Can the U.S. Congress pass a law it can't repeal? That sounds kind of theological, like "Is there anything God can do that is undoable?" But the question won't go away. In the discussions of raising or lowering the U.S. federal government's debt ceiling and adjusting spending and taxation, there is talk of agreements spanning multiple years, including future years called "out years." But how can any such agreements be binding? A Congress cannot make a law that will bind the next Congress, which will be elected within two years. Indeed, Congress has the power to repeal a law it passed last week (with a two-thirds majority, so the President plays no role in this question). All this talk of multi-year budgeting is the purest fantasy. Right? What is the resolution of this conundrum?
Mark Spahn (West Seneca, NY)
