119th Congress · introduced in the House · Jan 3, 2025
Default Prevention Act
Official title from Congress.gov
Latest action (Jan 3, 2025): Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
View on Congress.govPolicy area: Economics and Public Finance
Congressional Research Service summary, version: Introduced in House (Jan 3, 2025)
Default Prevention Act
This bill exempts certain obligations of the federal government from the statutory debt limit and establishes requirements for paying and prioritizing obligations after the debt limit is reached.
If the debt limit is reached, the bill requires the Department of the Treasury to continue issuing debt and making payments necessary to (1) pay the principal and interest on debt held by the public, the Social Security trust funds, and the Medicare trust funds; and (2) pay Medicare benefits. The bill also exempts these obligations from the debt limit until the debt limit has been modified or suspended.
The bill also establishes requirements for prioritizing the remaining obligations after the debt limit has been reached. Specifically, Treasury may not
• pay any remaining obligations unless it can still pay obligations of the Department of Defense and any obligations necessary to provide benefits under laws administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs;
• pay obligations related to the compensation of federal employees for official time; government travel for executive branch officers or employees; and the compensation of the President, the Vice President, and other members of the executive branch (other than individuals in the competitive service) unless all other obligations except for compensation of Members of Congress can still be paid; and
• compensate Members of Congress unless all other obligations can still be paid.
Finally, the bill requires Treasury to provide weekly reports to Congress regarding new debt issued and obligations that have been paid or not paid under the bill.
Show less of the summaryIncludes amendment, cloture, and procedural votes. Each is labeled with its exact question; only a passage question is a vote to pass the bill.
No recorded roll calls on this bill in coverage.
Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Actions from Congress.gov, newest first.
Budget deficits and national debt · Congressional oversight · Disability assistance · Government trust funds · Social security and elderly assistance
LD-2 reports whose issue descriptions explicitly cite this bill (bill type and number validated against Congress.gov records). A citation does not establish the client's position or any contact with a member.
Loading lobbying reportsCoverage: reports for 2025 onward, posted Jan 1, 2025 through Oct 24, 2026.
7 citations.
NATIONAL TREASURY EMPLOYEES UNION · lobbying firm or registrant: NATIONAL TREASURY EMPLOYEES UNION
2026 Q3 report (Jul 1, 2026 – Sep 30, 2026) · posted Oct 19, 2026 · issue area: Budget/Appropriations
$310,000
Spent on own lobbying
…ted to the public debt. H. J. Res. 139, Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States requiring a balanced budget for the Federal Government. H.R. 182, Default Prevention Act H.R. 191, Inflation Reduction Act of 2025 H.R. 196, Family and Small Business Taxpayer Protection Act H.R. 199, Implementing DOGE Act H…
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number and the title cited with it match Congress.gov records, and the bill predates the report. The amount is lobbying spending for every issue on this report, not this bill alone, and none of it is paid to any member of Congress. View filing
NATIONAL TREASURY EMPLOYEES UNION · lobbying firm or registrant: NATIONAL TREASURY EMPLOYEES UNION
2026 Q2 report (Apr 1, 2026 – Jun 30, 2026) · posted Jul 20, 2026 · issue area: Budget/Appropriations
$340,000
Spent on own lobbying
…ted to the public debt. H. J. Res. 139, Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States requiring a balanced budget for the Federal Government. H.R. 182, Default Prevention Act H.R. 191, Inflation Reduction Act of 2025 H.R. 196, Family and Small Business Taxpayer Protection Act H.R. 199, Implementing DOGE Act H…
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number and the title cited with it match Congress.gov records, and the bill predates the report. The amount is lobbying spending for every issue on this report, not this bill alone, and none of it is paid to any member of Congress. View filing
NATIONAL TREASURY EMPLOYEES UNION · lobbying firm or registrant: NATIONAL TREASURY EMPLOYEES UNION
2026 Q1 report (Jan 1, 2026 – Mar 31, 2026) · posted Apr 13, 2026 · issue area: Budget/Appropriations
$310,000
Spent on own lobbying
…ted to the public debt. H. J. Res. 139, Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States requiring a balanced budget for the Federal Government. H.R. 182, Default Prevention Act H.R. 191, Inflation Reduction Act of 2025 H.R. 196, Family and Small Business Taxpayer Protection Act H.R. 199, Implementing DOGE Act H…
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number and the title cited with it match Congress.gov records, and the bill predates the report. The amount is lobbying spending for every issue on this report, not this bill alone, and none of it is paid to any member of Congress. View filing
NATIONAL TREASURY EMPLOYEES UNION · lobbying firm or registrant: NATIONAL TREASURY EMPLOYEES UNION
2025 Q4 report (Oct 1, 2025 – Dec 31, 2025) · posted Jan 20, 2026 · issue area: Budget/Appropriations
$350,000
Spent on own lobbying
…amendment to the Constitution of the United States. H. J. Res. 112, Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States related to the public debt. H.R. 182, Default Prevention Act H.R. 191, Inflation Reduction Act of 2025 H.R. 196, Family and Small Business Taxpayer Protection Act H.R. 199, Implementing DOGE Act H…
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number and the title cited with it match Congress.gov records, and the bill predates the report. The amount is lobbying spending for every issue on this report, not this bill alone, and none of it is paid to any member of Congress. View filing
NATIONAL TREASURY EMPLOYEES UNION · lobbying firm or registrant: NATIONAL TREASURY EMPLOYEES UNION
2025 Q3 report (Jul 1, 2025 – Sep 30, 2025) · posted Oct 20, 2025 · issue area: Budget/Appropriations
$300,000
Spent on own lobbying
…e United States. H. J. Res. 112, Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States related to the public debt. H.R. 1, One Big Beautiful Bill Act H.R. 182, Default Prevention Act H.R. 191, Inflation Reduction Act of 2025 H.R. 196, Family and Small Business Taxpayer Protection Act H.R. 199, Implementing DOGE Act H…
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number and the title cited with it match Congress.gov records, and the bill predates the report. The amount is lobbying spending for every issue on this report, not this bill alone, and none of it is paid to any member of Congress. View filing
NATIONAL TREASURY EMPLOYEES UNION · lobbying firm or registrant: NATIONAL TREASURY EMPLOYEES UNION
2025 Q2 report (Apr 1, 2025 – Jun 30, 2025) · posted Jul 21, 2025 · issue area: Budget/Appropriations
$350,000
Spent on own lobbying
…Amendment to the United States Constitution and stipulating ratification by a vote of We the People, and for other purposes. H.R. 1, One Big Beautiful Bill Act H.R. 182, Default Prevention Act H.R. 191, Inflation Reduction Act of 2025 H.R. 196, Family and Small Business Taxpayer Protection Act H.R. 199, Implementing DOGE Act H…
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number and the title cited with it match Congress.gov records, and the bill predates the report. The amount is lobbying spending for every issue on this report, not this bill alone, and none of it is paid to any member of Congress. View filing
NATIONAL TREASURY EMPLOYEES UNION · lobbying firm or registrant: NATIONAL TREASURY EMPLOYEES UNION
2025 Q1 report (Jan 1, 2025 – Mar 31, 2025) · posted Apr 18, 2025 · issue area: Budget/Appropriations
$300,000
Spent on own lobbying
…proposing a Fiscal Responsibility Amendment to the United States Constitution and stipulating ratification by a vote of We the People, and for other purposes. H.R. 182, Default Prevention Act H.R. 191, Inflation Reduction Act of 2025 H.R. 196, Family and Small Business Taxpayer Protection Act H.R. 199, Implementing DOGE Act H…
Congress inferred from the report year; bill number and the title cited with it match Congress.gov records, and the bill predates the report. The amount is lobbying spending for every issue on this report, not this bill alone, and none of it is paid to any member of Congress. View filing