HR 4229119th CongressIn Committee

To amend the Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to require prior approval from Congress before the Comptroller General may pursue a civil action under such Act, and for other purposes.

Introduced: Jun 27, 2025

Economy & Taxes

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

This bill would amend the Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to require explicit prior authorization from Congress before the Comptroller General (the head of the Government Accountability Office) may pursue a civil action under that Act. Specifically, it adds a new provision stating that the Comptroller General may not bring a civil action unless Congress has enacted a concurrent resolution authorizing the action. In effect, Congress would have to approve enforcement actions by the GAO under the Impoundment Control Act before GAO can sue to compel compliance with the Act.

Key Points

1Adds a new subsection (b) that requires prior Congressional approval through a concurrent resolution before the Comptroller General may file a civil action under the Impoundment Control Act.
2Rewords the existing authorization to specify that GAO actions “may, subject to approval by the Congress under subsection (b)” proceed, making congressional authorization a prerequisite.
3Applies to civil actions brought under Section 1016 of the Impoundment Control Act (2 U.S.C. 687).
4Shifts a portion of enforcement power from the GAO to Congress, requiring legislative approval before judicial action can be taken to enforce impoundment controls.
5The bill was introduced in the 119th Congress and referred to the Budget and Judiciary committees for consideration.

Impact Areas

Primary affected group/area: Government Accountability Office (GAO) and its ability to enforce the Impoundment Control Act through civil action; federal agencies subject to impoundment rules.Secondary affected group/area: Congress (as the authorizing body for enforcement actions), executive branch and budget offices (e.g., agencies implementing impoundments and the OMB), and potential timing of enforcement efforts.Additional impacts: Potential delay or politicization of enforcement actions under the Impoundment Control Act, since GAO enforcement would require a concurrent resolution passed by Congress; could influence how impoundments are challenged and reviewed in practice.

Generated by gpt-5-nano on Oct 7, 2025