Congressman Glenn Grothman from Wisconsin’s 6th District has reintroduced the Enforce the Caps Act. This legislation aims to extend federal spending caps through Fiscal Year 2029, building on the existing Fiscal Responsibility Act, which currently enforces these caps only until FY 2025.
Nan Swift, a Resident Fellow at the R Street Institute, expressed support for the bill. “R Street Institute is pleased to support the ‘Enforce the Caps Act.’ Too often, when Congress sets fiscal targets as part of a negotiated deal, critical spending restrictions are postponed for future years and rarely achieved in full. This shortchanges taxpayers and legislators who were promised savings as part of a comprehensive agreement. It also devalues the legislative process by signaling that lawmakers never intended to follow the law, making it harder for legislators to work together in the future and undermining trust in the institution. By enforcing the spending limits in the ‘Fiscal Responsibility Act,’ Congress can at once secure urgently needed savings and boost congressional integrity,” said Swift.
The bipartisan Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 had set enforceable discretionary spending caps for FY24 and FY25, with non-enforceable caps planned for FY26 through FY29. The new act proposed by Grothman seeks to make these later caps enforceable through sequestration.
According to estimates from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), fully enforcing these caps could reduce outlays by $553 billion between 2026 and 2033.
The bill has received endorsements from several organizations including Americans for Prosperity, Americans for Tax Reform, Job Creators Network, National Taxpayers Union, R Street Institute, America First Policy Institute, Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, and Taxpayers Protection Alliance.
Additionally, three original cosponsors have backed this bill: Representatives Andy Barr from Kentucky, Ralph Norman from South Carolina, and David Rouzer from North Carolina.