Sponsors (10)
The bill aims to speed passage of regular appropriations and prevent long adjournments, but it does so by curtailing Senate debate—raising risks of reduced deliberation, more omnibus or rushed spending measures, and reliance on short-term funding patches.
Taxpayers and the public: Senate debate on each annual appropriations bill would be capped at 20 hours, likely speeding Senate action and reducing delays in passing regular spending bills.
Federal agencies, state and local governments, and program beneficiaries: appropriation bills may reach enactment sooner, improving the timing and continuity of federal funding for programs and operations.
Taxpayers and federal employees: keeping the House rule that blocks long July adjournments until appropriations are approved preserves pressure for timely House action on regular spending bills.
Senators and their constituents: a 20-hour cap reduces opportunities for extended debate and amendment on spending bills, limiting deliberation and constituent input on funding decisions.
Taxpayers, state and local governments: strict time limits may push Congress to adopt omnibus or less-vetted funding measures, increasing the risk of oversight gaps and poorly considered spending.
Federal employees and state/local governments: exempting continuing resolutions from the time limit could incentivize increased reliance on short-term CRs, perpetuating funding uncertainty and stopgap measures.
Based on analysis of 1 section of legislative text.
Limits Senate debate on annual appropriations bills to 20 hours, applies Senate budget-report rules to those bills, exempts continuing resolutions, and retains a House adjournment bar until annual appropriations are passed.
Official title: To amend the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to establish certain procedures for consideration of annual appropriation bills, and for other purposes.
Introduced April 20, 2026 by Tom McClintock · Last progress April 20, 2026
Replaces current law to require that Senate consideration of annual appropriation bills follow the Senate procedures used for concurrent budget resolutions and conference reports, but caps total debate (including amendments and certain motions) on any annual appropriations bill at 20 hours. Continuing resolutions are exempted from those rules and the 20-hour cap. The bill also preserves the existing House rule that bars a July adjournment longer than three days until the House has approved annual appropriation bills providing new budget authority for all appropriations subcommittees, and it requires the House Appropriations Chair to advise the Speaker periodically about subcommittee jurisdiction changes. The change is a substantive amendment to the impoundment-control statute that narrows Senate debate on annual appropriations, clarifies an exemption for continuing appropriations measures, and keeps the House adjournment limitation language in place. It focuses on congressional procedures for how and how long appropriations bills are debated, rather than on funding levels themselves.