HR 5305119th CongressIntroduced

Congressional MRA Act

Introduced: Sep 11, 2025

Social Services

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

H.R. 5305, titled the Congressional Money Returned to America Act (Congressional MRA Act), would change how unused funds from Members’ Representational Allowance (MRA) are treated at the end of a fiscal year. Beginning with fiscal year 2026, any funds appropriated for the MRA that remain after all approved payments for the year have been made would be deposited into the U.S. Treasury and used to reduce the federal deficit (or, if there is no deficit, to reduce the national debt). The bill gives the House Committee on House Administration authority to issue regulations to implement the measure, and it designates the Treasury Secretary to determine how the returned funds should be applied for deficit or debt reduction. The bill creates a formal mechanism to revert unused MRA funds to the Treasury, rather than allowing them to be carried over for future use by Members. In short, the bill reallocates unspent office-funding for the House to macroeconomic goals (deficit/debt reduction) starting in 2026, with implementing regulations to be set by the House Administration Committee and Treasury discretion on application.

Key Points

1Purpose: Any unspent portions of the Members’ Representational Allowance at the end of a fiscal year would be deposited into the Treasury and used to reduce the deficit or, if no deficit exists, to reduce the federal debt.
2Effective date: Applies to fiscal year 2026 and subsequent years.
3Regulation: The Committee on House Administration would have authority to prescribe regulations to implement the act.
4Preemption language: The bill uses language that supersedes other laws to effect the transfer of unobligated MRA funds to the Treasury for deficit/debt reduction.
5Treasury discretion: The Secretary of the Treasury (acting through the Treasury) would determine the appropriate manner to apply the returned funds toward deficit reduction or debt reduction.

Impact Areas

Primary group/area affected: Members of the House of Representatives and their offices (via the MRA) would experience a change in how unspent office-funding is treated, with those funds no longer rolling over to future years or existing in a separate carryover for member use.Secondary group/area affected: The U.S. Treasury and federal debt/deficit management would gain a new source of funds to apply toward reducing the deficit or debt, subject to Treasury discretion.Additional impacts:- Budgetary process: This creates a mandatory reversion of unobligated MRA funds to the Treasury, potentially influencing how members plan and use their MRA in each year.- Oversight and administration: The House Administration Committee would play a key role in implementing regulations, affecting rules surrounding MRA usage and its end-of-year accounting.- Taxpayer and economic implications: By earmarking unspent office funds for deficit/debt reduction, the bill ties congressional office budgeting to broader fiscal and macroeconomic goals, which could affect national debt levels over time depending on how much unobligated MRA funds exist each year.

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