Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985

The Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, known as Gramm-Rudman-Hollings, established “maximum deficit amounts” and a sequestration procedure to reduce excessive spending to achieve the established targets. Though Congress acted to prevent or limit spending reductions that would have occurred under sequestration, the process served as a spending brake to force regular consideration of spending policy (P.L. No. 99 - 177, title II, 99 Stat. 1037, 1038).