination on when extraordinary measures might be necessary to prolong government funding (Sec. 2(a)(1)).
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Mandatory Savings for Debt Limit Increases: Any formal Presidential request to increase the debt limit must be accompanied by proposed legislation to reduce spending over the current and following 10 years by an amount equal to or greater than the requested increase (Sec. 2(b)(1)).
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Stringent Requirements for Debt Limit Suspensions: For debt limit suspensions, the bill requires net spending reductions over 10 years that are equal to or greater than the projected debt amount during the suspension period (Sec. 3(a)(1)).
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Transparency in Budgetary Estimates: The bill mandates that any bill or motion regarding the debt limit cannot be voted on until the Congressional Budget Office's cost estimate has been publicly available on their website for at least 24 hours (Sec. 3(a)(2)(B)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Strict Barriers to Increasing Debt: The bill creates a point of order that prevents the consideration of any bill, joint resolution, amendment, motion, or conference report that increases the debt limit unless it contains net spending reductions of an equal or greater amount over 10 years (Sec. 3(a)(1)).
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Difficulties in Overriding Restrictions: In the Senate, any attempt to waive or suspend the points of order created by this bill requires an affirmative vote of three-fifths of the Members (Sec. 3(a)(b)(1)). An affirmative vote of three-fifths is also required to sustain an appeal of the ruling of the Chair (Sec. 3(a)(b)(2)).
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Strict Calculation Rules for Savings: Spending savings cannot include net interest savings (Sec. 2(b)(1), Sec. 3(a)(1)). Additionally, any provision that shifts outlays or revenues outside of the 10-year window will not count toward the required budget savings target (Sec. 3(a)(2)(C)).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Billionaires+1Good For High Income Households+1Good For High Net Worth Individuals+1Good For Ultra High Net Worth Individuals+1Good For Low Income Households-4Good For Native Americans-4Good For People With Disabilities-4Good For African Americans-3Good For Hispanic Americans-3Good For Immigrants-3Good For L G B T Q Community-3Good For Retirees-3Good For Seniors-3Good For Students-3Good For Union Workers-3Good For Veterans-3Good For Asian Americans-2Good For Children-2Good For Farmers-2Good For Middle Class Households-2Good For Rural Residents-2Good For Urban Residents-2Good For Women-2Good For Young Adults-2Good For Business Owners-1Good For Men-1Good For Middle Aged-1Good For White Americans-1
- Economy And Finance
- Improves Fiscal Responsibility+7Reduces Government Spending+6Reduces National Debt+5Reduces Inflation+2Improves Economic Growth-3
- Social Issues And Justice
- Improves Social Security-4Improves Poverty Reduction-3Improves Affordable Housing-2Improves Childcare Affordability-2Reduces Homelessness-2
- Education And Technology
- Increases Public School Funding-3
- National Security And Foreign Policy
- Reduces Military Spending-3
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Improves Roads And Bridges-2
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Government Transparency+4Increases Federal Power-2
- 8/4/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 3/24/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Budget. (text: CR S1582-1583)
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in Senate
3 bills Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Cynthia LummisRepublican · Wyoming
David McCormickRepublican · Pennsylvania