H.R. 4229 Congress 119 session
To amend the Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to require prior approval from Congress before the Comptroller General may pursue a civil action under such Act, and for other purposes.
This bill prohibits the Government Accountability Office (GAO) from bringing a civil action under the Impoundment Control Act of 1974 (ICA) to compel the release of appropriated funds unless Congress has enacted a concurrent resolution authorizing GAO to bring the action. The ICA generally limits the authority of the President to impound (i.e., withhold from obligation or expenditure) funds that have been appropriated by Congress and establishes related procedures. Under current law, GAO is authorized to bring a civil action to compel a federal agency to release budget authority for obligation if the budget authority is required to be released under the ICA, and the agency has not released the funds. This bill prohibits GAO from bringing such an action without prior congressional approval.
Status
- Introduced
- Committee
- Floor vote
- Passed
- Enacted
In committee — last recorded action June 27, 2025
Referred to the Committee on the Budget, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Passage likelihood
3% Much lower than most bills at this stage
This is an estimate, not a guarantee. It is computed from the signals listed below and nothing else. It does not account for leadership priorities, floor scheduling, or negotiations that are not in the public record.
What the estimate is based on
- Historical base rate About 4% of introduced federal bills are enacted.
- Current stage Referred to committee.
- Cosponsors 6 cosponsors.
- Days without action No recorded action in 439 days.
State-level impact
State-level impact data is not available for this bill. The source text does not contain a per-state funding formula or scored breakdown, so no figures are shown.
Official actions
- Referred to the Committee on the Budget, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- Referred to the Committee on the Budget, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- Introduced in House
- Introduced in House