# 119-hr-182: Default Prevention Act

119-hr-182, Default Prevention Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. McClintock, Tom [R-CA-5] (R-CA); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-05-22).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-182
- As of: 2026-05-22
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-182
- Congress: 119
- Title: Default Prevention Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-01-03
- Sponsor: Rep. McClintock, Tom [R-CA-5] (R-CA)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Economics and Public Finance
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-05-22

## Summary

**Prioritizing federal payments when the debt ceiling is reached.** This bill would set a five-tier order the Treasury must follow when the public debt reaches the statutory limit and allow certain Treasury-issued obligations to fund top-tier payments. - **Seniors, Medicare recipients, and creditors:** Social Security and Medicare payments plus principal and interest on publicly held debt and federal trust funds are in Tier I and would be paid first. - **Military and veterans:** Department of Defense obligations and Veterans Affairs benefits are Tier II and would be paid next. Other uncategorized federal obligations would be Tier III and paid after Tier II. - **Federal staff and lawmakers, plus Treasury rules and reporting:** Executive branch compensation and travel are Tier IV and Members of Congress pay is Tier V, both paid only if higher tiers can be met. The Treasury could issue chapter 31 obligations that would not count toward the debt limit to make Tier I payments and would submit weekly written reports to the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Rep. Grothman, Glenn [R-WI-6] (R-WI), 2025-01-09T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Who gets paid first at the debt limit: benefit, high. If the federal debt limit is reached, Treasury would pay bills in five tiers. Top priority would be interest and principal on U.S. debt, Social Security and Medicare trust funds, and Medicare payments. Defense bills and VA benefits would be next; other bills would be paid only if higher tiers can s…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025
- 119-hr-21: Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act
- 119-hr-175: Deport Alien Gang Members Act
- 119-hr-116: Stopping Border Surges Act
- 119-hr-8324: Great American Healthcare Plan
- 119-hr-2705: Nuclear Family Priority Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-182 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/182)

## Related
- [119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4669)
- [119-hr-21: Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-21)
- [119-hr-175: Deport Alien Gang Members Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-175)
- [119-hr-116: Stopping Border Surges Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-116)
- [119-hr-8324: Great American Healthcare Plan](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8324)
- [119-hr-2705: Nuclear Family Priority Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2705)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-182 (as of 2026-05-22).