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Bipartisan Budget Act of 2019

Public Law 116-37 · H.R. 3877 · 116th Congress · began in the House

Signed by Donald Trump (R) on Aug 2, 2019 · Economics and Public Finance

Major law

Sponsor: Rep. John Yarmuth (D-KY-3)

Cosponsors (1): Rep. Richard Neal

Passage votesYeaNay

  • HouseRecorded vote: 284 yea, 149 nay284–149
  • SenateRecorded vote: 67 yea, 28 nay67–28
Data notes

The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.

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Summary

The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.

Bipartisan Budget Act of 2019

This bill increases discretionary spending limits, suspends the debt limit, and modifies budget enforcement procedures.

The bill increases the FY2020 and FY2021 discretionary spending limits for defense and nondefense spending. The bill also (1) specifies limits for Overseas Contingency Operations funding, which is exempt from discretionary spending limits; and (2) requires the FY2020 discretionary spending limits to be adjusted to accommodate specified funding for the 2020 Census.

The bill suspends the public debt limit through July 31, 2021. On August 1, 2021, the limit will be increased to accommodate obligations issued during the suspension period.

The bill also includes provisions that

• set forth procedures for enforcing spending and revenue levels consistent with this bill as if they were included in congressional budget resolutions for FY2020 and FY2021;

• specify limits on advance appropriations;

• extend the sequestration (automatic spending cuts) for certain mandatory spending programs through FY2029;

• extend the authority to collect certain customs user fees through FY2029;

• extend and modify Senate points of order regarding advance appropriations, certain changes in mandatory programs (CHIMPs), and designations of funds for Overseas Contingency Operations; and

• reset the balances on the Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) scorecards established by the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010.

Who voted for it

Every House member of the 116th Congress on the ideology compass. Highlighted: the 284 who voted yea on final passage. Faded: everyone else, including those who voted nay, did not vote, or had not yet taken office.

284 yea149 nay

ProEstablishmentAnti
Economic left–right
More liberalMore conservative

Democrats who voted yea(218)

Republicans who voted yea(66)

Data notes

The House’s recorded vote on the final version of the law (roll call 510 in Voteview), matched to the vote the record cites and checked against its totals. Positions are each member’s DW-NOMINATE score for that Congress, as on the Ideology page; left to right is more liberal to more conservative. Paired and announced yea votes count as yea. Lists follow the compass, most liberal first. A name links to a profile only for members of the current Congress. A law passed by voice vote or unanimous consent has no member list, and neither does a vote Voteview has not yet recorded.

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Committees

The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.

Data notes

A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.

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Related bills

2 bills the Library of Congress relates to this one.

  • H.R. 2021Related bill

    Investing for the People Act of 2019

  • H.Res. 519Procedurally-relatedRelated bill

    Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 3877) to amend the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, to establish a congressional budget for fiscal years 2020 and 2021, to temporarily suspend the …

Data notes

Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 23 actions.

  1. Aug 2, 2019Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 116-37.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Aug 1, 2019FloorFloor · Presented to President.
  4. FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
  5. FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Yea-Nay Vote. 67 - 28. Record Vote Number: 262.Senate roll call 262
  6. FloorFloor · Cloture on the measure invoked in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 67 - 27. Record Vote Number: 261. (CR S5288)Senate roll call 261
  7. FloorFloor · Cloture motion on the measure presented in Senate. (CR S5288)
  8. FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
  9. Jul 30, 2019FloorFloor · Cloture motion on the motion to proceed to the measure withdrawn by unanimous consent in Senate. (CR S5178)
  10. Jul 29, 2019FloorFloor · Cloture motion on the motion to proceed to the measure presented in Senate. (CR S5125)
  11. FloorFloor · Motion to proceed to consideration of measure made in Senate. (CR S5125)
  12. CalendarCalendar · Received in the Senate. Read twice. Ordered Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 165, pursuant to the order of July 25, 2019.
  13. Jul 25, 2019FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  14. FloorFloor · On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 284 - 149 (Roll no. 511).House roll call 511
  15. FloorFloor · Considered as unfinished business.
  16. FloorFloor · POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS - At the conclusion of debate on H.R. 3877, the Chair put the question on passage of H.R. 3877 and by voice vote, announced that the ayes had prevailed. Mr. Yarmuth demanded the yeas and nays and the Chair postponed further proceedings until a time to be an…
  17. FloorFloor · The previous question was ordered pursuant to the rule.
  18. FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with one hour of debate on H.R. 3877.
  19. FloorFloor · Rule provides for consideration of H.R. 3877 and H.R. 549. Resolution provides for consideration of H.R. 3877 and H.R. 549 under closed rules. Resolution also waives clause 6(a) of Rule XIII, requiring a two-thirds vote waiver to consider a rule on the same day it is reported fr…
  20. FloorFloor · Considered under the provisions of rule H. Res. 519.
  21. Jul 24, 2019FloorFloor · Rules Committee Resolution H. Res. 519 Reported to House. Rule provides for consideration of H.R. 3877 and H.R. 549. Resolution provides for consideration of H.R. 3877 and H.R. 549 under closed rules. Resolution also waives clause 6(a) of Rule XIII, requiring a two-thirds vote w…
  22. Jul 23, 2019CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Committee on the Budget, and in addition to the Committees on Rules, and Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
  23. IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in House
Data notes

Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.

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Amendments

4 amendments offered to the bill, with the last recorded step of each.

Where each amendment ended up

  • S.Amdt. 934SenateSen. Cory GardnerR-CO· offered Jul 31, 2019No vote recorded

    Jul 31, 2019: Senate amendment submitted

    Offered, no vote recorded

  • S.Amdt. 932SenateSen. Rand PaulR-KY· offered Jul 30, 2019Rejected

    In the nature of a substitute.

    Aug 1, 2019: Amendment SA 932, under the order of 7/30/19, not having achieved 60 votes in the affirmative, was not agreed to in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 23 - 70. Record Vote Number: 260.

    Rejected

  • S.Amdt. 931SenateSen. Mitt RomneyR-UT· offered Jul 30, 2019No vote recorded

    Jul 30, 2019: Senate amendment submitted

    Offered, no vote recorded

  • H.Amdt. 605HouseRep. Thomas MassieR-KY-4· offered Jul 25, 2019Rejected

    An amendment to change the title of the bill to read "A bill to kick the can down the road, and for other purposes.".

    Jul 25, 2019: On agreeing to the Massie amendment to the title (A001) Failed by the Yeas and Nays: 47 - 384 (Roll no. 512).

    Rejected
Data notes

Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.

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Official record

The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.