DEFUND Act of 2025

House Bill

H.R. 1498

119th Congress

DEFUND Act of 2025

In Committee

Introduced:Sep 30, 2025

Primary Sponsor

Chip Roy

Representative

Republican

TX-21

Cosponsors

0

Quick Stats

Policy Area

Economics and Public Finance

Summary

The DEFUND Act of 2025 aims to limit the portion of the U.S. national debt that can be held by foreign governments, entities, and individuals. It establishes a cap of one-quarter for the total debt held by foreign parties, and a 5% limit for debt held by any single foreign country and its citizens and entities. The President can waive these limits if they determine it's in the national interest.

Latest Action

Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.

SponsorChip Roy (R-TX)

Introduced9/30/2025

StatusReferred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

ChamberHouse

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Vote Prediction

DEFUND Act of 2025

The DEFUND Act of 2025 aims to limit the portion of the U.S. national debt that can be held by foreign governments, entities, and individuals. It establishes a cap of one-quarter for the total debt held by foreign parties, and a 5% limit for debt held by any s

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The DEFUND Act of 2025 aims to limit the portion of the U.S. national debt that can be held by foreign governments, entities, and individuals. It establishes a cap of one-quarter for the total debt held by foreign parties, and a 5% limit for debt held by any single foreign country and its citizens and entities. The President can waive these limits if they determine it's in the national interest.

Bill Number: 1498
Sponsor: Chip Roy (R-TX)
Introduced: 9/30/2025
Status: Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Policy Area: Economics and Public Finance

Data from Congress.gov

AI-generated summary

Fact Sheet

Title: DEFUND Act of 2025
Bill Number: 1498
Sponsor: Chip Roy (R-TX)
Status: Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Introduced: 9/30/2025
Summary: The DEFUND Act of 2025 aims to limit the portion of the U.S. national debt that can be held by foreign governments, entities, and individuals. It establishes a cap of one-quarter for the total debt held by foreign parties, and a 5% limit for debt held by any single foreign country and its citizens a

Data from Congress.gov

AI Summary

Plain-English explanation of this bill

The DEFUND Act of 2025 aims to limit the portion of the U.S. national debt that can be held by foreign governments, entities, and individuals. It establishes a cap of one-quarter for the total debt held by foreign parties, and a 5% limit for debt held by any single foreign country and its citizens and entities. The President can waive these limits if they determine it's in the national interest.

Last updated: 12/29/2025

Official Summary

Congressional Research Service summary

National Debt is National Security Act This bill establishes limits on the portion of the national debt that may be held by foreign governments, entities, and individuals. Specifically, the portion of the national debt that is cumulatively held by foreign governments, entities organized or incorporated under the laws of a foreign country, and citizens of foreign countries may not exceed one-fourth of the national debt. In addition, the portion of the national debt that is cumulatively held by the government of a single foreign country, entities organized or incorporated under the laws of the country, and citizens of the country may not exceed 5% of the national debt. The bill allows the President to waive these limits if the President determines and reports to Congress that an important national interest requires the waiver.

Key Points

Main provisions of the bill

Limits the portion of U.S. national debt that can be held by foreign governments, entities, and individuals to 25% total and 5% per country
Allows the President to waive these limits if they determine it's in the national interest
Designed to reduce foreign ownership and control of U.S. debt

How This Impacts Americans

Potential effects on citizens and communities

If enacted, this bill would restrict foreign investment in U.S. government debt, potentially making it more difficult for the federal government to borrow money from overseas sources. This could impact interest rates, government spending, and economic relationships between the U.S. and its major foreign creditors like China.

Policy Areas

Primary Policy Area

Economics and Public Finance

Scope & Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction Level

federal

Congressional Session

119th Congress

Citation Reference

1498, 119th Congress (2025). "DEFUND Act of 2025". Source: Voter's Right Platform. https://votersright.org/bills/118-hr-1498

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