Press Releases

Washington, D.C. – On Monday, Rep. Ralph Norman (SC-05) introduced A Fast-Tracked Executive Rescission Review of Appropriations Act (AFTER Appropriations Act.) This bill would require Congress to vote on Presidential rescission requests with an expedited time frame.

Background

Under current law, the President can submit recommended rescissions to Congress in an effort to eliminate unnecessary or wasteful spending; however, Congress is not required to act on those requests. The AFTER Act would correct this oversight by ensuring the House or Senate majority leader (or designee) introduce an approval bill with the President’s rescissions and require a fast-tracked, up-or-down vote with no amendments, filibusters, or motions to reconsider. 

The AFTER Act does not allow for an executive line-item veto as it was deemed unconstitutional in Clinton v. City of New York in 1998.

The AFTER Act simply requires the House and Senate vote on the President’s proposed rescissions, maintaining the balance of power between the Executive and Legislative branches and retaining Congress’ “power of the purse” and legislative authority. 

Co-sponsors of the AFTER Appropriations Act include Rep. Byron Donalds (FL-19), Rep. Randy Weber (TX-14), and Rep. Andy Ogles (TN-05).

The AFTER Act is endorsed by Heritage Action and National Taxpayers Union.

“Presidential rescission requests are invaluable to help control needless spending as it can often be easier for the Executive Branch to identify waste.” said Rep. Norman in a statement on Monday. "Unfortunately, this opportunity is grossly underutilized so long as Congress has no obligation to formally consider these recommendations provided by the President. The AFTER Act would correct the oversight and would be a small, but important, tool to get our federal spending under control."