5 things to know about rule changes in the 118th Congress

3. Prevent the introduction of bills to increase government spending

The rules package outlines “initiatives to reduce spending and improve accountability,” including “cut-as-you-go.” The document states, “It shall not be in order to consider a bill or joint resolution, or an amendment thereto or a conference report thereon, if the provisions of such measure have the net effect of increasing mandatory spending for the period” ranging from four through nine years after the current budget year.

This provision of the rules package reflects concerns about the rising national debt. According to the U.S. Debt Clock, which keeps track of U.S. debt in real time, the U.S. has a continuously rising debt that amounts to approximately $31.5 trillion as of Tuesday afternoon. The U.S. currently has a debt-to-GDP ratio of more than 121%, meaning that the amount of money the U.S. owes to its debtors exceeds its gross domestic product.