Title 2, The CongressRelease 119-102
§687 Suits by Comptroller General
Title 2 › CHAPTER 17B — IMPOUNDMENT CONTROL › SUBCHAPTER II — CONGRESSIONAL CONSIDERATION OF PROPOSED RESCISSIONS, RESERVATIONS, AND DEFERRALS OF BUDGET AUTHORITY › § 687
Summary
Comptroller General may sue in U.S. District Court for D.C., using lawyers he chooses, to force release of required budget authority left unreleased. The court can order any federal official or agency to provide the funds. He must wait 25 calendar days of continuous congressional session after filing an explanatory statement with the Speaker and the Senate President before suing.
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
Aug 21, 2026
Release point: 119-102