This bill requires federal agencies to submit zero-based budgets to the Office of Management and Budget and the congressional budget committees. A zero-based budget is a systematic budget analysis in which managers (1) examine current objectives, operations, and costs; (2) consider alternative ways of carrying out programs or activities; and (3) rank different programs or activities by order of importance.

The bill also requires federal agencies to submit recommendations for spending reductions of at least 2% from the previous year's levels. The Department of Defense and the National Nuclear Security Administration are exempt from this requirement.