United States 119th Congress Status: In Committee 7 R cosponsors

S 181 — A bill to require agencies submit zero-based budgets.

Last action — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed House
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced January 22, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the Senate.

Odds of enactment

Low chance

Based on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a low chance of becoming law.

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A statistical estimate from our own model of past outcomes — an insight, not a guarantee. Policymaking is volatile.

Prognosis

Stalled 26% · moderate confidence
  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 7 sponsors

    1 primary, 6 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (7 R).

Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.

In plain language

This bill requires federal agencies to submit detailed zero-based budgets for funding analysis.

Federal agencies must create zero-based budgets, which evaluate current operations and suggest spending cuts. The bill aims for better budgeting transparency and accountability.

Summary

This bill requires federal agencies to submit zero-based budgets to the Office of Management and Budget and the congressional budget committees. Under the bill, a zero-based budget is a systematic budget analysis in which managers (1) examine current objectives, operations, and costs; (2) consider alternative ways of carrying out programs or activities; and (3) rank different programs or activities by order of importance.The bill also requires federal agencies to submit recommendations to reduce spending by at least 2% from the previous year's levels. The Department of Defense and the National Nuclear Security Administration are exempt from this requirement.

Bill Text

Action History

  1. Introduced in Senate

  2. Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 6 co-sponsors · 540 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (6)

Not signed on (540)

540 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 540 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

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Frequently asked questions

What does S 181 do?
This bill requires federal agencies to submit zero-based budgets to the Office of Management and Budget and the congressional budget committees. Under the bill, a zero-based budget is a systematic budget analysis in which managers (1) examine current objectives, operations, and costs; (2) consider alternative ways of carrying out programs or activities; and (3) rank different programs or activities by order of importance.The bill also requires federal agencies to submit recommendations to reduce spending by at least 2% from the previous year's levels. The Department of Defense and the National Nuclear Security Administration are exempt from this requirement.
Who sponsors S 181?
S 181 is sponsored by Risch, James E. (Republican), Crapo, Mike (Republican), Ricketts, Pete (Republican), Cruz, Ted (Republican), Sheehy, Tim (Republican), Scott, Rick (Republican), and Lummis, Cynthia M. (Republican).
What is the current status of S 181?
This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced January 22, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track S 181?
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Last checked for changes 2 months ago · updated continuously

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