Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974

The Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 is a U.S. federal law that governs the role of the Congress in the United States budget process. It was passed in response to Nixon’s use of the power of the purse to impound funds for political reasons in the 1970s and ’80s. It is also known as the Congressional Budget Act of1974 and created the Congressional budget office.

About Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 in brief

Summary Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974The Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 is a U.S. federal law that governs the role of the Congress in the United States budget process. The Act was passed because Congressional representatives thought that President Nixon had abused his power of impoundment by withholding funds for programs he opposed. The act has been amended several times, including provisions in the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit control Act of 1985 and the Budget Enforcement Act of 1990. The original 1974 legislation, however, remains the basic blueprint for budget procedures today. It was passed in response to Nixon’s use of the power of the purse to impound funds for political reasons in the 1970s and ’80s.

It is also known as the Congressional Budget Act of1974 and created the Congressional budget office. It has been cited by the Government Accountability Office as a reason for the failure of the White House to act on the Ukraine security assistance request in the summer of 2019. The White House Office of Management and Budget issued a decision on January 2020 that raised concerns that the withholding of funds from Ukraine could be violating the Act. The GAO found that OMB withheld funds from approximately USD 214 million appropriated to DOD for security assistance for an unauthorized reason.