Impoundment Control Act
E908528
The Impoundment Control Act is a U.S. federal law that restricts the President’s ability to withhold or delay spending of funds appropriated by Congress, thereby reinforcing legislative control over the federal budget.
Observed surface forms (1)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Impoundment Control Act of 1974 | 1 |
Statements (49)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
United States federal statute
ⓘ
budgetary control law ⓘ |
| aimsToLimit | presidential impoundment of funds ⓘ |
| allows |
deferrals for contingencies
ⓘ
deferrals to achieve savings through more efficient operations ⓘ |
| appliesTo |
budget authority provided in appropriations acts
ⓘ
budget authority provided in other laws making funds available ⓘ |
| category |
United States federal budget legislation
ⓘ
United States separation of powers case law and practice ⓘ |
| codifiedIn | Title 2 of the United States Code NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| constitutionalBasis | Article I spending powers of Congress ⓘ |
| country |
United States of America
ⓘ
surface form:
United States
|
| effect |
limits unilateral presidential power over execution of appropriations
ⓘ
strengthens congressional power of the purse ⓘ |
| enactedBy | United States Congress ⓘ |
| enforcementMechanism | GAO reporting to Congress on violations ⓘ |
| establishesProcedureFor |
presidential deferral proposals
ⓘ
presidential rescission proposals ⓘ |
| historicalContext | enacted in response to President Nixon’s extensive use of impoundment ⓘ |
| imposesOn |
Office of Management and Budget
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
President of the United States NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| influenced | later debates over presidential control of foreign aid and domestic spending ⓘ |
| jurisdiction |
United States government
ⓘ
surface form:
federal government of the United States
|
| limits | executive branch discretion in withholding obligated funds ⓘ |
| longTitle | Title X of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| oversightBy | Government Accountability Office NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| partOf | Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| presidentAtEnactment | Richard Nixon NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| primaryPurpose |
to reinforce congressional control over federal budget execution
ⓘ
to restrict the President’s ability to withhold or delay spending of appropriated funds ⓘ |
| prohibits | indefinite deferral of budget authority for policy reasons ⓘ |
| providesThat | funds must be made available for obligation if Congress does not approve a rescission within the statutory period ⓘ |
| regulates |
deferrals of budget authority
ⓘ
rescissions of budget authority ⓘ |
| relatedTo |
Congressional Budget Act of 1974
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
power of the purse ⓘ |
| requires |
formal presidential messages to Congress for proposed deferrals
ⓘ
formal presidential messages to Congress for proposed rescissions ⓘ |
| requiresApprovalFrom | United States Congress for permanent rescissions of budget authority ⓘ |
| requiresNotificationTo | both houses of Congress ⓘ |
| shortTitle | Impoundment Control Act NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| signedBy | Richard Nixon ⓘ |
| status | in force (as of 2024) ⓘ |
| subjectMatter |
appropriations law
ⓘ
federal budget process ⓘ separation of powers ⓘ |
| timeLimitForCongressionalActionOnRescissions | 45 days of continuous session ⓘ |
| typeOfControl | ex post control over budget execution ⓘ |
| yearEnacted | 1974 ⓘ |
Referenced by (2)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
Impoundment Control Act of 1974