# 119-s-181: A bill to require agencies submit zero-based budgets.

119-s-181, A bill to require agencies submit zero-based budgets., is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Risch, James E. [R-ID] (R-ID); status introduced (as of 2026-08-06).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-181
- As of: 2026-08-06
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-181
- Congress: 119
- Title: A bill to require agencies submit zero-based budgets.
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-01-22
- Sponsor: Sen. Risch, James E. [R-ID] (R-ID)
- Cosponsors: 7
- Policy area: Economics and Public Finance
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-08-06

## Summary

**Zero-based budgeting** would require agencies to re-examine and rank every program to justify each dollar. The bill would also make most agencies recommend cuts equal to at least 2% of the prior year’s discretionary spending. - Agency managers must examine current objectives, operations, and costs, consider alternative ways to run programs, and rank activities by importance. Every sixth year each agency would submit a zero-based budget for the next fiscal year and the four following years. - Except for the Department of Defense and the National Nuclear Security Administration, agencies would submit recommendations for program cuts or reductions that total at least a 2% decrease from the previous year’s discretionary appropriations. - The Office of Management and Budget and the congressional budget committees would receive those zero-based budgets and the agencies’ recommended cuts for consideration.

## Cosponsors (7)

- Sen. Crapo, Mike [R-ID] (R-ID), 2025-01-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Ricketts, Pete [R-NE] (R-NE), 2025-01-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Cruz, Ted [R-TX] (R-TX), 2025-01-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Sheehy, Tim [R-MT] (R-MT), 2025-01-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Scott, Rick [R-FL] (R-FL), 2025-01-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Lummis, Cynthia M. [R-WY] (R-WY), 2025-01-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. McCormick, David [R-PA] (R-PA), 2026-08-04T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Agencies must file zero-based budgets: mixed, medium. If enacted, each federal agency would have to send a zero-based budget every sixth year to the Director of OMB and the House and Senate Budget Committees. The budget would cover the next fiscal year and the four following years. Agencies would review objectives, operations, costs, and rank programs…
- Most agencies must propose 2% cuts: mixed, medium. If enacted, every federal agency except the Department of Defense and the National Nuclear Security Administration would have to list programs Congress should cut or reduce by at least 2 percent of the agency’s prior-year discretionary spending. These lists are recommendations to Congress and do no…

## Related bills

- 119-s-1071: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026
- 119-s-3752: SAVE America Act
- 119-s-1241: Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025
- 119-s-401: Fair Access to Banking Act
- 119-s-587: Death Tax Repeal Act of 2025
- 119-s-186: No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-s-181 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/181)

## Related
- [119-s-1071: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1071)
- [119-s-3752: SAVE America Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3752)
- [119-s-1241: Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1241)
- [119-s-401: Fair Access to Banking Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-401)
- [119-s-587: Death Tax Repeal Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-587)
- [119-s-186: No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act of…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-186)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-181 (as of 2026-08-06).