This is not an official government website.
Copyright © 2026 PLEJ LC. All rights reserved.
Congressional Daily Record
This section captures a floor statement or debate entry. It mentions legislation such as Expressing the sense of the Senate that the United States should reduce and maintain the Federal unified budget deficit at or below 3 percent of gross domestic product., committees such as Committee on the Budget.
Issued
March 20, 2026
senate side of the record
People
0
No members linked from this section
Legislation
1
Bills and resolutions linked from this section
Committees
3
Committees connected to this section
Senate Holds
0
No hold activity linked here
Source Document
Connected Data
Bills and resolutions
Source Control
Reader mode is for comprehension. The linked government PDF is the official published source.
Download official Senate Record PDFReturn to issue contextSUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS
SENATE RESOLUTION 654—EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE THAT THE
UNITED STATES SHOULD REDUCE AND MAINTAIN THE FEDERAL UNIFIED BUDGET
DEFICIT AT OR BELOW 3 PERCENT OF GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT
Mr. CRAMER (for himself, Mr. King, Mr. Peters, and Mr. McCormick) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Budget:
S. Res. 654
Whereas reducing annual deficits to 3 percent of gross
domestic product has attracted bipartisan support as a target
to stabilize the national debt;
Whereas the budget deficit was $1,800,000,000,000 for
fiscal year 2025, or roughly 6 percent of gross domestic
product (referred to in this preamble as “GDP”), even in
the absence of major new emergency spending;
Whereas the national debt held by the public now stands at
nearly $31,000,000,000,000;
Whereas interest payments on the national debt are now
projected to total more than $1,000,000,000,000, the highest
level in American history and more than total defense
spending;
Whereas the rising deficits and debt represent a threat to
national security, economic growth, and future generations;
Whereas rising deficits also threaten to increase interest
rates and the cost of living, reduce the government's
flexibility to respond to fiscal emergencies, and create
risks of a fiscal crisis;
Whereas the Federal budget ran a sub-3 percent deficit-to-
GDP in 1989, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007,
2014, and 2015;
Whereas the Federal Government ran a surplus in 1998, 1999,
2000, and 2001;
Whereas deficit reduction is best achieved when aiming
toward a manageable, meaningful target; and
Whereas Congress has a bipartisan responsibility to enact
fiscal policies that promote long-term economic growth and to
safeguard future generations, and to be ready for future
emergencies: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that—
(1) Congress should adopt a fiscal target to reduce the
Federal budget deficit to 3 percent of gross domestic product
(in this resolution referred to as “the target”) or less as
soon as possible and no later than the end of fiscal year
2030;
(2) following the achievement of the target, Congress
should continue to pursue further deficit reduction with the
goal of achieving a balanced Federal budget;
(3) the President should submit budgets designed to create
a path to meet and sustain the target;
(4) the congressional budget resolution should set
allocations consistent with meeting the target on schedule;
(5) the Committee on the Budget of the Senate should,
within 180 days, recommend enforcement options for
consideration, which may include points of order and a
backstop mechanism for when the target is not projected to be
met;
(6) the Committee on Rules and Administration of the Senate
should, within 180 days, recommend changes to the rules of
the Senate to ensure that the target can be met, including
ensuring that rules of the Senate for budget enforcement are
difficult to waive, and that enforcement of the Statutory
Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-139) is difficult
to waive;
(7) the Congressional Budget Office should include
statements within its cost estimates for major legislation
that demonstrate how the legislation affects consistency
toward the target under a current law baseline;
(8) the Joint Committee on Taxation is encouraged to
provide supplemental analysis of whether major legislation
advances or impedes progress toward the target; and
(9) efforts to meet the target should examine changes to
address current levels and the growth of discretionary
appropriations, direct spending, and revenues and the gap
between current revenues and expenditures of the Federal
Government that avoid timing shifts, reclassifications, or
other budgetary gimmicks.