Title 31 of the United States Code

Title 31 of the United States Code
Name	Title 31, United States Code
Long title	Money and Finance
Enacted by	United States Congress
Status	current

Contents

Title 31 of the United States Code

Title 31 of the United States Code codifies federal statutory provisions on money, finance, accounting, and fiscal administration for the United States. It establishes statutory authority for agencies such as the Department of the Treasury, the Government Accountability Office, and the Office of Management and Budget and interfaces with statutes including the Budget and Accounting Act of 1921, the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974, and the Antideficiency Act. Title 31 underpins fiscal processes that affect interactions among the Treasury Secretary, the President of the United States, the United States Senate, and the United States House of Representatives.

Overview

Title 31 organizes federal fiscal law into provisions on public debt, money and finance, accounting, collection and disbursement of public money, and related administrative authorities. It defines roles for the Secretary of the Treasury, the Comptroller General of the United States, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, and officers such as the Treasurer of the United States. Title 31 intersects with statutes like the Federal Reserve Act, the Internal Revenue Code, the Gramm–Rudman–Hollings Balanced Budget Act, and the Congressional Budget Act, and it informs practices used by agencies including the Internal Revenue Service, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Origins trace to early fiscal statutes enacted by the First United States Congress and later codifications such as the Revised Statutes of the United States and the United States Code project. The modern structure reflects consolidation efforts following the Budget and Accounting Act of 1921 and reforms after the Great Depression, World War II, and legislative responses to fiscal crises tied to events like the 1973 oil crisis. Significant legislative landmarks influencing Title 31 include the Payment Collection Procedures Act, the Antideficiency Act amendments, and provisions enacted during the Budget Enforcement Act of 1990. Judicial interpretations from the Supreme Court of the United States, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and the United States Court of Federal Claims have further shaped enforceability and scope.

Title 31 is organized into subtitles and chapters addressing debt, fiscal service, money, accounting, and administrative remedies. Major structural elements reference authorities that affect the Treasury analogues in other systems and U.S. entities like the Bureau of the Fiscal Service and the Public Debt functions inherited from the United States Mint. The organization aligns with congressional committees such as the United States House Committee on Ways and Means and the United States Senate Committee on Finance, and it supports operations involving the Government Accountability Office, the Office of Inspector General, and the Federal Reserve Board.

Key provisions codify debt issuance authorities, collection of public money, obligations of officers, and internal controls. Title 31 contains the Antideficiency Act provisions that govern obligations and expenditures, the Standards for Internal Controls modeled on guidance from entities like the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission, and audit authorities exercised by the Comptroller General of the United States. It prescribes procedures for TreasuryDirect-style debt operations, payment systems that tie into Federal Reserve System functioning, and criminal and civil penalties coordinated with the Department of Justice. Statutory provisions also specify reporting requirements to bodies such as the Congressional Budget Office and mechanisms for administrative claims analogous to the Federal Tort Claims Act.

Administration of Title 31 responsibilities is vested primarily in the Secretary of the Treasury, with operational roles for the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Office of Management and Budget. Enforcement and oversight are pursued by the Government Accountability Office, inspectors general across executive agencies, and the Department of Justice through civil and criminal referrals. Auditing standards and financial reporting obligations under Title 31 are implemented in coordination with the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board and reflected in agency financial statements presented to the President of the United States and Congress.

Title 31 has been amended through omnibus statutes, appropriations riders, and standalone reform acts such as the Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990, the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (which restructured fiscal responsibilities), and periodic appropriations laws responding to crises like the 2008 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic. Legislative actions by the United States Congress and interpretive rulings by the United States Supreme Court and United States Court of Appeals have produced notable revisions to authorities over debt issuance, anti-deficiency enforcement, and federal payment mechanisms.

Title 31 shapes practical operations including federal cash management, debt financing, appropriations execution, and audit remediation that affect agencies such as the Department of Defense, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Social Security Administration. Its provisions underpin fiscal responses to national events like World War II, the 2008 financial crisis, and legislative emergency measures like the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Title 31’s framework enables coordination among the Treasury Secretary, Federal Reserve Chair, Comptroller General, and congressional budget authorities to implement fiscal policy, maintain public credit, and sustain government financial integrity.

Category:United States federal finance law