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Title 2 — The CongressRelease 119-73

§907a Suspension in event of war or low growth

Title 2 › Chapter CHAPTER 20— - EMERGENCY POWERS TO ELIMINATE BUDGET DEFICITS › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER I— - ELIMINATION OF DEFICITS IN EXCESS OF MAXIMUM DEFICIT AMOUNT › § 907a

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

When the Congressional Budget Office issues a low-growth report, the Senate Majority Leader must, and the House Majority Leader may, introduce a specific joint resolution saying the low-growth conditions are met and pausing parts of certain budget laws. The resolution must use the required text and title and have no preamble. The committee that gets the resolution must send it to the full chamber unamended within five days the chamber is in session, or the committee is removed and the resolution goes on the calendar. The chamber must hold a final vote by the close of the fifth calendar day after the resolution is reported or the committee is discharged. In the Senate the resolution gets fast treatment: it is privileged, cannot be reconsidered, debate is limited to five hours split equally between the leaders, related motions get up to one hour, no amendments are allowed, and motions to table or recommit are not permitted. If Congress passes a declaration of war or the joint resolution, future sequestration reports and orders are blocked and these parts of law are suspended: sections 302(f), 310(d), 311(a), title VI of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, and section 1103 of title 31. If the pause started because of a war, it ends effective with the first fiscal year that begins in the session after the war is ended by the Senate’s treaty ratification. If it started from the joint resolution, it ends for the first fiscal year beginning at least 12 months after the resolution’s enactment.

Full Legal Text

Title 2, §907a

The Congress — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)(1)Whenever CBO issues a low-growth report under section 254(i) [2 U.S.C. 904(i)], the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives may, and the Majority Leader of the Senate shall, introduce a joint resolution (in the form set forth in paragraph (2)) declaring that the conditions specified in section 254(i) are met and suspending the relevant provisions of this title,11 See References in Text note below. titles III and VI 1 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 [2 U.S.C. 631 et seq.], and section 1103 of title 31.
(2)(A)The matter after the resolving clause in any joint resolution introduced pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be as follows: “That the Congress declares that the conditions specified in section 254(j) 1 of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 are met, and the implementation of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974, chapter 11 of title 31, United States Code, and part C of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 are modified as described in section 258(b) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985.”
(B)The title of the joint resolution shall be “Joint resolution suspending certain provisions of law pursuant to section 258(a)(2) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985.”; and the joint resolution shall not contain any preamble.
(3)Each joint resolution introduced pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be referred to the appropriate committees of the House of Representatives or the Committee on the Budget of the Senate, as the case may be; and such Committee shall report the joint resolution to its House without amendment on or before the fifth day on which such House is in session after the date on which the joint resolution is introduced. If the Committee fails to report the joint resolution within the five-day period referred to in the preceding sentence, it shall be automatically discharged from further consideration of the joint resolution, and the joint resolution shall be placed on the appropriate calendar.
(4)(A)A vote on final passage of a joint resolution reported to the Senate or discharged pursuant to paragraph (3) shall be taken on or before the close of the fifth calendar day of session after the date on which the joint resolution is reported or after the Committee has been discharged from further consideration of the joint resolution. If prior to the passage by one House of a joint resolution of that House, that House receives the same joint resolution from the other House, then—
(i)the procedure in that House shall be the same as if no such joint resolution had been received from the other House, but
(ii)the vote on final passage shall be on the joint resolution of the other House.
(B)(i)In the Senate, a joint resolution under this paragraph shall be privileged. It shall not be in order to move to reconsider the vote by which the motion is agreed to or disagreed to.
(ii)Debate in the Senate on a joint resolution under this paragraph, and all debatable motions and appeals in connection therewith, shall be limited to not more than five hours. The time shall be equally divided between, and controlled by, the majority leader and the minority leader or their designees.
(iii)Debate in the Senate on any debatable motion or appeal in connection with a joint resolution under this paragraph shall be limited to not more than one hour, to be equally divided between, and controlled by, the mover and the manager of the joint resolution, except that in the event the manager of the joint resolution is in favor of any such motion or appeal, the time in opposition thereto shall be controlled by the minority leader or his designee.
(iv)A motion in the Senate to further limit debate on a joint resolution under this paragraph is not debatable. A motion to table or to recommit a joint resolution under this paragraph is not in order.
(C)No amendment to a joint resolution considered under this paragraph shall be in order in the Senate.
(b)Upon the enactment of a declaration of war or a joint resolution described in subsection (a)—
(1)the subsequent issuance of any sequestration report or any sequestration order is precluded;
(2)section 302(f), 310(d), 311(a), and title VI 1 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 [2 U.S.C. 633(f), 641(d), 642(a)] are suspended; and
(3)section 1103 of title 31 is suspended.
(c)(1)In the event of a suspension of sequestration procedures due to a declaration of war, then, effective with the first fiscal year that begins in the session after the state of war is concluded by Senate ratification of the necessary treaties, the provisions of subsection (b) triggered by that declaration of war are no longer effective.
(2)In the event of a suspension of sequestration procedures due to the enactment of a joint resolution described in subsection (a), then, effective with regard to the first fiscal year beginning at least 12 months after the enactment of that resolution, the provisions of subsection (b) triggered by that resolution are no longer effective.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

This title, referred to in subsec. (a)(1), means title II (§ 200 et seq.) of Pub. L. 99–177, Dec. 12, 1985, 99 Stat. 1038, known as the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 900 of this title and Tables. The Congressional Budget Act of 1974, referred to in subsecs. (a)(1) and (b)(2), is titles I to IX of Pub. L. 93–344, July 12, 1974, 88 Stat. 297. Title III of the Act is classified generally to subchapter I (§ 631 et seq.) of chapter 17A of this title. Title VI of the Act was classified generally to subchapter IV (§ 665 et seq.) of chapter 17A of this title prior to repeal by Pub. L. 105–33, title X, § 10118(a), Aug. 5, 1997, 111 Stat. 695. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 621 of this title and Tables. section 254(j) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, referred to in subsec. (a)(2)(A), is section 254(j) of Pub. L. 99–177, which was redesignated section 254(i) of that Act by Pub. L. 105–33, title X, § 10206(1), Aug. 5, 1997, 111 Stat. 704, and is classified to section 904(i) of this title. The Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974, referred to in subsec. (a)(2)(A), is Pub. L. 93–344, July 12, 1974, 88 Stat. 297. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 621 of this title and Tables. Part C of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, referred to in subsec. (a)(2)(A), is classified generally to this subchapter. section 258 of the Act is classified to this section.

Prior Provisions

A prior section 258 of Pub. L. 99–177 was classified to section 908 of this title prior to repeal by Pub. L. 105–33, title X, § 10210, Aug. 5, 1997, 111 Stat. 711.

Amendments

2013—Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 113–67, which directed substitution of “section 254(i)” for “section 254(j)”, was executed by making the substitution in two places to reflect the probable intent of Congress.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

2 U.S.C. § 907a

Title 2 — The Congress

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73