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Title 2 — The CongressRelease 119-73

§687 Suits by Comptroller General

Title 2 › Chapter CHAPTER 17B— - IMPOUNDMENT CONTROL › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER II— - CONGRESSIONAL CONSIDERATION OF PROPOSED RESCISSIONS, RESERVATIONS, AND DEFERRALS OF BUDGET AUTHORITY › § 687

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

If required budget authority is withheld, the Comptroller General may hire lawyers and sue in the U.S. District Court for D.C. to force federal agencies or officials to make the funds available. He must wait 25 calendar days of continuous session of the Congress after filing an explanatory statement with the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate before filing suit.

Full Legal Text

Title 2, §687

The Congress — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

If, under this chapter, budget authority is required to be made available for obligation and such budget authority is not made available for obligation, the Comptroller General is hereby expressly empowered, through attorneys of his own selection, to bring a civil action in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia to require such budget authority to be made available for obligation, and such court is hereby expressly empowered to enter in such civil action, against any department, agency, officer, or employee of the United States, any decree, judgment, or order which may be necessary or appropriate to make such budget authority available for obligation. No civil action shall be brought by the Comptroller General under this section until the expiration of 25 calendar days of continuous session of the Congress following the date on which an explanatory statement by the Comptroller General of the circumstances giving rise to the action contemplated has been filed with the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Codification Section was formerly classified to section 1406 of Title 31 prior to the general revision and enactment of Title 31, Money and Finance, by Pub. L. 97–258, § 1, Sept. 13, 1982, 96 Stat. 877.

Amendments

1987—Pub. L. 100–119 substituted “If, under this chapter” for “If, under section 683(b) or 684(b) of this title”. 1984—Pub. L. 98–620 struck out provision requiring that the courts give precedence to civil actions brought under this section, and to appeals and writs from decisions in such actions, over all other civil actions, appeals, and writs.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1984 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 98–620 not applicable to cases pending on Nov. 8, 1984, see section 403 of Pub. L. 98–620, set out as an

Effective Date

note under section 1657 of Title 28, Judiciary and Judicial Procedure. ReaffirmationFor provision reaffirming this section, see section 206(c) of Pub. L. 100–119, set out as a note under section 686 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

2 U.S.C. § 687

Title 2 — The Congress

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73