Constitutional Opinion No. 2026-0681
Case Information
- Content Scored
- H.R. 10445 (118th) — Further Continuing Appropriations and Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2025
- Source
- U.S. Congress (govinfo.gov)
- Author
- Reps. Cole and Edwards
- Publication Date
- 2024-12-17
- Content Type
- Legislation
- Opinion Issued
- 2026-07-19
- AFCS Version
- 1.0
Holding
H.R. 10445 is an omnibus continuing resolution (funding government through March 14, 2025) paired with a ~$100B+ disaster-relief supplemental (FEMA $29B, agriculture $30.78B, etc.) and a sprawling set of policy riders across eight divisions. Scored on dominant content (Rule 21), scoring the text rather than the political controversy around it. Cross-cutting: its dominant substantive purpose — relief for American citizens recovering from 2023-2024 disasters — aligns with Article I (prioritizing our own people, 56) and Article XVIII (emergency protection, 62), reinforced by a China outbound-investment-sanctions rider. Cutting the other way: ~$100B+ in largely unoffset supplemental spending (Article X = 32) delivered through a sprawling omnibus stuffed with unrelated riders (Article XII = 38, the bloated-Washington process). Those fiscal/structural negatives roughly offset the America-first relief purpose. The foreign-aid Automatic Fail is declined per Rule 21 (subsidiary foreign riders; consistent with the NDAA rulings). Tier 1 = 48; under 85/15 the result is 54 — Mixed. (Default 70/30 would have returned 59.)
It is the judgment of this Court that Opinion No. 2026-0681 is hereby entered into the record, in accordance with the America First Constitutional Standard. The score stands. The reasoning is published. The record is public.