# 118-hr-3746: Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 118-hr-3746, Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, is a 118th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. McHenry, Patrick T. [R-NC-10] (R-NC); status became_law; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-01-05). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/118-hr-3746 - As of: 2026-01-05 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: 118-hr-3746 - Congress: 118 - Title: Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 - Status: became_law - Introduced: 2023-05-29 - Sponsor: Rep. McHenry, Patrick T. [R-NC-10] (R-NC) - Cosponsors: 0 - Policy area: Economics and Public Finance - Touches household money: yes - Last recorded action: 2026-01-05 ## Summary **The Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 sets new federal spending limits and forces broad rescissions to tighten budget control while also suspending the debt limit and changing rules for permits and benefit programs.** It bundles discretionary caps, targeted new funds, program changes for SNAP and TANF, NEPA permitting reforms, and a temporary debt limit suspension into one law. ## Votes | Date | Chamber | Question | Result | Yea | Nay | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2023-06-01T04:00:00.000Z | senate | On Passage of the Bill H.R. 3746 | Bill Passed | 63 | 36 | | 2023-05-31T04:00:00.000Z | house | On Passage | Passed | 314 | 117 | ## Provisions PRIA read - More funding for veterans’ toxic exposure care: benefit, high. The law funds the Cost of War Toxic Exposures Fund. It provides $20.268 billion for Oct 1, 2023–Sep 30, 2028 and $24.455 billion for Oct 1, 2024–Sep 30, 2029. The money pays for care, related benefits, and research for veterans harmed by environmental hazards. - Debt limit suspended through January 1, 2025: benefit, high. The federal debt limit is suspended from enactment through January 1, 2025. On January 2, 2025, the limit rises only to cover obligations needed to pay commitments due before that date. Treasury cannot issue extra debt during the suspension just to raise cash above normal levels. This helps keep fe… - Student loan payments restart, no extensions: cost, high. Federal student loan payments and interest restart 60 days after June 30, 2023. You must make monthly payments again and interest accrues. The Education Department cannot extend the pause unless Congress passes a new law. - Cancels unused funds across many programs: cost, high. The law cancels unobligated balances in many prior accounts as of enactment. It rescinds funds from housing programs like tenant‑based and project‑based rental assistance, housing for the elderly and people with disabilities, and Native American housing. It also rescinds some small business disaste… - Faster federal environmental reviews: mixed, high. The law speeds up environmental reviews. Environmental impact statements are usually limited to 150 pages (300 for very complex projects) and 2 years. Environmental assessments are limited to 75 pages and 1 year. Agencies can rely on program-wide reviews for 5 years, and sponsors may help draft doc… - Mountain Valley Pipeline permits fast-tracked: mixed, high. The law ratifies and directs federal permits for the Mountain Valley Pipeline. Agencies must issue and keep needed approvals, and the Army Secretary must act within 21 days of enactment. Only the D.C. Circuit can hear related cases. Conflicting laws do not block these approvals. - More funds for reviews and new disaster cap: mixed, high. The law adds $1.578 billion in FY2024 and $1.63 billion in FY2025 for Social Security disability reviews. It adds $604 million in FY2024 and $630 million in FY2025 for health care fraud control, and $265 million in FY2024 and $271 million in FY2025 for reemployment services. It also caps some disas… - $22B for Commerce efficiency projects: mixed, high. The law provides $22 billion to the Commerce Department’s Nonrecurring Expenses Fund for FY2023, available until spent. It sets $11 billion for FY2024 programs and $11 billion for FY2025. The money cannot be transferred, and reporting rules apply. These amounts are not placed on statutory PAYGO sco… - Two-year spending caps and agency offsets: mixed, high. The law caps discretionary budget authority for two years. FY2024: $886.349 billion for security and $703.651 billion for nonsecurity. FY2025: $895.212 billion for security and $710.688 billion for nonsecurity. Agencies must propose offsets for administrative actions that increase direct spending,… - SNAP work rules: more exemptions, new caps: mixed, medium. SNAP exempts more people from work rules: under 18; over 51 in FY2023, over 53 in FY2024, and over 55 in FY2025 and later. It also exempts homeless people, veterans, and certain foster youth. States apply these changes starting 90 days after enactment, and they end October 1, 2030. At the same time… - TANF shifts to work results and pilots: mixed, medium. HHS can run a TANF pilot in up to five states starting October 1, 2024 to test job and family result benchmarks. States must report standard job and earnings outcomes starting in FY2025. Beginning October 1, 2025, HHS stops counting "small checks" under $35 in participation rates, and the caseload… ## Related bills - 118-hr-7218: BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Reauthorization Act of 2024 - 118-hr-5110: Protecting Hunting Heritage and Education Act - 118-hr-82: Social Security Fairness Act of 2023 - 118-hres-1626: Expressing the profound regret and sorrow of the House of Representatives on the death of James Earl Carter, Jr., thirty-ninth President of the United States o… - 118-hr-10293: To extend certain authorities under the Defense Production Act of 1950. - 118-hres-1600: Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives with respect to the use of artificial intelligence in the financial services and housing industries. ## Sources - [118-hr-3746 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/3746) ## Related - [118-hr-7218: BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Reauthorization Act of 2024](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/118-hr-7218) - [118-hr-5110: Protecting Hunting Heritage and Education Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/118-hr-5110) - [118-hr-82: Social Security Fairness Act of 2023](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/118-hr-82) - [118-hres-1626: Expressing the profound regret and sorrow of the House of Representatives on th…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/118-hres-1626) - [118-hr-10293: To extend certain authorities under the Defense Production Act of 1950.](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/118-hr-10293) - [118-hres-1600: Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives with respect to the use of…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/118-hres-1600) - [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/118-hr-3746 (as of 2026-01-05).