SAD Act

House Bill

H.R. 846

119th Congress

SAD Act

In Committee

Introduced:Sep 2, 2025

Primary Sponsor

David Schweikert

Representative

Republican

AZ-1

Cosponsors

4

Quick Stats

Policy Area

Economics and Public Finance

Summary

This bill requires the Treasury Secretary to explain to Congress what emergency actions they plan to take to prevent the U.S. from defaulting on its debt payments. This would happen before the federal debt limit is reached and these extraordinary measures are implemented.

Latest Action

Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.

AI Summary

Plain-English explanation of this bill

This bill requires the Treasury Secretary to explain to Congress what emergency actions they plan to take to prevent the U.S. from defaulting on its debt payments. This would happen before the federal debt limit is reached and these extraordinary measures are implemented.

Last updated: 12/30/2025

Official Summary

Congressional Research Service summary

Debt Explanation Before Taxwriters Act or the DEBT Act This bill requires the Secretary of the Treasury to appear before the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee before the federal debt limit is reached or extraordinary measures are taken to prevent the United States from defaulting on its obligations. The term extraordinary measures generally refers to a series of actions that the Department of the Treasury may implement to allow the United States to borrow additional funds without exceeding the debt limit. The measures generally include suspensions or delays of debt sales and suspensions or redemptions of investments in certain government funds. The bill requires the Secretary of the Treasury to appear before the committees to provide a detailed explanation of (1) the extraordinary measures that Treasury will take and the administrative costs of taking the measures, and (2) any reversal of such measures and any other changes in the funding of federal government obligations.

Key Points

Main provisions of the bill

Requires the Treasury Secretary to appear before House and Senate committees to explain what emergency actions they will take to avoid a U.S. debt default
The 'extraordinary measures' refer to actions the Treasury can take to borrow more money without exceeding the debt limit, such as suspending debt sales or redeeming investments in government funds
The Treasury Secretary must explain the administrative costs of these measures and how they will be reversed or changed

How This Impacts Americans

Potential effects on citizens and communities

This bill would impact Congress and the general public by providing more transparency around the government's actions to avoid a debt default. It could help inform the public and Congress about the potential impacts on government finances and operations during a debt ceiling crisis.

Policy Areas

Primary Policy Area

Economics and Public Finance

Related Subjects

Budget deficits and national debt

Congressional oversight

Congressional-executive branch relations

Department of the Treasury

House Committee on Ways and Means

Senate Committee on Finance

Scope & Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction Level

federal

Congressional Session

119th Congress

Citation Reference

846, 119th Congress (2025). "SAD Act". Source: Voter's Right Platform. https://votersright.org/bills/118-hr-846