AARP Hearing Center
The popular name of the 1985 Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act, so named for its sponsors at the time: Sens. Phil Gramm (R-Texas), Warren Rudman (R-N.H.) and Ernest F. Hollings (D-S.C.).
The act, a mechanism for reducing the federal deficit, set declining deficit targets for the federal government and established an automatic enforcement mechanism called sequestration.
LIMITED TIME OFFER: Labor Day Sale!
Join AARP for just $9 per year with a 5-year membership and get a FREE Gift!
Gramm-Rudman-Hollings has been amended several times, most significantly by the 1990 Budget Enforcement Act and the 1997 Balanced Budget Act.
SOURCE: U.S. Government Accountability Office
See also: Balanced budget
See all terms in the National Debt Glossary
Frequently Asked Questions: National Debt
- How did the national debt get to be so big?
- What's the difference between the debt and the deficit?
- Why can't the government just print more money to get out of debt?
- How much U.S. debt is owned by foreign countries?
See all questions about the national debt. >>
